Transport

Expert Tasks RSG On Seafarers Dev

Published

15 years ago

October 6, 2010

The Rivers State Government has been urged to embrace the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) aimed at enhancing capacity building in the Maritime sector.

The call was made by a maritime expert, Captain John Ibibo, on Tuesday in an exclusive chat with The Tide at the Port Harcourt Port.

He said that the increase in oil and gas activities in the state which had majority of its operations on sea, made it imperative for the state, like Rivers to look inward and embrace the programme which has evolved three years ago and conceived to bridge and redress the dearth of seafarers in Nigeria.

Ibibo, who is a seafarer, and captain on board M/V Brass, maintained that 80 per cent of the activities of the oil companies is maritime-based and that people from other states (non-indigene) dominate the sector, because Rivers people lacked the trained manpower to fit in, saying that “we end up in crying out that oil companies are not employing out indigenes, whereas, these are technical jobs that require expertise as regulated by International Maritime Organisation standards”.

According to him, the NSDP which was introduced by the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) is meant to enhance capacity building with a view to bridging the gap in manpower deficit in the maritime sector of the economy.

The initiative, he further said was also a scholarship programme aimed at encouraging Nigerian youths to embrace seafaring careers to enhance efficiency in the maritime industry in the country.

Captain Ibibo said that already, seven states, namely Lagos, Kaduna, Niger, Ondo, Ekiti, Kogi and Benue had so far, embraced the programme.

He asserted that the programme initiative was targeted at building capacity for the entire country to fast track economic growth and development within the industry and other sectors of the economy where government could also benefit in terms of revenue generation in the long run.

He enjoined the Rivers State Government to emulate the other seven states already involved and send more youths on seafarers training so that the indigenes would have better opportunity to work in the sector

Mr Kunle Folarin, the Acting Chairman, Port Consultative Council (PCC), Lagos, says Nigeria has not taken full advantage of its shipping potential in the last 50 years.

Folarin, a shipping economic analyst , said this in an interview with newsmen recently in Lagos.

He said that Nigeria had immense shipping potential that had yet to be harnessed.

He noted that Nigeria was endowed with a large stretch of coastline and contiguous economic zones within the West and Central Africa sub-region.

“We have great maritime wealth and resources that could translate into Nigeria becoming a powerful maritime state within the sub-region” Folarin said.

He said that as an import-dependent country, a large number of ships came to Nigeria annually.

“This suggests that we can build human capacity in marine navigation, marine engineering, naval architecture and other areas like maritime law”, he said.

Folarin expressed concern that indigenous shipping activities were just about three per cent of the total demand for shipping industries such as ship building and ship-yards which could build small crafts and low tonnage ships.

The shipping economist said the “Cabotage Act 2003 makes it mandatory that all ships in the cabotage areas and the nation’s inland waterways should be fully built in Nigeria.

“We must, therefore, look in future to areas where we have comparative advantage”, he said.

Folarin said that the nation must look at allied industries such as ship building, dry docking and the possibility of manpower development for seafarers.

Transport

Automated Points Concession : FAAN Workers Gave 72hrs To Revise Decisions In PH

Published

4 days ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

The trapatriate Unions conprising the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), and the Air Transport Service Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, (ATSSSAN), has given 72 hours Ultimatum to Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria FAAN, Omagwa Airport, Portharcourt to revise its recent decision on the concession of Tollgates and Parks to private hands.

The chairman of the Trapatriate Union, Comrade Felix Ohwoefe gave the Ultimatum yesterday immediately after the joint Unions meeting held at the Airport office of the union, Omagwa, Portharcourt.

Comrade Ohwoefe who double as the chairman of the National Union of NUATE said the two Unions have agreed to take drastic actions if the Authority of the Airport declined to step down it’s decision of concessioning the major revenue points to private hands.

According to the Union chairman, the two union was not aware of the concession plans, and that there were no due process to the procedures.

Comrade Ohwoefe said any attempt for the Airport Management to decline it’s demands towards the concession will result to barricading all entrance and access points of the Airport.

Expressing the the challenges associated to the concession, the Union Chairman said the gesture might resulted to massive sack of workers in the Airport.

The chairman also expressed foul play on the part of either individuals or government in the terms and conditions so given to the concessionaires, demanding the reasons of contracting the automated points to private hands for only 14 millions, when the FAAN is presently generating over 28 million naira monthly, even when the tariff was not reviewed upwards.

He describes the process to the procedures as fraud with intention to increase unemployment in the state.

“We are not against the concession of the Automated points, but due process must be followed. If government is concessioning the place, we are asking what will happen to our workers in the existing units.

