Business

Minister Eulogises Nigerian Entrepreneurs Abroad

Published

9 years ago

August 25, 2017

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama has eulogised the dynamic ways Nigerian entrepreneurs abroad impact positively on their host countries.
The minister was speaking after meeting with Capt. Olusegun Jaji, a Nigerian owner of Sea Coach Express, a boat transport business in Sierra Leone.
“It is so heart-warming to see a Nigerian entrepreneur doing so well here in Sierra Leone and showing so much innovation in his business.
“He brought his idea to a market place and made it to grow by employing people (of different nationalities) and fostering integration between his home country Nigeria and host, Sierra Leone,” he said.
Onyeama said the business was fulfilling ECOWAS’ mechanism for integration and giving room to free movement of people, ideas and innovations.
“He is very well at home here in Sierra Leone and that is one of the aims of setting up ECOWAS.
“Above all, it shows how dynamic Nigerians can be by impacting positively on their hosts everywhere they go.”
The Minister urged Nigerians abroad to follow the lead set by the proprietor of Sea Coach Express business.
“He is a very good example. He started his business here with just one boat but now has a fleet of 42 and has made a big difference to his host country,” he said.
Onyeama recalled that many years ago, to travel from Freetown International Airport in Lungi to the seat of government, one had to go by helicopter; but now through the efforts of a Nigerian, it would now take a very comfortable ride on boat.
“We today rode in one of his boats, and it is very quick; he is adding values to the lives of Sierra Leoneans.
“This is what we want to see in Africans; to be creative, to create jobs and make lives of African a lot better.”
In a separate interview with The Tide source, Jaji said he started the transport business in 2008.
“We came here to do something else but discovered the difficulties in transporting people from Lungi to the capital in Freetown.
“We also realised that where there are difficulties, there are always opportunities, and that is how the Sea Coach Express transport business started.”
He admitted that although the business required a huge investment, his company had a very humble beginning by starting with a single boat and growing it to 42 in the fleet because there was an enabling environment and peace in the host country.
To diversify, he said he went from Sierra Leone to Nigeria to set up a subsidiary of Sea Coach Express in Lagos State.
“It’s been so good in Nigeria as well as in Sierra Leone. We have a good number of boats in Nigeria doing mass transit of people from Ikorodu to Lekki, Victoria Island, CMS and so on.
“Few Nigerians are working with us here in Sierra Leone as engineers, captains and in Nigeria we have 17 Sierra Leoneans working in our company, giving us a very successful integration between Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
One of his employees in Sierra Leone, Ramsey Ba, said: “Initially, when you mention Nigeria, we were a bit scared but having worked with Mr Jaji and other Nigerians in this company, my views about Nigeria and Nigerians changed from negative to positive.

Business

Boat Mishap Kills Pastor, Wife And Church Members In Brass Water

Published

1 day ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

A boat accident in Bayelsa state has killed a serving Pastor, Wife and other church members along Brass waterways

The sad incident happened at Odioama in Brass local government area of Bayelsa State when the Pastor, wife and members of his church were in a programme.

?Tide confirmed that the lifeless body of the Pastor’s wife has been found and deposited in a mortuary while the remains of her husband ,the Pastor is yet to be recovered

as search party are still ongoing.

Although the real cause of the boat Mishap is not yet known as at the time of this report, our Correspondent gathered that the identities of the Pastor, wife and church members were not disclosed to the public.

The mishap, Tide gathered occurred on Friday morning when the church members were on a boat transit

The Bayelsa State government and the state police command are yet to issue official statement’s on the sad accident

By: CHINEDU WOSU

Business

Rivers Workers Seek Scrapping Of Contributory Pension Scheme

Published

1 day ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Council of Nigeria Civil Service Union has called on the State Government to urgently scrap the contributory pension scheme, describing it as unfavourable to long-serving civil servants in the state.

Chairman of the union, Chukwuka Osuma, said this in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt, recently.

Osuma said the current pension structure has continued to worsen post-retirement hardship for workers.

He noted that the contributory pension scheme had failed to provide adequate retirement security for workers who had spent many years in service, especially those approaching retirement age.

