Business

SON Shuts 13 Steel Firms For Standards Infractions

Published

6 years ago

February 12, 2020

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria National Steel Task Force has sealed 13 steel factories across the nation for standards infractions.
The Chairman of the SON Task Force on Steel, Enebi Onucheyo, said the companies located in Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Abia and Edo states would be shut indefinitely following a nationwide market surveillance carried out by the SON Task Force between November 2019 and January 2020.
He stated that samples of various steel products were obtained from the open market as well as the facilities of the companies during the surveillance exercises.
Onucheyo stated that given the SON classification of steel bars as life-endangering products, the Nigeria Industrial Standards provides for unique identification marks for every locally manufactured or imported steel bars for easy traceability.
According to him, laboratory tests and analysis carried out on the samples revealed that most of them failed to meet the minimum requirements for 2 diameter2 and 2 mass per meter2 as provided in the Nigeria Industrial Standard (117:2004).
These, Onucheyo said, were critical parameters in the standard for reinforcement bars for concrete.
Onucheyo said the shutdown exercise followed earlier warnings to all the steel manufacturing companies on observed infractions with directives to ensure strict compliance with the requirements of the NIS 117:2004.
The task force chairman disclosed that some of the companies were found to have tampered with products earlier placed on hold by SON in their facilities while an unregistered identification mark was discovered in one of the products sampled.
He explained that the exercise would be a continuous one in furtherance of the SON commitment to protect Nigerian consumers from the dangers associated with substandard and life-endangering products in view of the incessant collapse of buildings and structures across the country.
Onucheyo said the exercise was also aimed at ensuring that Nigerian consumers got maximum value for their money.
Commenting on the standards enforcement activity, the SON Director General, Osita Aboloma, restated the need to promote quality made-in-Nigeria products preparatory to the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.

Business

NIWA Harps On Avoidance Of Leaking Boats

Published

4 hours ago

June 12, 2026

The Tide

The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has advised Nigerians against boarding boats that require constant bailing of water in the interest of their safety.

NIWA Area Manager for Cross River and Ebonyi, Mr Stanley Onuoha gave this warning in an interview with Newsmen in Calabar.

Onuoha who spoke on waterway

safety, said that passengers should take responsibility for their safety by inspecting boats before embarking on any journey.

According to him, repeated scooping of water from a boat is a clear indication that the vessel may be leaking.

“If you are entering a boat and see people using a bailer to remove water, it is the first signal that the boat is leaking,” he said.

He urged passengers to check the integrity of boats, including seating arrangements and other visible safety features.

The Manager restated the importance of using safety jackets, saying that damaged jackets may fail during emergencies.

He further said that passengers should ensure that safety jackets were appropriate for their body sizes in order to guarantee effective flotation.

Onuoha reiterated the need for passengers to fill manifests before departure to aid accountability during emergencies.

The NIWA official further advised travellers to monitor weather conditions and avoid boarding boats when the weather is unfavourable.

According to him, poor weather conditions can trigger strong tidal waves capable of affecting small boats commonly used on inland waterways.

He said that waterway journeys should be embarked upon between 6.00a.m and 6.00p.m for clearer visibility.

Onuoha said the Authority had continued to sensitise riverine communities to the need for safety precautions during waterway journeys.

He stated that sustained awareness campaigns and enforcement measures had contributed to safety waterway safety in Cross River.

CHINEDU WOSU

Business

N77.3bn Customs Revenue Underscores Eastern Ports Economic Importance -ANLCA

Published

4 hours ago

June 12, 2026

The Tide

The Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Onne Seaport Chapter, has described the record-breaking N77.3 billion revenue generated by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Onne Command in April 2026 as a strong indication of growing economic activities across Nigeria’s eastern maritime corridor.

Chairman of ANLCA, Onne Chapter, Mr. Ifeanyi Isikaku, said this during a courtesy visit by executives of the Coalition of Maritime Journalists Association of Nigeria (COMJAN) to the association in Onne, recently.

