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FG Tasks States On Infrastructure Dev

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The Federal Government has called on the 36 State Governments to use Public Private Partnership (PPP) model to improve public service delivery and infrastructure in their respective states.
The acting Director-General, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Mr Chidi Izuwah, made this call in Abuja last Thursday at the launch of the 2018 Nigeria PPP Network (NPPPN).
The theme was “Accelerated Infrastructure Transformation for Sub-National Governments in Nigeria: the PPP Imperative”.
Izuwah said states could use PPP to deliver projects such as schools, hostels, state-of-the-art markets, bus terminals, hospitals, Agro processing and farm mechanisation, among others.
He said that the ICRC was already working with some states to develop PPP projects, that were economically viable to the country.
He cited the Lekki Deep Water ports, and the Ibom Deep Water ports as some of the projects that are currently being carried out in collaboration with the federal government, state government and private actors.
“The fastest way to accelerate economic growth in Nigeria is by developing infrastructure.
“ICRC is willing to make her in-house PPP technical expertise in PPP transactions available to states who are willing,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Director-General, Nigeria Governor’s Forum, Mr Assihana Okauru said PPP arrangement became attractive because of government’s depleting resources as a result of low oil revenues.
He said that in the last five years, federation revenues to States declined from N3.1 trillion in 2013 to N2 trillion in 2015 and N1.6 tillion in 2016, before recovering mildly to N21 trillion in 2017.
“According to World Bank, Nigeria has attracted about 10.5billion dollars in PPP investments since 2000.
“Much of these investments have been concentrated in ports infrastructure 7.2billion dollars, followed by Electricity 1.9 billion dollars and Natural Gas 679 million dollars.
“However, these investments have not spread evenly across the States,” he said.
Okauru said that the NPPPN provided an opportunity for States to better understand the mechanism of PPP, to make their business environment competitive and attractive for private sector investments.
“Although, a number of States are working to establish PPPs, our records show that only 15 states have established PPP laws to guide the funding model for public infrastructure projects and only about 11 states have PPP offices.
“This has had serious implications on the level of private capital and expertise and the sustainability of private sector investment across States,” he said.
Also, the Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, said the NPPPN was a brilliant collaborative effort between ICRC and state government.
Ahmed, who was represented by Mr Biodun Alibologe, Deputy Director, PPP department, Federal Ministry of Finance, said the Ministry was committed to properly address the country infrastructure challenges.
Also, in a goodwill message, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, said the forum would strengthen the country infrstructure delivery frameworks to generate bankable PPP projects.

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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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