Business

Salt Refinery: Namibia Issues License, Land To Nigerian Investors

Published

12 years ago

October 29, 2014

The Namibian government has issued a mining license and allocated a piece of land that will enable Nigerian investors to establish a salt refinery in that country.
Its High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Peingeondjabi Shipoh, told newsmen in Abuja on Monday that the Namibian government allocated the piece of land to the Nigerian investors in August.
The high commissioner, who said the land was located in the country’s Erongo region, near the Henties Bay, added that the Namibian government’s approval was a testimony to its readiness to address all challenges before the investors.
“The government of Namibia has granted license because it is mining and it is manufacturing.
“The land has to be in the proximity of the ocean and it looks like that land that has been offered, you have to cross someone else’s land before you get to it.
“And therefore there should be some negotiations in order to lay pipes to take water into the plant.
“The people involved would like to visit Namibia to go iron out these things.
“I was informed about the problem before I came here (to Nigeria) and I tried my best to resolve it and we are about to resolve that problem of land access so that the plant can go up.
“Investment resource is not an issue; that has been secured; license from the government has been issued.
“So, it’s to find a date to start but the mission has got no control over those issues, it’s to only facilitate if we are told where the issues are.“
The envoy also said that plans for the setting up of a Nigeria-Namibia oil refinery in that country were on.
Shipoh, who said that the project would be private-sector driven, called on investors in the country to take advantage of the opportunities made available by the governments of both countries.
The high commissioner said that “friendly investment opportunities“ existed in the mining, agriculture, energy, fishery, and tourism sectors.
He said that the signing of 11 agreements by presidents of both countries in March had created opportunities for investors in both countries to take advantage of.
He, however, said that the interest shown by investors since the signing of the agreements had been low pointing out that the value of trade between the two countries was not up to one million dollars.
The envoy said, “these agreements are there and we need to make sure that the players are correctly advised so that all stumbling blocks on both sides, if any, are removed.
“Certain factors could constitute problems which we would like to know.
“If maybe the problem is not in Nigeria but in Namibia or maybe the import barrier is on the Nigerian side, which we need to be informed about, we can talk to our counterparts here to resolve such problems.
“If maybe there are export barriers in Namibia, which we need to look at and advise our people at home, we have a Nigeria-Namibia Chamber of Commerce, which has got an office in the Sheraton Hotel.
“It’s another avenue for business people, who might be subscribing to that chamber of commerce to visit that office and get the information they would need.
“We have made a lot of information available to that office, but we have got people coming to Nigeria and when that happens, we will inform businesspeople, who are interested.
“We would like to see more; we have made inroads, but we would like to see the trade volumes increase.“
Speaking on the outbreak of the Ebola Virus, the envoy urged African countries to work more closely in the area of research.
“Let’s now work together and research so we can develop our own cure. If you look at ZMapp, it is from tobacco; let’s see what we can do to support countries that have tobacco.
“If there are researches that are being started, other African countries should contribute to such so we can finalise the work that has been started by others and expand the virology laboratories where they exist.“
On his country’s forthcoming elections on Nov. 28, the envoy said efforts had been made to ensure that Namibians living in or passing through Nigeria voted.
“Namibians in the Diaspora will be given the opportunity to cast their votes on Nov. 14; so they are invited to come to the mission and vote. The voting will be a one-day affair.
“Although it will not be easy for our citizens both outside Nigeria and even in states within Nigeria to come over and vote due to the cost implication, we would still like to encourage them to come and cast their votes.
He said that the high commission had a record of eight Namibians living in Nigeria and that all of them had so far been registered to vote.
He added that 3,441 Namibians living in the Diaspora had been registered to vote.

Business

Boat Mishap Kills Pastor, Wife And Church Members In Brass Water

Published

53 minutes ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

A boat accident in Bayelsa state has killed a serving Pastor, Wife and other church members along Brass waterways

The sad incident happened at Odioama in Brass local government area of Bayelsa State when the Pastor, wife and members of his church were in a programme.

?Tide confirmed that the lifeless body of the Pastor’s wife has been found and deposited in a mortuary while the remains of her husband ,the Pastor is yet to be recovered

as search party are still ongoing.

Although the real cause of the boat Mishap is not yet known as at the time of this report, our Correspondent gathered that the identities of the Pastor, wife and church members were not disclosed to the public.

The mishap, Tide gathered occurred on Friday morning when the church members were on a boat transit

The Bayelsa State government and the state police command are yet to issue official statement’s on the sad accident

By: CHINEDU WOSU

Business

Rivers Workers Seek Scrapping Of Contributory Pension Scheme

Published

54 minutes ago

May 18, 2026

The Tide

The Rivers State Council of Nigeria Civil Service Union has called on the State Government to urgently scrap the contributory pension scheme, describing it as unfavourable to long-serving civil servants in the state.

