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BoI Tasks States On Increased Rice Production

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9 years ago

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The Bank of Industry
(BoI) has urged rice producing states to boost their production to reduce the country’s N1.5 trillion food import bill.
Mr Jonathan Tobin, the Executive Director, Corporate Service, said this during a media parley organised by the bank on Saturday in Lagos.
Tobin said this while delivering a paper on “De-risking Agric Financing: A case study of NIRSAL and Kebbi Rice Programme.”
He said that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was trying to reduce the food import bill of commodities that exert pressure on the nation’s foreign exchange.
Tobin said that the apex bank adopted a strategy of encouraging local production in rice, wheat, fish and oil palm which were identified as top most on the import bill.
He said, “the CBN invited the governors of the 14 rice producing states and the executive directors of commercial banks but only the governor of Kebbi State, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu, showed interest after the meeting.
“If all the governors come on board, we will be able to meet the local demands, we will not be having the issue of buying a bag of rice at N18, 000.
“We need to grow our own rice so that we can eat fresh rice in the country but the governors are not taking the bull by the horn.”
Tobin said that the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP), an initiative of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), had Kebbi State as a pilot project with 78,000 farmers on the scheme.
According to him, the programme deals with farmers in cluster and trains them on current agronomical practices through extension workers.
He said that the programme through various training had been able to change the mindset of farmers from seeing themselves as subsistence farmers to business owners driven for success.
Tobin stressed that the ABP de-risked the farmers by ensuring compulsory insurance, release of funds in tranches, procurement of inputs and commencement of BVN capturing.
The Tide recalled that the ABP was designed to create an ecosystem that links farmers and processors to increase agricultural output of rice to achieve local sufficiency.
The CBN earmarked N40 billion for the project at single digit interest rate of nine per cent per annum for smallholder farmers.
The Tide learnt  that a CBN report shows wheat, sugar, milk, rice and fish accounted for N901 billion and N788 billion of food import bill in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
The import bill of rice and wheat was estimated at N428 billion and N307 billion in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

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NPA Assures On Staff Welfare 

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1 week ago

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June 27, 2025

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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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1 week ago

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June 27, 2025

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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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1 week ago

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June 27, 2025

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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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