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Expert Urges Human Dev For Effective Cabotage Regime

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The Chairman of the Na
tional Seafarers Welfare Board, Chief Kunle Folarin, has said building human capacity was necessary for Coastal and Inland Shipping Act (Cabotage regime) to work effectively.
Folarin said this in an interview with The Tide source in Lagos.
“We have seafarers but it depends on the type of seafarers they need.
“Even within the junior cadre, you have the need for electricians; the need for greasers; for box wheel and other category; even for catering staff and able seafarer.
“The capacity must be in all these cadre of junior seafarers.
“ When you look at officers, you must look at marine engineers; you must look at master mariners, captains, chief mates.
“You must look at the radio man; you are looking at those who have the competence to be officers.
“Those are the issues we have to look at. How do we develop capacity in all these areas so that the demand to man for that particular provision in the Cabotage law can be satisfied.
‘ And besides that, you look at the trade itself, how much internal trade are we generating?
“Do we have transshipment facility in Nigeria to transship cargo from Lagos to Port Harcourt.
“From Warri to Port-Harcourt; Port Harcourt to Lagos itself.
“We must ensure that the capacity and the availability of transshipment cargo is there so as to generate a kind of traffic that can be sustained.”
He said that the nation lacked enough junior and senior cadres of seafarers to meet the demands of the Cabotage trade.
Folarin, who is the Chairman, Port Consultative Council (PCC), said practitioners should also consider the rate of internal trade (transshipment cargo) being generated.
He said that the country also lacked required technical know-how to build all ships meant for Cabotage trade.
He, however, acknowledged that there were efforts to raise more seafarers in the junior category.
“You go to joints, you go to the cinema, you go to different places, everybody, it’s just complain.
“Let everybody get involved, Nigeria is our own country.
“Everybody has the right to choose which political party or which candidate to support; it’s every Nigerian’s right.
“And that’s one of the dangerous things about Nigeria, if you support the person that this other one does not support, automatically they will curse you, but it’s not supposed to be so.
“Let your candidate defend himself, let my candidate defend himself. Whoever talks better or performs better than the other, it’s still one Nigeria.
“If two people are contesting and one wins, either way they are contesting to help Nigeria .
“ So the loser should be able to now come and work together with the winner and criticise constructively.
“Not the kind of criticisms that amount to outright condemnation, even if the person does good.’’
Cue out audio.
2Face told NAN that he would actively participate in the elections and encouraged other Nigerians, especially the youth not to be violent during the exercise.
He said that he would continue to be non-partisan in his engagements with Nigerians.

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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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