According to him, civil servants who had served for more than 20 years were among the worst affected under the scheme, insisting that many retirees could no longer cope with prevailing economic realities.

He also informed that the Union has made moves to showcase their concerns, pleading with Governor Siminalayi Fubara to abolish the pension policy and introduce a more favourable arrangement for affected workers.

“The union was not opposed to pension reforms, the contributory scheme should only apply to newly employed workers or those with fewer years in service”, he said.

Osuma explained that workers who had already spent decades in the civil service ought to remain under a more secure pension structure capable of guaranteeing stability after retirement.

The labour leader further noted that inflation and the rising cost of living had continued to erode the value of retirement savings, thereby increasing the suffering of pensioners across the country.

He also appealed to the state government to consider extending the years of service in the civil service from 35 to 40 years and the retirement age from 60 to 65 years.

Osuma argued that such adjustment had become necessary in view of present-day economic realities and changing conditions in the workplace.

The unionist also reviewed that similar policies had already been adopted in some sectors and jurisdictions, expressing optimism that the State could also implement the reforms for the benefit of workers.

He however, commended Governor Fubara for approving an N85,000 minimum wage for workers in the state, noting that the amount was above the national benchmark of N70,000.

Osuma also acknowledged the government’s efforts in the area of workers’ promotions and bonuses, but insisted that pension reforms and extension of years of service remained critical to the long-term welfare and stability of civil servants in Rivers State.

By: King Onunwor

Business

FG Begins South-West Tour To Promote New Cooperative Bank

Published

6 days ago

May 13, 2026

The Tide

The Federal Government has launched the South-West zonal engagement and ministerial advocacy tour on the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria share capital mobilisation, sensitisation and cooperative sector digitalisation.

Reports say the initiative was launched through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

According to reports, the advocacy tour, organised by the ministry’s Federal Department of Cooperatives, began on Monday in Lagos.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs, Dr Aliyu Abdullahi, said the initiative was part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Abdullahi described the exercise as a strategic effort to reposition the cooperative sector as a key driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity.

“Today represents a defining moment in our collective determination to reposition the cooperative sector as a major driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity,” he said.

The minister noted the modern cooperative movement in Nigeria originated in the South-West following the 1934 Strickland Report, which led to the enactment of the Cooperative Societies Ordinance of 1935.

According to him, the decision to commence the sensitisation and share capital mobilisation tour in the region is symbolic, as it marks a return to the roots of cooperative development in the country.

Abdullahi said the advocacy tour was a direct outcome of resolutions reached at the 8th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Cooperative Affairs held in Abuja in March 2026.

He said the council approved the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme, a comprehensive framework designed to strengthen the cooperative sector and align it with the administration’s goal of building a one-trillion-dollar economy.

“The reform programme focuses on seven strategic pillars, including governance reforms, cooperative financing and the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria, digitalisation, capacity building, value chain development, inclusion of youths, women and persons with disabilities, and strategic partnerships,” he said.

He said the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria and the digitalisation of the cooperative sector were the two major transformational initiatives under the programme.

“The Cooperative Bank of Nigeria is aimed at rebuilding a strong cooperative financial system capable of supporting cooperators, farmers, artisans, traders, SMEs, youths, women and persons with disabilities with accessible and affordable financial services,” he said.

Abdullahi emphasised that the proposed bank would be government-enabled but not government-funded.

“Government is not establishing the bank as an owner, nor will it rely on Treasury Single Account funds.

“The role of government through the FMAFS is to provide policy support, stakeholder coordination, regulatory facilitation and an enabling environment under the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme,” he said.

Also speaking, the Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to cooperative sector transformation.

She described cooperatives as critical tools for promoting inclusive growth, grassroots productivity, food security, financial inclusion and community wealth creation.

Ambrose-Medebem said Lagos State would continue to support reforms and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (2025–2030).

“Together, let us build a cooperative ecosystem that is modern, transparent, digitally enabled, financially inclusive and globally competitive.

“Let us build cooperatives that not only mobilise savings, but also mobilise prosperity,” she said.