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Rivers Fadama Disburses N17.2m To Farmers

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Following the payment of the National Fadama III Counterpart Fund by the Rivers State Government as part of successes made by the Chibuike Amaechi-led administration in Agriculture in the year 2009, the State Fadama III Co-ordinating office has disbursed the sum of N17.2 million to 25 farmer groups in the state.
The state Fadama co-ordinator, Mr. Kingsley Amadi, disclosed this in an interview with The Tide in his office at Rumuodomaya in Obio/Akpor local government area of Rivers State.
According to him, Fadama project is counterpart fund dependent, which implies that for any group, state, local government and community to benefit, it must pay its share of the counterpart fund, saying that over the years, non-payment of project counterpart fund has denied indigenes of this state a lot of benefits from both federal government and the World Bank.
He said that the World Bank in 2009 approved and released the sum of USD 250 million for funding of Fadama III in the 36 states including the Federal Capital Territory, out of which Rivers State was allocated the sum of USD 7.85 million, meaning that the project will inject the sum of over N1.2 billion into the state for the funding of agricultural activities in both the up and downstream sectors.
The co-ordinator noted that with the payment of the 2008/2009 counterpart fund by the state government which qualifies the state to benefit, the World Bank released the initial deposit of $600, 000 for disbursement to farmers in the state.
The fund according to him is expected to assist the state government alleviate poverty, increase food production and tackle the problem of unemployment and youth restiveness, adding that, the project will provide grants to finance capacity building, advisory services, input support, acquisition of productive assets to farmers, as well as rural infrastructure, such as roads, markets, culverts and small bridges. It will also support adaptive research and on-farm trials that will meet the needs of the farmers, he noted.
In fulfillment of these objectives the state co-ordination office has embarked on the grading of a 4.5 kilometer access road in Barako and a market in Deiiyoro, Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State at the cost of N1.2 million, arrangement has also been concluded to grade another road at Ogbakiri in Emohua local government area, at the cost of N1.4 million as well as propose N1.06 million borehol in Umudioga, cold room project in Abonnema, Akuku-Toru LGA and training of Farmers Community based procurement, Amadi maintained.
Inspite of numerous achievements made in 2009, the state coordinator said the office was confronted with the challenges of the failure of some local government councils to pay counterpart fund of N2 million only to qualify them participate in the project, the inability of beneficiaries to pay the beneficiary contributions to enhance their disbursement and lack of mobility to monitor ongoing projects.

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NPA Assures On Staff Welfare 

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The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has said the management will continue to accompany its port infrastructure  and equipment  modernization drive  with the development of the welfare of its personnel.
Dantsoho made the disclosure recently while responding to the commendation by the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) and the senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASGOC) on the  clearing  of the age-long problem of employee stagnation, when the union paid him a courtesy visit at the Authority’s headquarters in Lagos.
A Statement by NPA’s General Manager Corporate & Strategic Communications, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara, quoted Dantsoho as saying,  “our Port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive will go hand-in-hand with continuous staff welfare improvement”.
The NPA MD disclosed that human capital development constitutes the key strategy for creating and sustaining superior performance under his watch, adding that “talent development constitutes a critical success factor for the actualization of the big hairy audacious goals we have set for ourselves especially in the area of Port competitiveness.
“The only way we can meet and indeed exceed stakeholders’ expectations is to deepen the competencies of our human resources assets and boosting their morale.”
Speaking further, Dantsoho commended the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for approving the strategic proposal of the Dantsoho-led Management team that solved the over a decade-long problem of lack of promotion that had fuelled industrial disharmony.
“I must specially appreciate our amiable Minister for graciously approving the multi-pronged stratagem we deployed that cleared all outstanding cases of employee stagnation by conducting examinations in one fell swoop and instituted timelines to forestall a recurrence of such anomaly”, he sad.
Speaking on behalf of the joint maritime labour unions, the President  of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations & Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), Comrade Bodunde stated, “In addition to clearance of the backlog of stagnated promotions, we also wish to express our appreciation for the increase in productivity bonuses, provision of end-of-year welfare packages for staff, and the revision of the Financial Guide to the Condition of Service, which now addresses our members’ concerns about inflationary pressures.”
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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ANLCA Chieftain Emerges FELCBA’s VP

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National Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Elder Olumide Fakanlu, has been elected Vice President of the Federation of ECOWAS Licensed Customs Brokers Association (FELCBA).
The election took place during the FELCBA Congress, held from Tuesday, June 17th to Thursday, June 19th, 2025, in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Fakanlu’s emergence as Vice President marks a significant achievement for Nigeria within the regional customs brokerage community.
Apart from Fakanlu, Secretary of the Seme Chapter of ANLCA, Austin Nwosu, was also elected, securing the role of Secretary of Relations with Institutions.
The Nigerian delegation played an active role in the congress, with Michael Ebeatu nominated as a member of the electoral officer team, ensuring a fair and transparent election process.
The three-day congress concluded with delegates undertaking a visit to the Sierra Leone Port, offering insights into the host nation’s maritime operations, followed by a recreational trip to the Tokeh Beach.
The newly elected executives are expected to lead FELCBA in its efforts to harmonize customs brokerage practices, promote trade facilitation, and advocate for the interests of licensed customs brokers across the ECOWAS sub-region.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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NSC, Police Boost Partnership On Port Enforcement 

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In a bid to enhance more enforcement in the nation’s Port, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has reaffirmed its commitment to stronger inter-agency collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The Council said the collaboration is aimed at enhancing stronger enforcement, compliance and improve operational efficiency across Nigeria’s ports.
Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of  NSC, Dr. Pius Akutah, made this known during a visit to the  Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The visit, which he said, focused on strengthening institutional synergy, comes in the wake of growing responsibilities for the NSC under the newly created Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Akutah emphasized the critical role of security agencies in supporting port operations and ensuring regulatory compliance.
He called for the posting of police officers to assist the Council’s monitoring and enforcement teams at key port locations including Lagos, Warri, Onne, Port Harcourt, and Calabar.
“The posting will complement the activities of our revived task teams and enhance our ability to enforce standards across the maritime logistics chain”, he said.
Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Egbetokun, assured the Council of the Force’s readiness to continue supporting the growth of the maritime sector.
The IGP acknowledged that compliance enforcement is essential to the successful implementation of Nigeria’s Blue Economy objectives.
“The NSC and NPF are expected to deepen collaboration in the months ahead, with a shared focus on building a secure, efficient, and competitive port environment”, to the IGP emphasized.
Chinedu Wosu
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