Business
Cargo Warehouse Complex Gulps N323M – NAHCO
The Port Harcourt Airport Cargo Warehouse Complex cost the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) the sum of N323 million.
The Managing Director of NAHCO, Bates Sarki Sule who stated this in an interview with The Tide, shortly after the commissioning of the warehouse, revealed that the project was abandoned after the ground handling company had spent about N130 million.
Sule however commanded the Board of Directors of NAHCO for supporting the management in completing the project which is to improve cargo handling and promote patronage of air cargo at the airport.
He said the Port Harcourt cargo warehouse will not only provide warehousing and processing facilities for cargoes but also provide office space for other operators in the industry.
He said that efforts are being made to build similar structures in other airports across the country as the need arises, stating that NAHCO will soon commence the internal expansion and automation of the cargo shed in Lagos with a view to providing seamless services driven by the latest technology and enhance cargo handling capacity.
Sule also discussed that the construction of the planned cargo warehouse for the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja will come on stream by next year.
The NAHCO boss however stated that the company was fully committed to the development of air cargo business in Nigeria, and solicited the support and cooperation of all cargo stakeholders to achieve the development of the air cargo business.
According to him, “there are potentials yet to be harnessed and tapped from the increasingly volume of businesses globally.
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A concerned group of stakeholders under the auspices of Khana Coastal Communities has made a passionate appeal to the Federal Ministry of Environment and the Hydrocarbon Remediation Restoration Project (HYPREP) to include the removal of Nipa palms which has taken over the positions of mangroves in the area as part of the ongoing Ogoni Clean Up Exercise.
The group, which decried the invasive and destructive effects of Nypa fructicans, commonly known as Nipa palms, on the ecosystem of the affected communities, made their appeal in a Press Statement issued shortly after the inspection and survey of the creeks and coastlines of affected communities.
The communities are Kwiri, Kereken, Kaa, Gwara, Sii, Kpean, Tehnnama, Bane, Kalaoku, and Opuoku, all in Khana Local Government Area of Ogoni, Rivers State.
Signed on behalf of the affected communities by comrades Emmanuel Goteh Bie, Raymond Nwibani, and Chief Barineka Tonwe, the statement emphasized the need for urgent intervention to clear the Nypa fructicans and replace them with mangroves which provided sustainable habitat for aquatic species in the affected communities.
The group commended the Federal Ministry of Environment and HYPREP for their commitment to the Ogoni cleanup process and urged all stakeholders involved in the process not to renege on their complementary roles.
The statement read in part: “As you have seen, the Nypa fructicans has taken over our creeks, displacing native mangroves and aquatic life. The impact on our communities has been severe, with many of our people struggling to make a living due to the depletion of fish and other aquatic resources.
“We commend the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) for its efforts in restoring native mangroves in Ogoni, particularly in the Bomu Community. However, we are alarmed by the unintended consequences of removing invasive Nypa fructicans, which has led to the disappearance of fish and aquatic life, threatening the livelihoods of our coastal communities.
“We believe that the removal of Nypa fructicans and replanting of native mangroves will help revive our aquatic life and sustain the livelihoods of our people.”
The group passed a vote of confidence on the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas, and HYPREP Coordinator, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, for what it described as their unwavering efforts in ensuring the success of the Ogoni cleanup exercise.
They called on the Federal Government to release their counterpart funding to HYPREP without delay to sustain the pace of progress recorded in the clean up process.
“The cleanup exercise is commendable, and any delay in funding could stall the progress and undermine the efforts of all stakeholders. We urge the government to prioritize the Ogoni cleanup exercise and provide the necessary support to ensure its success”, they stated.
They also used the opportunity to caution against the antics of self-inflicted activists or bodies that might attempt to hijack the cleanup agenda and create unnecessary agitation, and assured the total support of the affected communities to HYPREP’s activities to enhance the holistic success of the Ogoni clean up exercise.
Bemene Taneh
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has promised full support to ensuring that ‘world-class’ safety boots manufactured by a firm, Yikodeen Company Limited, were utilised in-country.
The Tide learnt that the firm recently inaugurated its expanded safety footwear manufacturing plant in the Ejigbo area of Lagos State, a 120,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility capable of producing 5,000 pairs of safety boots per day.
In his remarks, Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, represented by the Director of Capacity Building, Engr. Abayomi Bamidele, described the inauguration as a landmark event that aligned with the Board’s core mandate to promote local content across Nigeria’s oil and gas value chain and beyond.
“Enterprises like Yikodeen are at the heart of what we stand for at the NCDMB. The ‘D’ in our name stands for Development, and the ‘M’ means Monitoring, which describes our dedicated effort to ensure Nigerian-made products are not just produced, but utilised”, he said.
Ogbe said the NCDMB will continue to support the company, especially as its products meet global standards, and are already being adopted in the oil and gas industry.
“I’ve the mandate to inform you of our full support to ensure that these world-class safety boots are utilised in-country”, he said.
The Board’s Chief Scribe cited the Federal Government’s ‘Nigeria First’ policy, stressing its implications across all sectors.
“The President, through the Bureau of Public Procurement, has directed that all safety footwear procured with public funds must be made in Nigeria. Yikodeen stands to benefit immensely from this directive if strategically positioned”, Ogbe noted.
