Maritime

FG Assures On Intensifying Diaspora Investment

Published

10 months ago

July 28, 2025

Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, has assured that his administration would ramp up efforts to create the enabling environment that would attract more investments from Nigerians in Diaspora and harness their immense talents, skills, expertise, innovation and contacts for national development.
He gave this assurance in his remarks as the special guest of honour at the opening of the 2025 National Diaspora Day (NDD) organised by the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) with the theme, “Optimizing Formidable Diaspora Potential For National Development and Growth”, at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, on Friday.
Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, the President acknowledged the enormous contributions of the NIDCOM in terms of remittances, which hit $20.9 billion by 2024 with the promise of more remittances in the years ahead.
“We will continue to provide an enabling platform for effective policies for the Diaspora with the view to galvanizing your support for this administration and concretizing our democracy, optimizing your potential and setting a good example for other African countries to emulate”, he said.
The President commended the Chairman/CEO of NiDCOM, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa and the management and staff of NiDCOM for their dynamic initiatives, activities and engagements with the Diaspora community, especially in the creation of laudable programmes for Nigerians in Diaspora to invest back home.
“Let me also state that we will look into the Challenges NiDCOM has enumerated with a view to ameliorating the same so that we can maximize the benefits of migration through the engagements with our Diaspora for national development and growth”, the President said.
The highpoint of the occasion was the unveiling of the “Diaspora Home and Abroad Housing Platform”, which will help facilitate easy access to affordable homes.
In her remarks, Hon. Dabiri-Erewa noted that since the establishment of the commission over six years ago, it has vigorously pursued policies and programmes that have given the nation uplift and encouraged Nigerians in the Diaspora to make more investments in the country that are yielding results in different sectors of Nigerian lives.
These programmes include the National Diaspora Day Celebration held annually on 25th and 26th of July and 2025 is the 7th edition. It is an event to celebrate over 20 million Nigerians in the Diaspora and the varied contributions they have made in diverse fields.
NIDCOM initiated the National Diaspora Merit Award to honour those individuals and associations who have contributed to the development of Nigeria and their host country.
It also has the Badagry Door of Return Festival to commemorate the Nigerian descendants from slave trade era and the significance of the ancient Badagry during the period
Other initiatives include: The Diaspora Mortgage scheme, the Diaspora Investment Fund, and the Diaspora Housing Scheme.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Aniekan Bassey, in his remarks emphasized that Nigeria is a veritable home for investment, stressing that it has become necessary for job creation and skill development among the youth.
In her goodwill message, Isabelle Wolfsgruber from the Head Office, International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), Abuja, said the event is not just a celebration, but a call to action and a recognition that the Nigerian diaspora, among the most dynamic, educated, and resourceful globally, holds boundless untapped potential to contribute meaningfully to national development.
She assured that the ICMPD will partner more with NIDCOM to ensure inclusive migration governance that fully integrates diaspora contributions to national development.
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Maritime

NCS Holds Free Medical Outreach For 2,000 Daura Residents

Published

2 days ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has held its 7th Retreat Medical Outreach in Daura, Katsina State,

Customs said the Free medical outreach is aimed at providing free healthcare services to residents of the area.

Speaking during the event, Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs, Ahmad Tijjani-Abe, said the programme would provide general medical consultations, dental care, eye and ear care, as well as minor surgical operations for beneficiaries.

Tijjani-Abe said medical teams deployed for the exercise would also provide free medications to patients attending the outreach.

He added that the service would visit schools within the area to deworm students and distribute health kits and mosquito nets to help prevent malaria among children.

Also Speaking, Dr Ethelbert Ikechukwu, Medical Team Leader of the outreach said the exercise was part of the initiative of the Comptroller-General of Customs, which had been carried out in different parts of the country over the years.

According to him, the programme is designed to support communities where customs personnel operate by offering free medical consultations and medications to residents.

Ikechukwu further explained that patients whose conditions could not be fully managed at the outreach centre would be referred to appropriate medical facilities for further treatment.

Ikechukwu urged members of the public to take advantage of the exercise, noting that the medical teams comprised highly qualified healthcare professionals.

The outreach targets about 2,000 patients across various areas of medical care.

Maritime

Lagos Records Major Gains In Road, Rail, Water Transport —Osiyemi

Published

2 days ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Oluwaseun Osiyemi, says the Babajide Sanwo-Olu led administration has made significant progress in developing road, rail and water transportation infrastructure across the state.

Osiyemi made this known during the 2026 Ministerial Press Briefing in Lagos to commemorate the third year of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term in office.

He said the government remained committed to providing residents with an integrated multimodal transportation system that is seamless, safe, affordable, sustainable and inclusive.

According to him, the administration will continue to engage residents and invest in transport infrastructure to enhance mobility and support socio-economic development.

“Our promise to Lagos residents is to continue to provide and plan the best transportation system for all, in a manner that will boost the socio-economic development of the people and the state,” he said.

Osiyemi said the state was upgrading public transport infrastructure, including Bus Rapid Transit corridors and terminals, Quality Bus Corridors, rail projects and waterways facilities.

