Business

Abuja Metro Line Commences Operations, Monday

Published

7 years ago

September 26, 2018

The Abuja Rail Mass Transit last Monday commenced commercial train services on the Airport-Idu-Central Area metro line, Mr Okey Ugwuanyi, Airport Station Manager, told newsmen.
Ugwuanyi said the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), had been running free services since the inauguration of the metro line by President Muhammadu Buhari in July.
He said that the cost of the ticket was set at N1,000 for adult on the airport to metro station, N500 on Idu to Airport and N500 on Idu to Metro station.
According to him, children will pay N700 between airport and metro station, N300 between Airport and Idu while persons living with disabilities would pay N500 and N250 respectively on the routes.
Ugwuanyi also disclosed that the management had only approved two trips per day into and from the airport, adding that effort was being made to increase the frequency as soon as possible.
He added that more locomotives and coaches would be added to boost the conveyance of early morning passengers and airport workers.
“We have been running free services for the past one month and today is the beginning of our commercial operation.
“From this airport station to the metro station, we charge N1,000 per adult passenger; from here to Idu, we charge N500 and from Idu to Metro station, we charge N500.
“We charge N700 from the airport to the Metro station and N300 to Idu for children while persons living with disabilities are being charged N500 and N250 respectively.
“Our current operation is two trips per day from the airport to the metro station in the town and from the metro station to the airport.
“The train takes off from Idu at 9:20 a.m. to metro station, leaves for the airport at 10.00 a.m. and arrives at the airport at 10:40 a.m.
“The train departs from the airport at 1:30 p.m, to arrive at the metro station at 2:10 p.m. while the second trip commences from metro station at 2:30 p.m. to arrive the airport at 3:10 p.m.
“Finally, it leaves the airport at 4:20 p.m. to arrive metro station at 5:00 p.m.,’’ he said.
A passenger, Mr Chinedu Opara, described the metro line project as a good development, adding that the system had made movement to the airport so easy.
Opara said the stress of looking for cab, paying high cost and the risk of insecurity on the road had been addressed by the rail line.
He, however, urged the FCTA to look review downward the N1,000 ticket cost and increase the frequency of train service for greater access to more air passengers.
Mr Ahmed Shehu, a legal practitioner, commended the government for completing the project, adding that the train station had added more beauty to the airport.
Shehu, a retired Director from the Ministry of Transportation, said that the train service was cheaper, safer and faster for airport users than to using cabs.
He that the downward review was imperative in the interest of of the low and medium income earners who might find it difficult to use the train.
“Youths are out of job and agriculture is rather unsustainable around here. So, I will say it is a bit costly and I appeal to the authority to see to it that this cost is reduced.
“Our people should be accommodated in a manner that will enable them to enjoy the fallout of democratic government,’’ he said.
NAN recalls that Buhari, had in July inaugurated the metro line into the airport, while the FCTA commenced operation with free train services till Sept. 21.

Business

PENGASSAN Tasks Multinationals On Workers’ Salary Increase

Published

7 days ago

December 8, 2025

The Tide

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has asked companies in the oil and gas sector to undertake urgent review of salaries of their workers in view of the prevailing harsh economic conditions in the country.

Also, the pensioners of Chevron Nigeria, under the aegis PenCoN, have lauded the President of PENGASSAN, Comrade Festus Osifo and his executive on their unrelenting efforts toward addressing pension abnormalities faced by retired workers in the oil and gas industry.

The association also appealed to the federal government to take necessary measures to check banditry and terrorist activities in parts of the country.

PENGASSAN President, Osifo who addressed journalists shortly after the National Executive Council meeting of the association in Abuja, at the weekend, said that though a lot of success has been recorded in negotiating salary reviews for its members, there are still organisations that have failed to lift their workers from the present harsh economic situation.

He said within this period, PENGASSAN has signed numerous Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) which has brought smiles to the faces of its teeming members.

“This is because we recognise that our job, literally, is how to protect the job of our members, and how to enhance their pay,” he said.

Osifo said that operators in the oil and gas sectors always go for the best qualified professionals to carry out their operations.

“So, the same way they recruit the best, we also challenge them to provide the best condition of service and provide the best remuneration.

