Business

FG Approves N4.3bn For Trains, Coaches

Published

13 years ago

December 3, 2012

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved N4.333 billion contract for the procurement of trains and coaches, Transport Minister Idris Umar, said.

Umar disclosed this after the Council meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan at the State House.

He said that the Council had also approved contracts for the procurement of air-conditioned trains which would be deployed to the Lagos-Kano rail axis in an anticipation of its formal opening before the Christmas

He said that the Council also approved contract for the procurement of two sets of five-car diesel multiple unit with a capacity of 540 passengers.

The minister said contract for the procurement of additional six number of 60-seater passenger coaches for intra-city mass transit service had also been approved.

The contracts, he said, were awarded to Messrs CSR NANJIMG PUZHEN Co. Ltd. and Kin Tech Nig. Ltd with completion period of 13 months.

“As you are fully aware, the Federal Government is committed to the resuscitation of the railway system. The rehabilitation of the ongoing narrow gauge trunk is in progress. The Lagos-Kano which is Western axis will be opened for use before Christmas. It is against this background that government decided to place the order for the purchase of the 2 sets of the diesel multiple units which is a train that has two loco and three coaches all linked together.

“They are fully air-conditioned and it is the type that you have in China, America and in other parts of the world. They are going to be used on the existing narrow-gauge tracks. We hope that by next year, when the Eastern corridor is fully rehabilitated, that is Port-Harcourt – Maiduguri, we will get additional supply of these locomotives and coaches.’’

Umar said Council also approved contract for the consultancy services for the resident supervision of the construction of inland River port at Jamata, Lokoja at the cost of N121.114 million.

He said the scope of the consultancy supervision services was to ensure strict adherence to design specification and project completion within stipulated time.

The minister said the Council also approved contract for the supply of radiation and explosive detective devices to be used by the Nigerian Ports Authority at the cost of N189.733 million.

According to him, the devices is used to determine the level of radiation of containers and other enclosed general goods and monitor radio-active materials at the Ports.

In the same vein, the Council also approved over N22.6 billion for construction and rehabilitation of two major roads in Enugu and Kogi States.

The Minister of State for Works, Alhaji Bashir Yuguda, who disclosed this to the correspondents, said that contract for the rehabilitation of Umana-Ndiagu-Agba-Ebinebe-Amansi Akwa road in Enugu State was approved by the Council at the cost of N10.370 billion.

Yuguda said that the contract was awarded to Messrs CGC Nig. Ltd with a completion period of 30 months.

He said Council also approved contract for the construction of Ogrute-Umuida-Unadu-Akpanya-Odoni road in Enugu and Kogi States at the cost of N12.362 billion in favour of Messrs PW Nig. Ltd.

Business

PENGASSAN Tasks Multinationals On Workers’ Salary Increase

Published

13 hours 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

13 hours 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

13 hours 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