Chairman of the union, Chukwuka Osuma, said this in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt, recently.

Osuma said the current pension structure has continued to worsen post-retirement hardship for workers.

He noted that the contributory pension scheme had failed to provide adequate retirement security for workers who had spent many years in service, especially those approaching retirement age.

According to him, civil servants who had served for more than 20 years were among the worst affected under the scheme, insisting that many retirees could no longer cope with prevailing economic realities.

He also informed that the Union has made moves to showcase their concerns, pleading with Governor Siminalayi Fubara to abolish the pension policy and introduce a more favourable arrangement for affected workers.

“The union was not opposed to pension reforms, the contributory scheme should only apply to newly employed workers or those with fewer years in service”, he said.

Osuma explained that workers who had already spent decades in the civil service ought to remain under a more secure pension structure capable of guaranteeing stability after retirement.

The labour leader further noted that inflation and the rising cost of living had continued to erode the value of retirement savings, thereby increasing the suffering of pensioners across the country.

He also appealed to the state government to consider extending the years of service in the civil service from 35 to 40 years and the retirement age from 60 to 65 years.

Osuma argued that such adjustment had become necessary in view of present-day economic realities and changing conditions in the workplace.

The unionist also reviewed that similar policies had already been adopted in some sectors and jurisdictions, expressing optimism that the State could also implement the reforms for the benefit of workers.

He however, commended Governor Fubara for approving an N85,000 minimum wage for workers in the state, noting that the amount was above the national benchmark of N70,000.

Osuma also acknowledged the government’s efforts in the area of workers’ promotions and bonuses, but insisted that pension reforms and extension of years of service remained critical to the long-term welfare and stability of civil servants in Rivers State.

By: King Onunwor

Business

FG Begins South-West Tour To Promote New Cooperative Bank

Published

5 days ago

May 13, 2026

The Tide

The Federal Government has launched the South-West zonal engagement and ministerial advocacy tour on the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria share capital mobilisation, sensitisation and cooperative sector digitalisation.

Reports say the initiative was launched through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

According to reports, the advocacy tour, organised by the ministry’s Federal Department of Cooperatives, began on Monday in Lagos.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs, Dr Aliyu Abdullahi, said the initiative was part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Abdullahi described the exercise as a strategic effort to reposition the cooperative sector as a key driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity.

“Today represents a defining moment in our collective determination to reposition the cooperative sector as a major driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity,” he said.

The minister noted the modern cooperative movement in Nigeria originated in the South-West following the 1934 Strickland Report, which led to the enactment of the Cooperative Societies Ordinance of 1935.

According to him, the decision to commence the sensitisation and share capital mobilisation tour in the region is symbolic, as it marks a return to the roots of cooperative development in the country.

Abdullahi said the advocacy tour was a direct outcome of resolutions reached at the 8th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Cooperative Affairs held in Abuja in March 2026.

He said the council approved the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme, a comprehensive framework designed to strengthen the cooperative sector and align it with the administration’s goal of building a one-trillion-dollar economy.

“The reform programme focuses on seven strategic pillars, including governance reforms, cooperative financing and the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria, digitalisation, capacity building, value chain development, inclusion of youths, women and persons with disabilities, and strategic partnerships,” he said.

He said the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria and the digitalisation of the cooperative sector were the two major transformational initiatives under the programme.

“The Cooperative Bank of Nigeria is aimed at rebuilding a strong cooperative financial system capable of supporting cooperators, farmers, artisans, traders, SMEs, youths, women and persons with disabilities with accessible and affordable financial services,” he said.

Abdullahi emphasised that the proposed bank would be government-enabled but not government-funded.

“Government is not establishing the bank as an owner, nor will it rely on Treasury Single Account funds.

“The role of government through the FMAFS is to provide policy support, stakeholder coordination, regulatory facilitation and an enabling environment under the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme,” he said.

Also speaking, the Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to cooperative sector transformation.

She described cooperatives as critical tools for promoting inclusive growth, grassroots productivity, food security, financial inclusion and community wealth creation.

Ambrose-Medebem said Lagos State would continue to support reforms and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (2025–2030).

“Together, let us build a cooperative ecosystem that is modern, transparent, digitally enabled, financially inclusive and globally competitive.

“Let us build cooperatives that not only mobilise savings, but also mobilise prosperity,” she said.