Maritime
ManCo Takes Over Presidential Fertiliser Initiative From NSIA, Nov
The management of the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (PFI) will transition to MOFI Management Company Limited (ManCo) in November 2025, as the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) prepares to formally hand over operations after nearly a decade of oversight.
Preparatory to the transfer, the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), which owns ManCo, and the NSIA recently held a review session to evaluate the impact of reforms undertaken, assess stakeholder partnerships, and chart the next phase of the initiative.
The next phase under ManCo will include the introduction of wet blend technology, geographic expansion into underserved regions, and an increased role for private sector participation. These measures are expected to build on existing successes while creating fresh opportunities for impact across the agricultural value chain.
Note that NSIA’s management of the programme since 2016 transformed Nigeria’s fertilizer sector: from only four operational blending plants in 2016, the number has grown to more than 90 by July 2025, with over 128 million bags of high-quality NPK fertilizer delivered to farmers nationwide.
These efforts boosted accessibility and affordability of fertilizer, strengthened food security, and generated more than 100,000 direct and indirect jobs.
Chief Executive Officer of MOFI, Dr. Amstrong Ume Takang, praised the achievements recorded under NSIA’s stewardship, describing them as a springboard for future progress.
“Over the years, the PFI-NPK programme has played a role in transforming Nigeria’s fertilizer ecosystem, from expanding domestic blending capacity to enhancing farmers’ access to quality fertilizers and advancing national food security objectives”, Takang said.
He added that the programme’s success “must never be allowed to be a disincentive for further progress, noting that only sustained stakeholder engagement could unlock new vistas of progress.”
Takang explained that ManCo’s focus would be on consolidating past achievements, addressing challenges, and promoting collaborative pathways to sustain and scale the programme’s impact.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NSIA, Aminu Umar-Sadiq, described the handover as both symbolic and strategic, marking the conclusion of one phase and the start of another.
The Presidential Fertilizer Initiative was established by the Federal Government in 2016 as an intervention to revive local fertilizer blending, ensure availability of fertilizer to Nigerian farmers at affordable prices, enhance food security, reduce food-induced inflation, and stimulate broader economic activity in agriculture.
Its implementation commenced through NAIC-NPK Limited, a subsidiary of the NSIA, before restructuring in 2021 made it a wholly-owned subsidiary of MOFI.
A joint-management structure was introduced with NSIA and ManCo as managers under an Operational Management Agreement.
That arrangement will formally conclude in November 2025 with NSIA’s exit, leaving ManCo as the sole manager of PFI-NPK.
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The Lagos State Government has announced that the Marine Bridge in Ijora, Apapa Local Government Area, will be closed for 15 days to allow for essential maintenance works.
The State Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi,
disclosed this in a Statement posted on his official X account.
Motorists are advised to plan ahead and be patient while the Federal Ministry of Works, in coordination with Lagos State, carries out essential bridge maintenance.
“The Lagos State Government wishes to inform the general public that the Marine Bridge in Ijora, Apapa Local Government Area, will be closed for 15 days to allow for essential maintenance works,” the statement read in part.
It added, “Motorists are advised to be patient, as the closure is part of the traffic management plan for maintenance works on the underlying bearings of some sections of the Marine Bridge by the Federal Ministry of Works (Office of the Federal Controller, Lagos).”
The statement further explained that the maintenance project will be carried out in two phases. Phase I, running from Saturday, 11th October to Saturday, 18th October 2025, will cover the area from the foot of Marine Bridge along Lawani Oguntayo Road near UBA, inbound toward Apapa and Costain.
During this period, motorists traveling from Ijora Olopa to Apapa will be diverted via the Ijora Causeway Access Ramp near Omni Retail Company, continue to Ijora 7up, turn left onto the Lilypond Access Ramp, and proceed on their journeys.
Phase II, from Sunday, 19th October to Saturday, 25th October 2025, will focus on the stretch between Ijora Badia and Lilypond Access Ramp, inbound toward Apapa.
Motorists from Ijora Olopa heading to Apapa and Costain would be diverted about 50 meters before the work zone into a contraflow with Constant traffic, rejoining the main carriageway after 500 meters.
Those traveling from Apapa toward Costain, Lagos Island, or Ijora Olopa would maintain through traffic but will also be redirected into a contraflow near the work zone for roughly 500 meters before resuming normal access.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has generated ?1.95 billion in passenger revenue in the first quarter (Q1) of 2025
The Bureau said the amount represent a 37.36 percent increase from the ?1.42 billion recorded in the same period of 2024.
The data, released in the NBS Rail Transportation Report on October 5, showed steady growth in rail patronage across the country. Between January and March 2025,
NBS said that a total of 929,553 passengers travelled by train, marking a 37.65 percent rise compared to 675,293 passengers transported in Q1 2024.
Similarly, the volume of goods and cargo conveyed by rail climbed to 181,520 tons in Q1 2025, up from 160,650 tons in the corresponding period of 2024.
The Bureau said Revenue from freight operations also increased by 8.19 percent to ?657.03 million, compared to ?607.32 million in the same quarter of the previous year.
The report further revealed a sharp rise in other receipts — which include income from services such as leasing, station fees, and sundry charges — amounting to ?115.68 million, a 355.39 percent jump from ?25.40 million in Q1 2024.
For comparison, the NBS noted that in Q4 2024, the rail system transported 1,037,113 passengers, reflecting a 54.29 percent increase from 672,198 in Q4 2023.
The report said that Passenger revenue during that quarter stood at ?1.92 billion, up from ?1.07 billion in Q4 2023.
However, freight revenue in Q4 2024 declined slightly by 7.46 percent, from ?423.22 million in Q4 2023 to ?391.64 million, while ?8.93 million was realized from transporting 1,260 tons of goods through pipelines in the same period.
Meanwhile, other receipts for Q4 2024 rose to ?434.44 million, representing a 10.34 percent increase from ?393.72 million recorded in Q4 2023.
According to the NBS, the consistent rise in passenger traffic and earnings reflects growing public confidence in Nigeria’s rail transport system, driven by continuous investments in rail infrastructure and service expansion by the NRC.
By: Chinedu Wosu
The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer CEO, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Dr. Akutah Pius has said that credible and enforceable laws are crucial for effective port regulation in Nigeria.
Pius stated this in his Paper Presentation at the 2025 League of Maritime Editors’ summit held in Lagos.
Represented at the summit by its Director, Regulatory Services Department Mrs, Margaret Ogbonna, Pius highlighted the importance of aligning competitive laws with institutional capacity to drive benefits like competition, investment, and predictability.
He stressed the need to pass the Port Economic Regulatory Agency Bill (NPERA) into law to enhance transparency, competition, and dispute resolution in the maritime sector.
The Shippers boss who noted that strong laws are essential stated however that their effectiveness depends on proper implementation and stakeholder buy-in.
“Without effective implementation, laws can’t serve their purpose. Regulation requires full stakeholder buy-in.”, he said.
Highlight of the event was the presentation of the Maritime Chief Executive Officer CEO Year award for his outstanding contributions to the maritime industry and economic growth by the 2025 League of Maritime Editors Summit.
By: Chinedu Wosu
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