He said the Bus Rapid Transit BRT infrastructure from Doyin-Orile to Mile 2 along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway was 84 per cent completed, while the Iyana Ipaja Bus Terminal had reached 28 per cent completion.

According to him, the projects will improve mobility, reduce traffic congestion, enhance affordability and safety, and stimulate economic development.

Osiyemi said the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority was implementing several Quality Bus Corridor projects to improve mass transit efficiency and reduce travel time.

He listed the ongoing corridors as Mile 2, Alapere-Ketu, Ojuelegba, Cele and Abule Egba.

He said the projects feature dedicated and regulated bus lanes, modern shelters and terminals, improved pedestrian walkways and crossings, as well as traffic signal and junction improvements.

On rail transportation, the Commissioner said Phase II of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit Blue Line would extend the corridor from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko, with track construction, station development and power installation ongoing.

He said the 37-kilometre Red Line rail project from Marina through Oyingbo to Agbado was being strengthened with the procurement of 24 new coaches arranged in three sets of eight-coach trains.

According to him, each train set will carry more than 500 passengers.

He added that a feasibility study was ongoing for Phase II of the Red Line from Oyingbo to National Theatre to connect with the Blue Line.

Osiyemi said the 68-kilometre Green Line rail project would connect Marina to the Lekki Free Trade Zone through Victoria Island, Lekki, Ajah and Sangotedo, with about 17 stations.

He said the state had signed a Memorandum of Understanding MOU with China Harbour Engineering Company for the project.

According to him, the Green Line is designed to transport 35,000 passengers per hour, while the Federal Executive Council has approved funding for Phase I.

On water transportation, Osiyemi said the Lagos Ferry Services was nearing completion of a boat maintenance and dry dock facility at the Mile 2 Ferry Terminal.

He said boat trailers were also being constructed to facilitate dry-docking and repairs.

The commissioner added that solar-powered portable office cabins were being installed at Ijede, Ebute-Ero and Liverpool jetties to improve working conditions for staff.

He said the CMS Pontoon Jetty had also been upgraded to enhance passenger boarding and disembarkation.

By: CHINEDU WOSU

Maritime

Customs Harps On Human-led AI Governance –As Customs Digital Reforms Generate N230Bn

Published

2 days ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Adewale Adeniyi, has called for a human-centred approach to digital transformation, warning that the success of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies will ultimately depend on ethics, leadership, and institutional accountability.

Adeniyi made the remarks while delivering the keynote address at the 4th Biennial International Conference organised by the Faculty of Communication and Information Sciences of University of Ilorin in collaboration with the Faculty of Philology, RUDN University.

The conference, themed “Disruptive Technology: Human and Artificial Intelligence in the Digital Economy,” brought together communication scholars, technology experts, researchers, policymakers, and heads of government agencies to examine the growing influence of artificial intelligence, digital innovation, and emerging technologies on governance, trade, education, and economic development.

Addressing participants at the University of Ilorin Main Auditorium last week , meAdeniyi argued that while artificial intelligence is reshaping institutions and economies globally, technology must remain accountable to society and aligned with public interest objectives.

“The digital age is, in the end, a human story, and the real test of our generation is not how powerful our machines become, but how wisely our societies choose to use them,” he said.

He noted that the world had already moved beyond the stage of anticipating disruption, stressing that digital payments, e-commerce platforms, artificial intelligence systems, and smart technologies had fundamentally altered global economic and governance structures.

According to him, the responsibility of public institutions is not merely to adopt new technologies, but to ensure that innovation strengthens transparency, efficiency, and public trust rather than weakening accountability mechanisms.

Drawing from the ongoing modernisation reforms within the Nigeria Customs Service, Adeniyi highlighted the deployment of the B’Odogwu Unified Customs Management System as a major milestone in the Service’s digital transformation agenda.

He disclosed that the platform generated more than ?230 billion at the PTML Command within its first eight months of deployment, while significantly improving cargo processing timelines and inter-agency coordination.

According to the Customs boss, compliant traders now complete cargo clearance procedures in less than eight hours under the digital platform, representing a major improvement in trade facilitation efficiency.

“The partnership, not the rivalry, between human and artificial intelligence is where the real value lies,” Adeniyi stated.

He maintained that while artificial intelligence can enhance operational efficiency, risk management, and data-driven decision-making, human expertise and institutional leadership remain indispensable in governance and enforcement operations.

“Technology changes processes; leadership and expertise still deliver the results,” he added.

The CGC further advocated deeper collaboration between universities, research institutions, and government agencies to develop practical, locally relevant solutions to emerging governance and digital economy challenges.

He urged academic institutions to move beyond theoretical scholarship and become active contributors to innovation, policy development, and institutional reform.

Adeniyi identified several areas where academia could support Customs modernisation efforts, including artificial intelligence-driven risk targeting systems, digital compliance mechanisms, governance of cross-border data flows, and public trust communication strategies.

He also challenged African governments to develop indigenous digital governance frameworks that reflect the continent’s legal systems, economic realities, and development priorities rather than relying solely on imported regulatory models.

The conference also provided a platform for high-level engagements between the Customs leadership, scholars, traditional rulers, communication professionals, and heads of government agencies on opportunities for collaboration in digital research, innovation, community development and capacity.

By: Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos