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‘We’re Not Highest Paid In Nigeria’

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A member of the House of Representatives, Mr Zakari Mohammed, says members of the National Assembly are not the highest paid political office holders in Nigeria.
Mohammed, who represents Baruten/Kaiama Federal Constituency, in Kwara State also denied that, the legislators pay was a guarded secret.
“ The public perception of the National Assembly is in sharp contrast to the reality on the ground as far as the lawmakers take-home and other allowances are concerned,” he told the The Tide source recently.
According to him, chief executives of federal agencies earn more salary than National Assembly members.
“I can tell you that a Director-General of a Federal agency is far and above better than a member of parliament in terms of what he takes home in terms of perks of office.
“Whatever a legislature does, is within the limit of his allowances and the salary that he takes.
“Whatever we do is within the income, we don’t award contracts, we don’t execute projects.”
Mohammed, however, advocated regular interface between the National Assembly and the public to address what he termed as current erroneous perception on the matter.
“So for me, I believe it is a mindset and it is going to take sometime to get it off Nigerian’s heads, and I believe a regular interface with the public will change the psyche with time.”
The lawmaker noted that, the legislature had been painted in bad light since the inception of the fourth republic.
“The National Assembly since 1999, has been living with image issue and of course, I’m saying it without any fear of contradiction that it was caused by the then President (Olusegun) Obasanjo.
“To me, it is matter of psyche. Nigeria must get it out of them that legislature is being painted in the kind of light that it is not supposed to be, because I have been a member of the House and know exactly what they are doing”, he said.
The former House spokesman cautioned Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, against casting aspersions on the National Assembly.
He said, the governor had taken the path of demonising the National Assembly because of ‘‘individual inclination’’ and his grouse with some lawmakers representing his state.
Mohammed described the governor’s recent outburst over the National Assembly budget as ‘‘hypocritical’’.
On his governorship ambition in 2019, the former commissioner said that, he had the right credentials for the position.
He however acknowledged that Senate President, Bukola Saraki, would have the last say as to “who becomes what” in Kwara State.
According to him, Saraki is the head of the existing political structure in the state.
“I want to say, we have a leadership in Kwara State, we have a pattern, we have a tradition, a practice through which leaders or through those who govern us emerge.
“So, as a member of that political family, I believe that when the time comes, the appropriate measure would be applied and at the end of the day the verdict of the leader will definitely be what we will abide by,” he 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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