Business

ITF Trains 450,000 Nigerians On Skills Acquisition

Published

7 years ago

July 19, 2019

The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) says it has trained more than 450 Nigerians in skills acquisition programmes for employability and entrepreneurship between 2016 and 2018.
The ITF Director-General, Sir Joseph Ari, disclosed this in Abuja yesterday at a news conference where he presented the ITF 2019 Skills Intervention Programme.
Ari said that 90 per cent of the trained Nigerians were in productive endeavours either as paid employees or as entrepreneurs.
“There is no doubt that unemployment has wrought a terrible damage on all facets of our national life. No reasonable analysis will divorce unemployment from the needless incidences of violence that has claimed thousands of lives nationwide.
“It will equally be difficult to separate rising criminality and harmful social vices that are being perpetrated by Nigerians because of unemployment and attendant poverty.
“Consequently, our population that ordinarily should be our resources has become an albatross because we cannot provide a greater proportion of our population with a source of livelihood,” he said.
The director-general said that the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report of last quarter of 2018 revealed the level of unemployment and increase in employment between 2017 and 2018 in the country.
“The number of Nigerians without jobs between fourth quarter of 2017 and third quarter of 2018 increased from 17.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2017 to 20.9 million in the third quarter of 2018.
“This is despite the fact that the number of people in employment increased from 68.4 million in the third quarter of 2015 to 68.72 million in the third quarter of 2016.
“It also increased from 69.09 million in the third quarter of 2017 to 69.53 million in the third quarter of 2018,” he said.
According to him, the statistics are scary and staggering and should be a source of worry.
Ari said that the Federal Government had made tremendous efforts to create jobs as reflected in the increase of the number of employed people as cited in the NBS report.
He reiterated ITF’s commitment to equipping many more Nigerians with skills for employability and entrepreneurship in order to create jobs and reduce poverty in line with its mandate and policy objectives of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
He appealed to the media to help in sensitisation to educate governments and critical stakeholders on the need for skills acquisition in the country to stem some noticeable vices.
Our correspondent reports that ITF engages Nigerians in meaningful economic ventures through social investment and skills acquisition programmes.

Business

FG Approves 4 New Channel Management Firms For Seaports

Published

3 days ago

October 26, 2026

The Tide

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved four new channel management companies for seaports across the country in a move aimed at improving vessel navigation and port operations.

Speaking at the recently concluded Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Association of Master Mariners (NAMM), former General Manager, Marine and Operations, Capt. Ebubeogu Ihenacho, disclosed that there would be changes in the ownership of the Lagos Channel Management Company Limited and the Bonny Channel Management Company.

According to Ihenacho, the four channels serving Nigeria’s major port clusters will have different channel management companies as approved by the FEC.

He said a new company had been approved to manage the Lagos port channel, with a change of name, while the Calabar Channel would be managed by the Calabar Channel Management Company.

He added that Bonny Channel Management Company had also undergone a change of ownership.

On the Warri Channel, Ihenacho said the Federal Government had approved China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) and two other companies to form a consortium to manage the Escravos Channel.

He said: “For Warri, it was approved for China Harbour Engineering Company, CHEC, and two other companies, who would now form a consortium.

That consortium will now form a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) with the Nigerian Ports Authority to manage the Escravos Channel.”

Recall that the management of the NPA had declined to renew the concessions of the Lagos Channel Management Company Limited and the Bonny Channel Management Company, opting instead for six-month extensions of the existing arrangements.

By; Enoch Epelle

Business

RIRS Warns Against Unauthorised Tax Collection

Published

3 days ago

October 26, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Internal Revenue Service (RIRS) has warned motorists, transport operators and business owners against paying taxes, levies or charges to Unauthorised persons and organisations, insisting that only the Service and its duly appointed agents are legally empowered to collect taxes on behalf of the state government.

The Service gave the warning in a public notice dated October 21, 2026, signed by its Executive Chairman, Sir Israel O. Egbunefu, FCTI, in which it clarified that the Rivers State Ministry of Transport was not authorised by the state government to collect road tax or any other tax, levy or charge from motorists and transport operators.

RIRS also specifically disowned Explore Strategic Alliance Ltd, located at No. 7 Rumuodaolu Market Road, Port Harcourt, declaring the company had not been appointed or authorised by either the state government or the Service to collect Motor Vehicle Transport (MOT) tickets or any other tax on its behalf.

The revenue agency consequently cautioned members of the public against making payments to the company or any of its staff, stressing that anyone who ignored the warning would do so at their own risk.

It reaffirmed that only the legally authorised agency responsible for tax collection in Rivers State and the appointed agents that would carry out such duties in accordance with the law.

The Service urged taxpayers to demand official identification from anyone claiming to be its tax agent and verify the person’s credentials directly with RIRS before making payments.

It further warned that individuals or groups found impersonating tax consultants, agents or their representatives to collect Unauthorised taxes would be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law.

RIRS also called on members of the public to report suspicious persons and activities relating to Unauthorised tax collection to the Service for appropriate action.

The agency advised taxpayers seeking clarification or assistance to visit any of its offices or contact it through its official email address, info@riversbirs.gov.ng.

The Service reiterated its commitment to protecting taxpayers, promoting voluntary compliance and safeguarding the integrity of tax administration in Rivers State.

By: King Onunwor

Business

Bayelsa consumers Groan Over Inflation As Traders Remain Helpless Over Low Patronage

Published

3 days ago

October 26, 2026

The Tide

Consumers and traders at the Swali ultramodern market in Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa State have continued to groan over high prices of commodities and poor Patronage due to cost-push inflation.

The Tide reports that in the past weeks prices of goods and services in Yenagoa metropolis has experienced increase.

Notable services like transportation have also increased lately due to increase in the pump price of fuel that has recently further exacerbated inflation in the prices of staple foods like rice, beans, garri and others.

Speaking with The Tide on a market survey, a trader, Mrs Tovie Barakabo said a bag of bean which sold between N120,000-N130, 000 now goes for N140,000-N145,000.

Mrs Barakabo also hinted that the only commodities whose price has not gone up was price of millet which sells N60,000, while big bag of garri now sells for N30,000.

The Tide further gathered from other inside Source that 25 litres of Kings cooking oil currently sells N75,000 as against the former price of N57,000.

Other commodities such as delicious vegetable oil now goes for N68,000, Pure vegetable oil currently goes for N66, 000, while spaghetti is now N18,800 per bag.

The market survey also discovered that Sonnia tomato mix sells N75,609, while a big and small basket of fresh tomatoes are sold for N30,000 and N6,500 respectively.

A disappointed custom, Mrs Juliet Domo who fielded questions from The Tide expressed her worries over the inflation, calling on government to take decisive stands against inflation.

By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa