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FG Recommits To Industrial Sector Dev

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The Federal Government has restated its commitment to fully implementing  workable  policies and programmes  to  provide required skills and competencies for the development of  the industrial sector.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Okechukwu Enelama re-affirmed government’s commitment at the just conduced 23rd Nigeria Economic Summit in Abuja.
Enelama ,who was one of the  discussants on the topic;  “Skills, Competences and Capacity That The Industries Need to Move Forward’’, said  government was  also  ready to  solve the issues  of unemployment through  the development  of right skills and competencies.
“I agree with you, government is ready to solve the issues of unemployment and improve the productivity of the people, this problem is too important to just talk about it, government is ready.
“If we are not ready, you must insist that we are ready, we don’t actually have a choice, we have a responsibility to the people.’’
He said that real challenge was the issue of partnership with the relevant organisations required to help bridge the skills gap in  the industrial sector.
“I think the real challenge is the challenge of partnership, its the challenge of collaboration, it is the challenge of putting together in a way that we get result, is the challenge of humility to some degree.
“Because, even if we consider an idea, let us get on with it and see if it works, because  I am totally ready to try all ideas that are  productive  and progressive because the  problem we are dealing with is extremely important to solve.’’
He said that government was focusing on creating the enabling environment  for businesses to thrive, adding that there was the need to fight corruption.
“One of the major things to stop is corruption, because it is what makes the economy not work, and the other thing is to create stability, which is the whole key for business to thrive and for our people to do well.
“We have taken that view as a ministry to focus on creating enabling environment, and the government has prioritised that by creating an executive order for business to thrive.
“That is our number one priority, while we have launched it, we are challenging the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and the private sector to enable it work.’’
The minister said that government had also launched an industrial council designed to ensure that MDAs and the private sector work together to deal with the most stubborn problems hindering industrial growth in the country.
He said that members of the industrial council were also working on how best to develop infrastructure and policies for skills development.
Other mandate of the council according to him was to also evolve workable measures of deepening internal and external trade and finance.
Mr Rotimi Balogun of the General Electric said it was absolutely necessary to develop technical, vocational and critical thinking skills to solve complex problem in the country.
“If we are graduating engineers, the kind of skills they come out with is quite different from the skills needed in the future.
”The kind of skills they need is digital skills that will make them get employment to companies like General Electric.
”In terms of entrepreneurial skills, It is important that we create the type of skills that will ensure a local supply chain in the industrial sector.
He said it was very necessary to also have standardised curriculum in our educational sector.
“It is important to also teach people  not just how you can use money to start business, but  you can teach business through stimulation,  virtual process, how you can train people through online platforms to make sure that you improve their entrepreneurial skills.’’
The Chief Executive Officer of Siemens Nigeria, Mrs Onyeche Tifase said it was necessary to collaborate with other technological driven nations to develop the right skills required for industrialisation.
“What is key is collaboration, how the British and the Chinese got to where they are, it is through collaboration.
”The bold skill everyone has to have is digital awareness, irrespective of your profession and it is important all government agencies become digitised.
“”If you are engaging with a private counterpart and he is already digitised and you are not, it is very difficult to collaborate.’’
She said that Siemens had begun training for school children to equip them with skills required for technological advancement.
”The training entailed teaching the children how to create solution from very simple tools and devices to create  answers  for technology across health care environment and power sectors.
”So you see, where a small child is creating a  turbine from a very simple battery and understanding how mechanical energy works., this is what we want to see roll over the country.
”Beyond secondary level, we are also looking at vocational training programmes that have to do with heory and practical and that are how we can cause reduction in unemployment.
”For us to create more of those skills, we need to have industries that will absolve these skills, so that the trainees can innovate and replicate the skills.
”We have a training centre where we are training about 14,000 graduates every year and the programme runs for three and half years.
”The training involves the skills of the future,  like coding,  digitisation, machine to machine learning and  the students they have projects where they  have built their own device,’’ she said.

She advised government at all levels to develop infrastructure more and  industrialise to encourage the inflow of skills development  into country.

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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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