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River Basins’ MDs Pledge To Fight Poverty

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The newly appointed managing directors of the 12 River Basin Development Authorities in the country have assured the Federal Government of their commitment to repositioning the river basins to reduce poverty. 

The managing directors collected their appointment letters on January 7, from the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.

Some of them, who spoke to our correspondent after collecting their letters, said that they would use their wealth of experiences to transform the basins to create jobs and reduce poverty.

They promised to boost food production, export and enhance power generation through the implementation of irrigation and other agricultural activities in their various basins.

Managing Director of the Lower Niger River Basin Development Authority, Mr. Aduragba Abubakar, said that he would work toward the improvement of water resources to reduce poverty in the basin, covering Kwara and parts of Kogi.

He added that he hoped to achieve the feat through the development of irrigated land, supply of water to rural people and generation of electricity through dams located in the basins.

Also speaking, Mr. Jimmy Omoliki, the managing director of the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority, spoke of his determination to implement projects within the basin.

“For me, it will not be business as usual. I will work to justify the position by coming up with programmes that will empower farmers and young graduates,’’ he said.

He urged the Federal Government to be consistent in policy formulation, noting that frequent reversal of policies had restricted the river basins from effective performance of their functions.

“The River Basin is being re-structured and re-organised for professionalism so there shouldn’t be any policy reversal again to ensure sustainability.

“We also need the support of other stakeholders in the sector to achieve the mandate of the river basins because we cannot do it alone,” Omoliki said.

Mr. Nnaa Aleru, managing director of the Niger Delta River Basin Development Authority, expressed his readiness to make the basin more productive to boost food production.

He promised to key into President Goodluck Jonathan’s vision to re-engineer and reposition the River Basin Authorities to reduce poverty.

“I hope to pursue these policies as spelt out by the Honourable Minister when I resume in my basin and I will also ensure that I come up with projects that will increase farmers’ yields,” Aleru said.

Speaking along the same vein, Mr. Suleiman Musa, managing director, Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority, promised to implement government’s policies as prescribed in the Charter, establishing the river basin authorities.

“I hope to achieve this through integrated water resources development, farmer support programmes as well as come up with vibrant empowerment programmes that will help tackle poverty,” Musa said.

He expressed optimism that the current repositioning of the river basins would enable the government to boost production, create jobs, generate electricity and provide water supply.

The managing directors expressed appreciation to Jonathan for appointing them to serve the nation.

Our correspondent reports that the formal inauguration of the management team of the12 River Basin Development Authorities is slated for yesterday.

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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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