“Yes, today, a lot of companies will have achieved successes, but there are still few that we are still discussing at their CBAs, that we are not yet there.

“We still use this opportunity to call on these companies that are still foot dragging, that are still holding back, even with the massive devaluation that has occurred in our country, that still don’t want to fix the remuneration of our members.

“We are calling on them to do the needful, because for us in PENGASSAN we will push without holding back. We will push, using everything in our arsenal, to ensure that the needful is done,” he said.

Osifo spoke of the dispute with the Dangote Refinery group, saying there are still pending issues to be resolved.

“Gentlemen of the press, during the networking session, we also looked at the issues that are plaguing some of our branches, and you know that recently, we had some challenges in Dangote Refinery and PetroChemicals Ltd.

“And within this period, since our last National Industrial Action, we have been engaging them in a lot of conversations, but the issues are not fully resolved. There are still a lot of pending issues.

“Yes, the NEC decided that, yes, let us still consummate that process by pushing those issues, by engaging in dialogue to resolve the issues, and by also engaging all our social partners and stakeholders to get the issues resolved,” he said.

Business

SEC Unveils Digital Regulatory Hub To Boost Oversight Across Financial Markets

Published

7 days ago

December 8, 2025

The Tide

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has launched the Regulatory Hub, a new centralized digital platform designed to streamline collaboration, strengthen oversight, and improve transparency across Nigeria’s financial and capital market ecosystem.

The Commission disclosed this in a statement posted on its website.

According to the commission, the platform connects key regulatory and security institutions including the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), enabling them to exchange information securely and in real time.

The launch of this regulatory hub comes ahead of the implementation of new tax laws in January 2026, with agencies such as the FIRS spreading its tentacles across sector to monitor compliance.

According to the SEC Director-General, Emomotimi Agama, the launch marks a significant step toward modernizing Nigeria’s regulatory framework through technology.

“The Regulatory Hub is a major step in our commitment to leverage technology for stronger regulatory synergy. By connecting regulators on one platform, we are building resilience, enhancing market integrity, and promoting investor confidence,” he said.

The SEC said the platform would help reduce bottlenecks in regulatory processes and facilitate faster, more informed decision-making across agencies.

Reinforcing the DG’s comments, the Executive Commissioner, Operations, Bola Ajomale, highlighted the operational benefits of the new system.

“The platform will significantly improve the timeliness and quality of regulatory decision-making. It provides a single window for regulators to share data, respond to requests, and collaborate seamlessly in safeguarding our financial and capital markets,” he said.

The commission believes the Regulatory Hub would support its broader mandate to strengthen investor protection, enhance market stability, and harmonize regulatory activities across the financial sector.

It urged stakeholders to initiate interest by emailing the Commission, adding that once registered, participants would be able to access the Hub and take advantage of its features.

Business

NAFDAC Decries Circulation Of Prohibited Food Items In markets …….Orders Vendors’ Immediate Cessation Of Dealings With Products

Published

7 days ago

December 8, 2025

The Tide

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm over the growing circulation of banned food products across markets in the country.

The agency, in a Press Release dated 6 December 2025, warned that these items including pasta, noodles, sugar and tomato paste are expressly listed on the Federal Government’s Customs Prohibition List and are illegal to import.

NAFDAC stated that the sale and distribution of such prohibited items violate national trade laws, compromise the integrity of Nigeria’s food control system, and pose significant public health risks, as they have not undergone the agency’s mandatory safety and quality evaluations.

Importers, market traders, and supermarket operators have therefore, been directed to immediately cease all dealings in these items and to notify their supply chain partners to halt transactions involving prohibited products.

The agency emphasized that failure to comply will attract strict enforcement measures, including seizure and destruction of goods, suspension or revocation of operational licences, and prosecution under relevant laws.

The statement said “The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm over the growing incidence of smuggling, sale, and distribution of regulated food products such as pasta, noodles, sugar, and tomato paste currently found in markets across the country.

“These products are expressly listed on the Federal Government’s Customs Prohibition List and are not permitted for importation”.

NAFDAC also called on other government bodies, including the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service(NIS) Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigeria Shippers Council, and the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), to collaborate in enforcing the ban on these unsafe products.

By: Lady Godknows Ogbulu