News Feature – Shipping World News Magazine

Oct42026 by Our EditorNo Comments

Unvarnished Truths from Yenagoa: My Morning with Heineken Lokpobiri By Thomas Peretu

News Feature

It was quite refreshing, if not enthralling, to encounter a high-profile public official who speaks gracefully with absolute candour and openness rather than being guided by safe, scripted talking points. This is a rare experience in Nigeria's public life. Too often, media interactions with senior government figures dissolve into predictable exchanges—defensive answers, subterfuge, rehearsed generalities, and an eager rush to escape uncomfortable questions. On October 2nd, I found myself sitting among a select group of media professionals in Yenagoa for a breakfast parlay with Senator Heineken Lokpobiri (PhD), Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil). The atmosphere was convivial and friendly, suitable for a heart-to-heart conversation. The event was curated, as it were, by one...

Oct32026 by Our EditorNo Comments

‘How did you transfer N750bn to people without phones?’ — Atiku tackles APC chairman

News Feature, Politics

Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has challenged the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Nentawe Yilwatda, to explain how the Federal Government transferred money to more than 10 million Nigerians who, according to the APC chairman, do not have mobile phones Recall Vanguard reported that Yilwatda last week while speaking with journalists after a three-day retreat of the APC National Executive Council in Maiduguri, Borno State, had said the beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s N75,000 conditional cash transfer programme were largely poor and vulnerable Nigerians without phones, television sets or access to social media. “Mind you, these people who are poor and vulnerable don’t have telephones to make call...

Oct32026 by Our EditorNo Comments

Abacha’s Creation Of Bayelsa Freed Ijaw People From Oppression, Says Gov Diri State Honours Late Head Of State, Jonathan, Ex-MILADS, Boro, Dickson, Others Former President Dedicates Award To Alamieyeseigha

News Feature

Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, on Thursday night paid tribute to former Nigerian Head of State, the late General Sani Abacha, expressing gratitude on behalf of the Ijaw nation for the creation of Bayelsa on October 1, 1996. Governor Diri said Gen. Abacha deserved continuous commendation for the gesture as he freed the Ijaw people from oppression and injustice. The Bayelsa governor spoke at the Dinner and Awards Night of the Bayelsa at 30 anniversary celebrations tagged “Celebrating Legacies” at the Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha Memorial Banquet Hall, Government House, Yenagoa. The well-attended grand finale of the four-day celebrations attracted dignitaries from all walks of life, including former President Goodluck Jonathan, his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan, Abach...

Oct12026 by Regent YoumorNo Comments

Diri Eulogises Bayelsa Founding Fathers, Says State Has Made Progress At 30 *’Roads, Power, Jobs Remain Priorities’

News Feature, Press Release

Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has paid tributes to its founding fathers, stating that the homogenous Ijaw state created by the former Head of State, late Gen. Sani Abacha, on October 1, 1996, has recorded significant progress in 30 years. Governor Diri, however, said that much remains to be done to fully realise the aspirations of the founding fathers. Diri stated this in a live broadcast to mark the 30th anniversary of the state and Nigeria’s 66th independence anniversary on Thursday. He said the twin anniversary provided an opportunity to honour those who laid the foundations of the state and reflect on what the present generation would leave behind. According to him, Bayelsa’s creation was the product of years of advocacy, petitions, protests, prayers and sa...

Sep72026 by Asu BeksNo Comments

Oyetola Orders NIMASA to Commence Disbursement of CVFF …As hope rises for 20 Shipowners

Maritime, News Feature

Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, has directed the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to work closely with the 12 approved Primary Lending Institutions (PLIs) to accelerate the disbursement of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) to qualified Nigerian shipowners. The directive underscores the Minister’s determination to end more than two decades of delays surrounding the disbursement of the fund and unlock a new era of growth, investment and job creation in Nigeria’s maritime sector. In a statement issued by his Special Adviser, Dr. Bolaji Akinola, on Sunday, Oyetola said significant progress had been made in processing applications under the CVFF framework. He disclosed that NIMASA had received 92 funding applications, with 20...

Sep32026 by Regent YoumorNo Comments

Oyetola Sets Up Committee for NSC–NPERA Transition…Orders NPA to take over Inland Dry Ports

News Feature, Port News

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Dr. Adegboyega Oyetola, has directed the transfer of the inland dry port (IDP) functions of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), in a move aimed at creating a clear separation between port economic regulation, development and operations. In a statement issued by his Special Adviser Dr. Bolaji Akinola in Abuja on Thursday, the Minister also directed the immediate constitution of a ministerial committee to oversee the transition of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council into the newly established Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA), following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s assent to the NPERA Act, 2026. The directives are part of measures to establish a clear institutional framework for the new port eco...

Aug272026 by Regent YoumorNo Comments

BIRTHDAY: Mobereola Visits Tinubu

News Feature

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has received the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola, in audience at the State House, Abuja. During the meeting, Dr. Mobereola briefed the President on developments within NIMASA over the past two years, highlighting the progress recorded by the Agency and the challenges confronting Nigeria’s maritime sector. President Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to the continued development of Nigeria’s maritime industry, stressing the strategic importance of the Marine and Blue Economy in driving economic growth and increasing the sector’s contribution to Nigeria’s GDP. The President commended NIMASA for the progress recorded so far and charged Dr. Mobereola and his team t...

Aug262026 by Regent YoumorNo Comments

Gov Diri Visits Abacha Family

News Feature

Ahead of the 30th anniversary celebration of the creation of Bayelsa State, today I paid a courtesy visit to the family of late Nigerian Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, in Abuja. I was warmly received at their Asokoro residence by his widow, Her Excellency Dr. Maryam Abacha, the eldest son, Mohammed, his other children and grandchildren. Dr. Maryam had vivid recollections and shared nostalgic memories of the family’s time in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, when Abacha was Brigade Commander of the Bori Camp. Abacha holds the reputation as the Nigerian leader that harkened to the yearning of the Ijaw ethnic nationality for a homogenous state in the Niger Delta area. The dream became a reality on October 1, 1996 when he pronounced the creation of Bayelsa State out of the ol...

Aug262026 by Regent YoumorNo Comments

Tinubu, Jonathan, Diri, Dickson, Others Hail Walson-Jack *She’s A Remarkable Public Servant, Says President As HOSF Exits

News Feature

President Bola Tinubu, former President Goodluck Jonathan, Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, and his predecessor, Senator Seriake Dickson, among others, yesterday poured encomiums on the outgoing Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack. They spoke at the presentation of two books, “I Planted: A Memoir of Purposeful Service,” and “Beyond the Mandate: A Memoir on Leadership, Legacy and Labour of Public Service,” authored by Walson-Jack at the Abuja Continental Hotel on Tuesday. President Tinubu, who was represented by the Minster of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Udeh, described the exiting HOSF as a remarkable and distinguished public servant that repositioned the federal bureaucracy, making it more effective and efficient. ...

Aug262026 by Regent YoumorNo Comments

Wale Adeniyi Bags Lifetime Achievement Award 2026

News Feature

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, has received the Lifetime Achievement in Customs Administration Award at the 10th anniversary edition of the Nigeria Most Influential Awards in Abuja. The award, presented on Saturday, 22 August 2026, recognised CGC Adeniyi’s transformative leadership of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), particularly his contributions to trade facilitation, revenue generation, technology-driven reforms and institutional repositioning. The ceremony, held under the theme, “Celebrating 10 Years of Influence and Impact,” brought together distinguished Nigerians to celebrate individuals whose contributions have made significant impact in their respective fields. Speaking after receiving the award, CGC Adeniyi expressed delight at the recognition, no...