Business

South Korea Completes Bida Rice Mill, Sept

Published

10 years ago

August 14, 2015

The Korean International
Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has said that it would complete its rice mill project in Bida and hand over same to the Federal Government in September.
KOICA’s Country Director, Mr Jung Sang-hoon, told The Tide source in Abuja last Tuesday that the project was initiated in 2007, but was halted for a while due to technical challenges the company had.
According to him, operation resumed at the site of the project in 2013 and is presently 90 per cent complete.
“Your current government is stressing on the importance of agriculture and the modernisation of the agriculture sector.
“We (KOICA) have several projects; we have rice processing centre in Bida, and cassava processing centres in Kogi, Enugu and Ogun states.
“In case of the rice processing project, the delays came from our side; we were unable to find alternative replacements (contracting companies).
“In 2012, when I came, I made some reports.
“My new approach at the time was to find collective association of agriculture machinery production companies; they followed my advice and were able to resume.
“Now the process became very swift and prompt; virtually 90 per cent has been finished and recently, Korean technical experts installed machineries and their Nigerian counterparts were also there to learn.
“Within September, I believe it will be finished.“
Jung said KOICA was currently working closely with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Niger State Government on the project.
According to the country director, the agency has budgeted 1.8 million dollars (or N357,749,754.05) for the execution of the project while the Federal Government has set aside N41.3 million for the same purpose.
He said in 2008 KOICA and the National Food Reserve Agency signed the relevant documents that would inaugurate the project.
Jung also said that KOICA and the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) signed an agreement for the establishment of cassava mills in Enugu, Ogun, and Kogi states.
He said: “Unfortunately, the cassava mills project has not been implemented as we planned because of the delay in customs clearance on the side of Nigeria.
“KOICA is a government organisation and cannot hold the money down if we cannot justify
the reasons for doing so.
“So, we had no choice but to cancel the project because we could not justify the delay.
“The partner for that project was NAPEP which has been scrapped and we have no partners to use the funds at this stage.“
He said KOICA allocated 1.6 million dollars to the project while the Kogi Government and NAPEP allocated an additional 600 thousand dollars.
He said the Enugu and Ogun governments were yet to provide their counterpart funds.
He, therefore, urged the Federal Government to do all that was necessary to revive the project.
“On our side, I think we have adequately invested and would say this is a loss for the Nigerian government also.
“I think the government authorities should let us utilise the available funds by getting the contract and this can be done in one year,“ he said.
He said the cassava mill project has been extended to 2016.

Business

NPA Assures On Staff Welfare

Published

1 day ago

June 27, 2025

The Tide

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

Business

ANLCA Chieftain Emerges FELCBA’s VP

Published

1 day ago

June 27, 2025

The Tide

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

Business

NSC, Police Boost Partnership On Port Enforcement

Published

1 day ago

June 27, 2025

The Tide

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