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Nov232017 by Our EditorNo Comments

Senate Blasts President Buhari Administration

Politics

The Senate was put into confusion on Wednesday when a lawmaker Identified as Biodun Olujimi, accused President Muhammadu Buhari of losing authority on his administration. Mrs. Olujimi, PDP-Ekiti, was responding to a motion on the face-off between Nigeria’s security agencies raised by Dino Melaye, Kogi-APC. Officials of the State Security Services, SSS, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, were involved in a showdown on Tuesday when EFCC operatives attempted to arrest the immediate past Director-General of the SSS, Ekpenyong Ita. A similar scenario also played out when SSS operatives prevented the anti-graft agency from arresting the former Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ayo Oke. Presenting the motion, Mr. Melaye called on the Senate to...

Nov222017 by Our EditorNo Comments

Seme Customs Command Rakes in N5.3b in 10 Months

Business

By Sylvanus Ekpo The Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Command, generated a total of N5.3 billion between January and October, 2017 in spite of the downturn in the economy through the Lagos Abidjan Corridor. Also, 23 persons are undergoing trial for various offenses. Making the claims recently, the Comptroller of the command, Mohammed Aliyu, said the command used the collaborative anti-smuggling approach with other security agencies to dislodge and ground the activities of economic saboteurs. In turn, the command witnessed the decline in smuggling in the Seme border axis while there was a corresponding increase in revenue generation. He stated that the anti-smuggling unit made a total of 469 seizures with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N508, 469, 776.00 for the period under review. In...

Nov222017 by Our EditorNo Comments

Russia is least ranked in its own World Cup

Sports

For the first time since the FIFA ranking began in 1993, the host nation for the World Cup will be the least ranked. The highest ranked country among the 32 jostling for the World Cup is Germany at the topmost position. Russia at number 65 will be the worst ranked team when it hosts the World Cup next summer, marking the first time in history when the host nation has the lowest ranking of all the tournament participants. Russia qualified automatically and even heads Pot 1 which harbours the seven highest ranked countries, including the number one, Germany. The next lowest ranked teams are Saudi Arabia in 63rd, South Korea in 62nd, first-time World Cup participant Panama in 49th and Morocco in 48th. As hosts, Russia was automatically placed into the first seeding pot for the ...

Nov222017 by Our EditorNo Comments

NPA: Port reform without road reform

Business, Port News

by Sylvanus Ekpo These are not the best of times for the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA. It is no longer news that the port access roads at Apapa and Tin Can Island ports are in a terrible state of disrepair. According to the Port Act of 1954 as amended, section 32 mandates the NPA to regulate traffic that is moving in and the one which is approaching but over the years, due to executive recklessness, the access roads were allowed to decay and today they have become an embarrassment to everybody, a congenital eyesore in the face of our port concession. Before the ports were concessioned in 2006 to private terminal operators by government, the NPA had a yearly throughput of 35million tons of cargo, a figure that could hardly be managed then. But, after the concession in March 2006, the...

Nov202017 by Our EditorNo Comments

IMO Council: Nigeria Woos Foreign Diplomats For Nigeria’s Election

Business, Press Release

…Says NIMASA Has Put Nigeria High to Win Council Seat In a bid to ensure that Nigeria wins the re-election into one of the highest decision making body of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), an arm of the United Nation (UN) responsible for global maritime regulation, the Minister of Transportation Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geofrey Onyema has called on all Heads of Foreign Missions to support the country’s quest as it seeks election into the Category C of the IMO Council. Speaking at the Cocktail Dinner in honour of Foreign Missions organized by the Federal Ministry of Transportation and the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the yesterday in Abuja, Mr. Onyema said that as a key player in the global maritime industry, Nigeria has playe...

