Business

SMEDAN Equips 23 Industrial Dev Centres

Published

10 years ago

September 9, 2015

Adolescent girls, receiving counselling on the dangers of rape in Lagos. The girl child has often been a victim of vicious rape in recent times.

Director-General, Small
and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN),Alhaji Bature Masari, says 23 Industrial Development Centres (IDCs) have been equipped to train millions of Nigerians on skill acquisition.
Masari said in Abuja at a news forum that the 23 IDCs were handed over to the agency in 2013 to ensure that they were properly utilised.
“The IDCs have been neglected for decades; most of them were out of use.
“But when we took over, we visited all the centres with the view to ensure that we identify the major problems that necessitated their closure.
“And we have been able to appraise all the IDCs and we have been working very hard to ensure that all of them are now in operation, even though on skeletal basis.
“Most of our IDCs have equipment and machineries that have capacity to train millions of Nigerians annually on vocational skills acquisition,’’ he said.
Masari said some of the facilities in the IDCs were used to provide training for Nigerians who wanted to have one or two vocational skills before they set up their enterprises.
According to him, SMEDAN has reached out to individual state governments and private sector to collaborate with the FG through the agency, to ensure that all the IDCs are properly utilised.
“The IDC we have in Oshogbo, we have been working in collaboration with the Osun State Government and that IDC is now fully functional.
“The state government committed more than N200 million as part of our collaboration in rehabilitating some of the machineries and equipment in that IDC.
“In Kano, we are now collaborating with Kano state government with a view that Nigerians who are living in that area take full advantage of the equipment in the IDC.
“Only last week, the Kaduna State Governor, through his special assistant, wrote the agency asking for collaboration on how we can team up to ensure that the IDC in Zaria is properly brought back to full operation.
Masari said in 2014, SMEDAN did everything possible to ensure that money was voted for them to bring all the IDCs back into operation.
“It is now time for government to take full advantage of all available avenues that can help in the area of job creation and economic empowerment, which is what most Nigerians desire now,’’ he said.
Masari said SMEDAN also went into partnership with the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) to train Nigerians through the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP).
According to him, the NISDP which is domiciled with ITF, is training 1,000 Nigerians in the phase one of the programme.
“With the programme, Nigerian enterprise can begin to tap from the retinue of fully and well trained personnel.
“We will continue to train more and more Nigerians until we are able to fill all the skill gaps that we have in various industries in the country; that is the idea of the NISDP programme.
“our desire and determination to foster collaboration and partnership with private sector is because of the appreciation of the need for government to collaborate with the private sector.
“Government can’t alone provide employment generation and poverty reduction and ensuring economic inclusion all over the country; that is why we are out to identify willing collaborators.

Business

NPA Assures On Staff Welfare

Published

10 hours ago

June 27, 2025

The Tide

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

Business

ANLCA Chieftain Emerges FELCBA’s VP

Published

11 hours ago

June 27, 2025

The Tide

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

Business

NSC, Police Boost Partnership On Port Enforcement

Published

11 hours ago

June 27, 2025

The Tide

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