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Maritime

Igbo Youth To Benefit From Nimasa’s Training

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13 years ago

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The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) ,has concluded arraignments to train youths from Imo and Abia States  as their counterparts in the South – South region.

The agency has received an approval from the National Assembly to train Nigerian youths to become competent and qualified seafarers in various universities across the world, so as to fill in the existing knowledge gap in the maritime sector.

Director-General Nimasa, Patrick Akpobolokemi, who disclosed this while receiving delegates from the Ohaneze Ndigbo recently in his office, assured that the seafarers’ training programme, targeted at complementing the Niger-Delta Amnesty Programme of the Federal Government, will also be beneficial to many youths from South-Eastern region.

The Nimasa boss who assured the Ohaneze that his administration would protect the interest of the Igbo’s in the agency, also solicited for the cooperation of Igbo people in sanitising the Nigerian Waterways, improving maritime security and creating friendly business environments for private sector investors in the maritime  industry.

According to him, the training of Nigerian youths including Igbo’s will enable indigenous ship owners to change the situation of the maritime industry, by ensuring that shipping business including trade within the nation’s coastal area is dominated and taken over by Nigerians.

Earlier in his opening remarks, the leader of the delegation, Chief Chukuemeka Ezeife, who is also the former Governor of Anambra State, hinged the trust of their visit on the need for the management of Nimasa to accord support and cooperation to Calistus Obi who is the newly appointed Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services of the agency. Ezeife who expressed no doubt in the competence of Obi in discharging his responsibilities in the agency towards moving the industry, noted that several development has been recorded in the recent time to erase the old notion that maritime sector used to constitute major problems in the country.

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Maritime

Lagos Announces 15-day Closure Of Marine Bridge For Maintenance Repairs 

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1 week ago

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October 13, 2025

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The Lagos State Government has announced that the Marine Bridge in Ijora, Apapa Local Government Area, will be closed for 15 days to allow for essential maintenance works.
The State Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi,
disclosed this in a Statement posted on his official X account.
Motorists are advised to plan ahead and be patient while the Federal Ministry of Works, in coordination with Lagos State, carries out essential bridge maintenance.
“The Lagos State Government wishes to inform the general public that the Marine Bridge in Ijora, Apapa Local Government Area, will be closed for 15 days to allow for essential maintenance works,” the statement read in part.
It added, “Motorists are advised to be patient, as the closure is part of the traffic management plan for maintenance works on the underlying bearings of some sections of the Marine Bridge by the Federal Ministry of Works (Office of the Federal Controller, Lagos).”
The statement further explained that the maintenance project will be carried out in two phases. Phase I, running from Saturday, 11th October to Saturday, 18th October 2025, will cover the area from the foot of Marine Bridge along Lawani Oguntayo Road near UBA, inbound toward Apapa and Costain.
During this period, motorists traveling from Ijora Olopa to Apapa will be diverted via the Ijora Causeway Access Ramp near Omni Retail Company, continue to Ijora 7up, turn left onto the Lilypond Access Ramp, and proceed on their journeys.
Phase II, from Sunday, 19th October to Saturday, 25th October 2025, will focus on the stretch between Ijora Badia and Lilypond Access Ramp, inbound toward Apapa.
Motorists from Ijora Olopa heading to Apapa and Costain would be diverted about 50 meters before the work zone into a contraflow with Constant traffic, rejoining the main carriageway after 500 meters.
Those traveling from Apapa toward Costain, Lagos Island, or Ijora Olopa would maintain through traffic but will also be redirected into a contraflow near the work zone for roughly 500 meters before resuming normal access.
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Maritime

NRC Generates ?1.95bn Revenue In Q1 2025, Records 37% Growth – Says NBS

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1 week ago

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October 13, 2025

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The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has generated ?1.95 billion in passenger revenue in the first quarter (Q1) of 2025
The Bureau said the amount represent a 37.36 percent increase from the ?1.42 billion recorded in the same period of 2024.
The data, released in the NBS Rail Transportation Report on October 5, showed steady growth in rail patronage across the country. Between January and March 2025,
NBS said that a total of 929,553 passengers travelled by train, marking a 37.65 percent rise compared to 675,293 passengers transported in Q1 2024.
Similarly, the volume of goods and cargo conveyed by rail climbed to 181,520 tons in Q1 2025, up from 160,650 tons in the corresponding period of 2024.
The Bureau said Revenue from freight operations also increased by 8.19 percent to ?657.03 million, compared to ?607.32 million in the same quarter of the previous year.
The report further revealed a sharp rise in other receipts — which include income from services such as leasing, station fees, and sundry charges — amounting to ?115.68 million, a 355.39 percent jump from ?25.40 million in Q1 2024.
For comparison, the NBS noted that in Q4 2024, the rail system transported 1,037,113 passengers, reflecting a 54.29 percent increase from 672,198 in Q4 2023.
The report said that Passenger revenue during that quarter stood at ?1.92 billion, up from ?1.07 billion in Q4 2023.
However, freight revenue in Q4 2024 declined slightly by 7.46 percent, from ?423.22 million in Q4 2023 to ?391.64 million, while ?8.93 million was realized from transporting 1,260 tons of goods through pipelines in the same period.
Meanwhile, other receipts for Q4 2024 rose to ?434.44 million, representing a 10.34 percent increase from ?393.72 million recorded in Q4 2023.
According to the NBS, the consistent rise in passenger traffic and earnings reflects growing public confidence in Nigeria’s rail transport system, driven by continuous investments in rail infrastructure and service expansion by the NRC.
By: Chinedu Wosu
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Maritime

NSC Says Credible And Enforceable Laws Are Backbone Of Port Regulation 

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1 week ago

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October 13, 2025

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The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer CEO, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Dr. Akutah Pius has said that credible and enforceable laws are crucial for effective port regulation in Nigeria.
Pius stated this in his Paper Presentation at the 2025 League of Maritime Editors’ summit held in Lagos.
Represented at the summit by its Director, Regulatory Services Department Mrs, Margaret Ogbonna, Pius highlighted the importance of aligning competitive laws with institutional capacity to drive benefits like competition, investment, and predictability.
He stressed the need to pass the Port Economic Regulatory Agency Bill (NPERA) into law to enhance transparency, competition, and dispute resolution in the maritime sector.
The Shippers boss who noted that strong laws are essential stated however that their effectiveness depends on proper implementation and stakeholder buy-in.
“Without effective implementation, laws can’t serve their purpose. Regulation requires full stakeholder buy-in.”, he said.
Highlight of the event was the presentation of the Maritime Chief Executive Officer CEO Year award for his outstanding contributions to the maritime industry and economic growth by the 2025 League of Maritime Editors Summit.
By: Chinedu Wosu
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