Nov202017 by Our EditorNo Comments

Apapa Gridlock Conduit Pipe for Extortion By Taskforce – Survey

Breaking News, Business, Law, Maritime, Port News

Backdropped against the decision by the Lagos State government to institute a joint security task force, it has become apparent that some selfish personnel are taking advantage of their new status to extort the people. As trailers and tankers jostle for space to inch towards the ports or tank farms, a syndicate operating within the "chaotic axis" is busy extorting money from the drivers to pay their way through the logjam. Investigations carried out by Shipping World reveal that drivers pay as much as #50,000 to #100,000 to be allowed to shunt the queue and head straight under escort into the port for business. This often takes place at night when Lagos is asleep. It is not clear if this syndicate has the backing of the authorities in Alausa but there are concerns that the unsavoury...

Nov202017 by Our EditorNo Comments

Tin Can Port Impounds Container of Illicit Drugs

Breaking News, Law, Maritime

The Nigeria Customs Service has reiterated its desire to continue to build on the existing inter-Agency cooperation with all concerned regulatory Agencies, to ensure that illicit and uncustomed goods are intercepted at the Ports, for the good of the Nation’s Economy and Nigeria as a whole. The Customs Area Controller, Tincan Island Port, Lagos, CAC Yusuf Bashar stated this while handing over a 40ft container with number MRKU 519445/3 containing cartons of Spectradol (Tramadol) Capsules of various milligrams, Spectra-Doxycycline Capsules of various milligrams as well as Jinart Tablets. Other drugs seized are Clarinthromycin Tablets of five hundred milligrams and Jincold-Extra Strength Capsules of various milligrams. Speaking on the negative effect of the drugs on the teeming Nigeri...

Nov162017 by Our EditorNo Comments

INTELS: The End of the Road

Breaking News, Business, Law, Maritime, Opinion, Politics

by Sylvania Ekpo The sledgehammer seems to have come down hard on the integrated logistics limited, Intel's and her subsidiaries with the revocation of the residence permits of their expatriate staff by the federal government. According to a statement by the Nigeria immigration service, NIS, the decision was taken after the Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority, OGFZA, withdrew the operational licence. The affected staff are expected to leave Nigeria by November 30, 2017 failing which they might be deported by the ministry of interior. Intels, a company owned by the former vice-president and chieftain of the All Progressive Congress, Atiku Abubakar, was in the news early in October when it was reported that the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) had terminated its pilotage contract in Onne, ...

Nov162017 by Our EditorNo Comments

Ports: FG, Lagos Set Up New Joint Task Force to Address Apapa Gridlock

Business, Law, Maritime, Politics

As Apapa local government seeks partnership with NIMASA on tackling logjam The federal government and the Lagos state government Wednesday set up a new Joint Security Task Force that will tackle the Apapa gridlock. This was as the state government hinted of plans to enforce the 2012 Lagos Road Traffic Law. The new move followed the current menace of tankers and trucks that have made traffic unbearable for residents and people doing business in Apapa. The decision to set up a Task Force was reached during a Security Council meeting held Wednesday and chaired by the state governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode. Among those who attended the meeting were Lagos Commissioner of Police, Mr. Imohimi Edgal: Commander of Ikeja Cantonment, Brig Gen. Elias Attu; Commander of NNS Beecroft, Commodore Mur...

Nov162017 by Our EditorNo Comments

Ten Bulker Crew Members Saved from Pirate Hands off Nigerian Coast

Business, Law, Maritime

Armed pirates boarded a drifting bulk carrier around 17 nautical miles south-southwest (SSW) off Bonny Island, Nigeria on November 11 and kidnapped ten of its crew members. The pirates reportedly entered the bridge and fired their weapons damaging the bridge windows. “They stole ship’s properties, crew personal belongings, kidnapped 10 crew and escaped in their boat,” according to a report from ICC IMB. The UK-flagged bulker has been identified as the 2012-built Venus Bay owned by Pioneer Marine, but the company is yet to confirm the attack to World Maritime News. As informed, the ship was on its way toward the Nigerian port of Onne when the attack occurred. Due to a prompt reaction from two Nigerian navy vessels, the pirates were intercepted and the kidnapped crew released. Fi...