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Nigeria To Overcome Economic Challenges

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Former Minister of Finance, Dr Kalu Idika Kalu has said that Nigeria has the capacity to overcome its economic and social challenges with its abundant human and natural resources.

Kalu said this in an interview with newsmen in Ohafia, Abia State last Wednesday.

He was speaking on the sideline of the 100th year of Nigeria’s nationhood following the amalgamation of the Southern and Northern Protectorates in 1914.

“We should thank God that we have survived to this point as a conglomerate group of nationalities. So often we try to blame the British.

“We’ve had ups and downs but I think we should be humble enough we cannot blame God who designed all of these things.

“We should always ask ourselves what we did to move forward from where the design was handed to us.

“It is just plausible that Nigeria today with the conglomerate of wisdom, of skills, of energies, of talents that we should be way, way ahead of where we are today.

“We should be honest in identifying what were the problems.

“Yes, we have had major hiccups. We should thank God for having survived this long.

“We should think of why we were brought together as groups of nations,” he said.

Kalu expressed concern that successive administrations had failed to re-enact the feats that made Nigeria’s economy the envy of the colonial masters.

He said that the country which was potentially one of the brightest before and after the amalgamation in terms of human and natural resources had slid backward with the education sector the worst hit due to poor management.

“We have failed woefully in every sector. I am one of those that believe very strongly that with proper management we should have had the much stronger education system than we have.

“At the dawn of independence the quality was so good that some of us who travelled abroad after independence we went to America, went to Britain and people were impressed with the quality of the students that came from here.

“So we have to continue to rebuild the education to that level.

“We have to strive given the resources we have to make sure that every Nigerian wherever he may live has access to education free at least up to secondary school level and there will be bursary for those who cannot afford to pay at the higher level.

“And there should be scholarships for a lot of talents so that those who are really paying in full are very few and far between and they can be assisted with proper funding.

“What we have now where you have deplorable facilities at the tertiary level is a disaster, is a scandal for a country that has so many resources,” he said.

Kalu said that though poverty in the country was frightening, government had the capacity to address such challenges.

He urged government to make wise investments that would have direct impact on the lives of the populace.

“Poverty is not a function of gimmick projects. It’s a function of investing properly to develop the economy.

“That’s how the jobs come out and that’s how the incomes are improved to reduce poverty.

“Since we started talking about poverty alleviation that’s when we left doing the right thing to reduce poverty.

“We have to invest in agriculture; we have to invest in small, medium, large scale.

“We have to invest in mining of different source. We have solid minerals we have never exploited.

We have to invest in infrastructure such as roads, rails, waterways, airways. That’s the way you reduce poverty.

“You don’t reduce poverty by having gimmick thing.

“Some of it can help but cannot make a dent when you are talking about 80 million jobs or more for a population of 170 million.

“So I don’t believe in talking about poverty on its own as a separate issue from the growth of employment through the development of the real sector,” Kalu said.

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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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