Isikaku said the impressive revenue performance reflected increased vessel traffic, improved port operations and rising commercial activities at the Onne Port complex, which continues to attract major shipping lines and cargo volumes.

He noted that terminals within the port, particularly the West Africa Container Terminal (WACT), have witnessed steady patronage from large container vessels carrying hundreds of containers on weekly schedules.

According to him, some vessels arriving at the terminal berth with between 500 and 800 containers, adding that the port had at certain periods accommodated as many as four large vessels simultaneously.

The ANLCA chairman said the development demonstrates the enormous potentials of eastern ports in contributing significantly to national revenue generation and economic growth if provided with the necessary infrastructure and policy support.

He maintained that the increasing volume of maritime businesses in the region justifies renewed calls for greater Federal Government investment in roads, logistics facilities and port infrastructure to enhance operational efficiency.

Isikaku also urged maritime journalists to sustain objective and proactive report of activities within the sector, stressing that accurate information dissemination remains vital to the growth of the nation’s maritime industry.

He encouraged media practitioners to pay closer attention to developments at ports in Onne, Rivers, Warri and Calabar, noting such coverage would help to draw attention to the opportunities and challenges facing the eastern maritime axis.

The Nigeria Customs Service, Onne Area Command, had recently announced a record revenue collection of N77.3 billion for April 2026, describing it as the highest monthly revenue generated in the history of the command.

Customs Area Comptroller of the command, Aliyu Mohammed Alkali, disclosed that the command generated a cumulative revenue of N258.2 billion within the review period, underscoring the growing capacity of the port to support national economic objectives.

President of COMJAN, Mr. Ralph John, assured stakeholders of the association’s commitment to promoting responsible maritime journalism and fostering collaboration with industry players, while urging stakeholders to regard journalists as partners in development rather than adversaries.

King Onunwor

Business

RIVERS NDC STANDARD BEARER CAUTIONS AGAINST TRIBAL POLITICS IN 2027

Published

4 days ago

June 8, 2026

The Tide

Governorship candidate of The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Rivers State, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, has called on politicians and other stakeholders in the state not to make the governorship seat of Rivers State an ethnic agenda.

Chief Lulu-Briggs, who said this in an interview with newsmen shortly after arrival from Abuja, also blamed the alleged unenviable position of Rivers State among the comity of states in the country on the political class.

He said stakeholders must avoid a situation where the state would be plunged into another round of political crisis, adding that given the ethnic and cultural diversity of the state, it was necessary to give everyone a sense of inclusion by ensuring that the governorship seat rotates among the ethnic nationalities.

The NDC governorship flag bearer condemned the alleged intimidation of the electorate, noting that the situation has underdeveloped the state.

He said, if elected, his administration would provide the democratic dividends that will improve the lives of the people.

In a similar development, the state chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Rivers State, Mr Success Jack, says his party will run an all inclusive government in the state.

Mr Jack, who spoke to newsmen in Port Harcourt, promised that an NDC controlled government will always consult with the people before taking any decisions.

According to him, based on his party’s ideology of “Solid, Strong Accommodating”, the NDC offers hope to the hopeless and the downtrodden.

“We assure you that we are fully ready. Our party is a platform that is open to everybody whether APC or PDP, we offer hope. Our ideology is Solid, Strong, Accommodating. The manifesto of our party is anchored on the ideology of providing genuine service to the people”.

Mr Jack also stressed that the policies of an NDC government would be crafted in such a way and manner that serves the primary and secondary interests of the people.

“This is not what you find in other parties.What you find in other parties is utmost impunity, absolute impunity, where the people are not included, they are not consulted and so their opinion does not count, they don’t know what government wants to do because they didn’t contribute to what government wants to do.

“That’s not the case here. We listen to the people, even provide the way forward, (and) the details for the way forward because we provide the framework as a government but the people will provide the details because they are the ones that wear the shoes and they know where it pinches them”, he said.

By: John Bibor