“Secondly, if the concessionaires is taken over, they must pay higher than what the FAAN is generating presently, we are generating to the Management over 28 Millions monthly, but we had that the private company is required to pay only 14 Millions monthly, which is far below 5 percents of what we are generating presently, even when the tariff is increased, which means there is a foul play.

“The process is fraud either on the part of individual in the Government, or Government itself.

” The unions is saying no to the Concession until we come to a terms of understanding ourselves., we are afraid of loosing workers, we don’t want to loose any workers if due process is not followed in this hard of economy, we even demanding for employment of more workers in FAAN.” Comrade Ohwoefe said.

The Union used the opportunity to called on the minister of aviation, and the President of the Country, Bola Tinubu to intervene.

When contacting the Management of the Airport Authority through the head of Corporate Affairs, Dr Ngozi V. Onyeanwuna-Nwosu, she said the management has not given her the approval to say something.

Transport

FAAN Announces Pick-Up Points for Go-Cashless Cards

Published

4 days ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has announced designated pick-up points for individuals wishing to obtain their Go-Cashless cards ahead of the March 1, 2026 deadline.

This was announced in a statement signed by the Director Public Affairs and Consumer protection, Henry Agbebire and made available to the Tide last Friday in Portharcourt.

According to the statement, Go-Cashless cards is at all FAAN commercial offices and access gates of Airports in the country .

The release further stated that cards will also be available at designated branches of Fidelity Bank Plc from March 16, 2026.

FAAN in the statement said the cashless policy followed the Federal Government directive mandating all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to transition to a cashless system to enhance transparency and reduce revenue leakages as well improve transaction traceability in the Aviation sector.

FAAN reiterated its commitment to full compliance with the directive, appealing to the public for their understanding and cooperation during the transition period.

FAAN also inform that the Go-Cashless cards can still be obtained at the designated points after the March 1, deadline.

The Authority assures airport users that the initiative will promote faster, safer, and more convenient transactions across its airports nationwide.

By: Enoch Epelle

Transport

Nigeria Rates 7th For Visa Application To France —–Schengen Visa

Published

1 month ago

January 28, 2026

The Tide

Nigeria was the 7th country in 2024, which filed the most schenghen visa to France, with a total of 111,201 of schenghen visa applications made in 2025, out of which 55,833, about 50.2 percent submitted to France

Although 2025 data is unavailable, these figures from Schengen Visa Info implies that France is not merely a preferred destination, but has been a dominant access point for Nigerian short-stay travel into Europe.

France itself has received more than three million Schengen visa applications, making it the most sought-after Schengen destination globally and a leading gateway for long-haul and third-country travellers. It was the top destination for applicants from 51 countries that same year, including many without visa-exemption arrangements with the Schengen Zone, and the sole destination for applicants from seven countries.

Alison Reed, a senior analyst at the European Migration Observatory said, “France’s administrative reach shapes applicant strategy, but it also concentrates risk. If processing times lengthen or documentation standards tighten in Paris, the effects ripple quickly back to capitals such as Abuja.”

The figures underline that this pattern is not unique to Nigeria. In neighbouring West and Central African states such as Gabon, Benin, Togo and Madagascar, more than 90 per cent of Schengen visas were sought via French authorities in 2024, with Chad, Djibouti, the Central African Republic and Comoros submitting applications exclusively to France.

“France acts as the central enumeration point for many African and Asian applicants,” said Manish Khandelwal, founder of Travelobiz.com, which reported the consolidated statistics. “Historical ties, language networks and established diaspora communities all play into that concentration. But volume inevitably invites scrutiny, and that affects refusal rates and processing rigour.”

That scrutiny is visible in the rejection statistics. Of the more than three million French applications in 2024, approximately 481,139 were denied, a rejection rate of about 15.7 per cent. While this rate is lower than in some smaller Schengen states, the sheer volume of applications means France contributes significantly to the total number of refusals within the zone.

For Nigerian applicants and policymakers, one implication is the need to broaden engagement with other Schengen consular hubs. “Over-reliance on a single consulate creates what one might call administrative bottleneck effects,” said Jean-Luc Martin, a professor and expert in European integration and mobility law at Leiden University. “If applicants from Nigeria default to France without exploring legitimate alternatives in countries like Spain, Germany or the Netherlands, they expose themselves to systemic risk

Martin added that the broader context of Schengen visa policy is evolving, with the European Commission’s preparing roll-out of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) aimed at harmonising pre-travel screening across member states.

For Nigerians seeking leisure, business or educational travel to Europe, these trends suggest that strategic planning and consular diversification could become as important as the completeness of documentation and financial proof. Governments and travel consultancies in Abuja, Lagos and beyond are already advising clients to explore alternative consular pathways and to prepare for more rigorous screening criteria across all Schengen states

By: Enoch Epelle