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Shippers Groan Under High Charges – Association

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9 years ago

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President of the Shippers
Association Lagos State, Mr Jonathan Nicol, has said that shippers (importers and exporters) were going through hard moments and operating under high charges.
Nicol stated this in an interview with newsmen  in Lagos, as maritime activities closed for last week. According to him, shippers are almost grounded.
“The cost of doing business has not changed that much. Each terminal has its own peculiar challenges.
“Some terminals are no-go areas, especially one of the car terminals in Lagos, because of some overzealous officers’ negative activities,’’ he told reporters. He explained that some vessel operators preferred to discharge at the nearest port of Cotonou.
Nicol also said that the double payment of handling fees to Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) had not been checked.
“Demurrage charges have not changed. As a matter of fact, is (demurrage) getting out of hand in some terminals because of “frivolous ‘’ queries raised on Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR)?.
“We as shippers have spoken. We await immediate action of the Federal Government to make the maritime industry normal.
“We are operating in an abnormal environment at the moment,’’ the shipper said.
In the week under review, the Federal Government was advised to make efforts to retain the hosting right of the headquarters of the Regional Maritime Bank, presently being touted to go to Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Chairman, Committee of Experts on the Regional Maritime Bank, Chief Chris Orode, who gave the advice, said that the Franco-phone countries were angling for the headquarters of the bank to be ceded to Central Africa.
Orode said that he had brought this to the attention of government, adding that government had started giving the regional bank serious consideration. According to him, Nigeria has the cargo traffic, the population and in a good position to retain the headquarters of the Regional Maritime Bank in Abuja.
Orode said that the bank would serve 25 countries from Angola to Mauritania in the West and Central Africa.
The Tide learnt that the 25 countries constitute the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA), a body that gave Nigeria the final approval to host and start the bank.
That the idea to establish the regional bank was mooted at the Bureau of Transport Ministers’ meeting in Angola in 2005 and Nigeria agreed to host the headquarters.
The approval for Nigeria to host the banks’ headquarters came through the 13th General Assembly of MOWCA in Dakar, Senegal in July 2008.
The Late President, Umaru Yar’Adua also gave his approval in February 2009.
Since February 2012, calls were being made to the Federal Ministry of Transportation and the Federal Government to provide “financial commitment‘’ essential for the bank’s take-off.
The delay is the lack of the pre-incorporation funds which would form part of Nigeria’s equity contributions to the bank’s project.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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6 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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6 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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6 days ago

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September 22, 2025

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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