He commended the founder’s determination, saying from all indications the firm’s boss started from a relatively young age.
“A shoemaker is now a billionaire shoemaker. I urge Nigerian youths to channel their energy into entrepreneurship. The Yikodeen journey is one that inspires national pride”, the NCDMB’S helmsman added.
In his remarks, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu represented by the Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, lauded the company’s achievement, describing it as symbolic of Lagos’ industrial vision.
“From a modest workshop in 2016, Yikodeen has emerged as the largest footwear manufacturing company in West Africa. This is not just a factory, it is a movement, a demonstration that Lagos can produce, compete, and export globally”, he said.
Sanwo-Olu affirmed that the factory directly aligned with the State’s industrial policy (2025–2030), which seeks to double the manufacturing sector contribution to the state’s Gross Domestic Product from 7.5 per cent to at least 15 per cent by 2030, reduce dependence on imports for basic consumer goods, and foster an ecosystem where local industries can thrive through forward and backward value chain integration.
“Yikodeen is not only producing shoes, it is producing livelihoods, opportunities, and dignity”, the Lagos Governor added.
Recounting his entrepreneurial journey, founder and CEO of Yikodeen, Mr. Atunde Shamsideen, described the venture as a stubborn dream born in 2015.
“This vision started in a room, with just 20 pairs of shoes. Today, we produce over 2,000 pairs daily to ISO, ASTM, and Nigerian industrial standards”, he said.
He commended the NCDMB for its pivotal role in his company’s growth, noting how the Board helped facilitate years of product testing and eventual adoption by oil and gas companies like Saipem and Daewoo.
“Their enforcement ensured our products got through. Today, those same companies are our biggest customers”, the firm’s CEO added.
He stressed on the potential for job creation if local procurement policies were enforced, claiming that only about two percent of safety boots used in Nigeria were locally manufactured.
“If we enforce local purchase in the oil and gas and public sectors, we can create over 35,000 jobs.Yikodeen’s production ecosystem already engages women in raw material recycling and trains over 1,000 people yearly.
“Buying Made-in-Nigeria goes far beyond commerce. it is about creating value chains, livelihoods, and national dignity”, Shamsideen noted.
Also speaking, Director-General of the Standards Organizationnof Nigeria (SON), Dr. Ifeanyi Okeke, represented by the Director for Lagos Operations, Mrs. Teresa Ojomo, praised Yikodeen’s adherence to national and international safety standards.
“This is not just a facility, it’s a declaration that Nigerian manufacturing can lead globally. The Standards Organization of Nigeria will continue to support companies like Yikodeen who take quality seriously”, he said.
Okeke underscored SON’s partnership with the firm since 2006, culminating in the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme certification, which assures consumers of quality and safety, citing the company’s certification under critical standards such as NIS ISO 20346:2004 and ISO 20345:2022.
“Standards are not obstacles, they are enablers. They are the bridge between ambition and market access”, he added.
In his remarks, the Olu of Warri, HRM Ogiame Atuwatse(111), represented by the Ogwa-Olusan, Chief Brown Mene, described Yikodeen as a beacon of hope for Nigeria.
The monarch likened the company to a stubborn vision that refused to be beaten by headwinds, proving that Nigeria was on an upward trend, urging the team to remain visionary and expand globally, while also assuring that the name of Yikodeen will blaze bright and proud.
Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
As the prices of fresh tomatoes continue to rise on daily basis, some women in Port Harcourt (PH) City and beyond have planned to move to alternative stew to sustain their families, pending when the prices reduce.
This was made known in The Tide’s chat with some women resident in the city who lamented the high cost of tomatoes in the markets around them.
One of the women, Mrs. Ulunma Gift Ogbonna, said the price of fresh tomatoes has became something else all over the country, especially in PH, adding that she has decided to be cooking Banga (palm fruit) stew instead of using #8,000 to buy one rubber of fresh tomatoes.
Ogbonna noted that Banga stew is even healthier and that her family members are enjoying it which makes her happy.
She also advised other women to always seek for ways to relieve themselves of too much pressure when it comes to seasonal food and fruits.
“You can use palm oil to cook palm oil rice, you can cook pepper soup with white rice, fried rice, vegetable stew and others that does not require fresh tomatoes”, she said.
Another woman at GRA, PH, Mrs. Grace Green, lamented the high cost of fresh tomatoes, stating that her children are so used to fresh tomatoes stew which now cost up to #8,500, compared to #4, 500 for one rubber before now.
Green said tomatoes are actually expensive now, adding that if the costs keep rising, she will switch to the alternative, not minding how her children feel about it.
“I bought a small paint rubber at #8,500 recently after much plea, if the situation continues like this, l will put the buying of fresh tomatoes on hold”, she said.
On her own part, a food vendor, Madam Chinyeaka Chikwe, popularly known as “Madam Sharp Sharp”, said the cost of tomatoes is swallowing all her gains in the catering business.
“We have not been finding it easy in the cooking business since this hike in tomatoe prices, and we cannot use alternative for the public. You cannot tell a customer that wants rice and stew to go for Banga or palm oil rice.
“Alternatives can only work for families, not food vendors like us who must cook all the different types of food for the different desires of their customers”, she said.
Lilian Peters
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