Maritime

Maritime journalists celebrate Lagos NUJ Chairman in grand reception

The Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria(MARAN), today hosts the newly elected Chairman of the Lagos Council of Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr Leye Ajayi in a grant reception at the Rockview Hotel, Apapa, Lagos.

Mr Ajayi was a former President of MARAN.

In what appears to be a celebration of electoral success of one of their own, the maritime journalists will converge on the prestigious Hotel to honour Ajayi in the company of maritime industry stakeholders who have been invited to witness the epoch-making event.

In a statement issued in Lagos by the association, the creme-de-la-creme of the Nigerian maritime sector are billed to attend the event under the Chairmanship of Prince Olayiwola Shittu, former President of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA)

The event is billed to hold at the Rockview Hotel in Apapa, Lagos on Thursday March, 25th 2021 by 11am prompt.

The theme of the event is ”National Development: The Challenges of and the Prospects for the Proper Implementation of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act in Nigerian Maritime Industry “

“MARAN is proud of one of its own, Leye Ajayi who was a bonafide member of the association until his emergence as the Lagos NUJ Chairman”

“Mr Ajayi had served MARAN meritoriously at different times and different capacities as Secretary General and later as President”

“The Association is therefore planning a grand reception to celebrate his electoral success”, an elated Mr Anya Njoku, the President of MARAN, observed.

The association said the grand reception and lecture are aimed to boost the synergy between the Maritime Press and Maritime Publics and Government Parastatals.

The lead paper would be presented by seasoned Journalist and the Editor of the XPRESS Newspaper, Mr Emeka Okoroanyawu, who was one of the founders of MARAN in 1988.

Former General Manager, Lagos Traffic FM, Mr. Layinka Adagun, a pioneer MARAN Member, would also be a panel discussant to enhance the theme’s perspectives.

The special guests of honor expected at the event includes; the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Ms Hadiza Bala Usman, the Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippers Council, Barr Hassan Bello, and Managing Director, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) Dr George Moghalu.

Others are; Assistant Comptroller General of Customs in charge of Zone ‘A’ Lagos, ACG Kaycee Ekekezie and the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotosho.

The Chief Guests of Honors are; Chairperson of Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN) Princess Dr Vicky Haastrup, the President General of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) Comrade Adewale Adeyanju and immediate past chairman of Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) Aare Hakeem Olanrewaju.

Others are; President of ANLCA, Hon Tony Iju Nwabunike and the founder of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Dr. Boniface Aniebonam.

In addition, all MARAN past Presidents and Executives would be on ground to grace the grand reception and lecture.

Headlines

Maritime media charges federal government on disbursement of controversial CVFF

President Tinubu

The Eyewitness Reporter

Worried by the stalemated disbursement of the controversial Cabotage Vessel Finance Fund (CVFF) which has lingered for so long, the League of Maritime Editors (LOME) has urged President Ahmed Tinubu to expedite action on the release of the funds to trigger the development of indigenous shipping industry.

The group also called for urgent rehabilitation of collapsed critical port infrastructure at the nation’s seaports.

The President of LOME, Timothy Paul Okorocha, made these calls at the League’s 25th anniversary held in Lagos on Wednesday, with the theme ‘Harnessing Nigeria’s Potential in Marine & Blue Economy’,

While congratulating President Bola Tinubu for the further unbundling of the Ministry of Transportation and the establishment of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, Okorocha appealed to the President to exercise the required political will to push further by ensuring that the routine talk about the rehabilitation of collapsed critical port infrastructure receives urgent executive attention.

“As development partners, the League looks forward to the effective participation of the respective agencies in the current administration’s renewed agenda template; and wants to see the Nigerian Ports Authority move away from the ritual of endless talk and lamentations into doing the needful, the reconstruction of broken down asset and infrastructure,” he said.

Also worried by the lingering delayed disbursement of the CVFF, the League further urged President Ahmed Tinubu to provide the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, and his ministry, the needed impetus to bring to an end, the unending rat race of the disbursement of the CVFF, saying that the fund established since 2003 would jump-start a new lease of life for the capacity development of indigenous ship-owners.

He added that this would enable Nigeria to participate meaningfully in seaborne trade; especially with the proposed commencement of the implementation policy of the blue economy.

The LOME President noted the genuine struggle by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and its leadership, especially under the present administration to disburse the CVFF but observed that the efforts suffered political disruptions.

“As insiders, the League over the years has seen the genuine struggle by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and its leadership, especially under the present administration to disburse the CVFF in its commitment to grow local capacity building, but observe the otherwise disruptive tendencies within the field of political play.

“We appeal to Mr. President to use his good offices to prevail on the relevant authorities to respond to the needs of our industry as there can be no better time than now,” he said.

Speaking on the theme of the conference, Doctor Charles Okoroefe of Nigeria Maritime University also hailed the unbundling of the transportation ministry which he said was a misnomer.

He has decried the untapped potential of marine resources, especially in the area of tourism in Nigeria, regretting that marine tourism is lacking in Nigeria unlike in Gambia and the Caribbean where marine tourism is a major source of income where marine tourism rakes in billions of dollars.

“Egypt made about $14 billion in tourism from the Nile in 2022,” he added.

“People troop in into the Bahamas. Do we (Nigeria) have the potential? Yes. But the question is how prepared are we?” he queried.

He stressed that marine tourism is a solution in terms of job creation and that the time has come for Nigeria to progress from potential to actuality.

“So talking about job creation. All of these elements I mentioned are potential areas for job creation because it is a major issue in Nigeria today.

” A lot of young people are jobless. Meanwhile, we have an area that is green where a lot of jobs can be created.

“So I think we have to look at that potential area of driving our marine and Blue Economy,” Okoroefe stated.

He also called on the Ministry of Marine & Blue Economy to synergise with the Ministry of Agriculture to harness the potential of the sea.

“So, I believe the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy has to synergise with the Ministry of Agriculture and also harness exotic seafood for export,” he explained, saying we cannot be depending on imports alone.

He urged the ministry to look at other fundamental seafood we have in excess that we can process through the rivers for export.

The marine expert regretted that Nigeria still imports palm oil from Malaysia, the same people who came to Nigeria to learn how to plant seedlings and today Nigeria is importing palm oil from Malaysia, “these are exportable items. So I believe the Ministry of Marine has to do a lot.

“With the Ministry of Agriculture for instance, with the Ministry of Power and the Ministry of Tourism, these are resources that we need to address in order for us to develop and come out of potential to thrive. On our ocean and marine resources, we’ve been talking endlessly.”

Headlines

Tantita refutes, describes allegation of oil theft by Navy as libelous, defamatory

Capt. Warredi Enisuoh

The Eyewitness Reporter

Following an allegation of involvement in the alleged oil theft incident against Tantita Security Services Limited by the Nigerian Navy, the security outfit has described the accusation as laughable and an attempt by the Navy to cover up the truth.

The security outfit, which has received widespread commendation for its efforts in combatting the menace of oil theft in the country, debunked accusations of any involvement of its operatives in the incident while lampooning the Navy for underestimating its operatives.

Reacting to the development, the Executive Director – Operations and Technical, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, Capt. Warredi Enisuoh in a statement described the Navy’s claim as “defamatory and libelous”.

The statement said: “The activities going on inside the Nigerian Navy’s FalconEye should be investigated as the ship was only a few kilometers off the coast of Ondo State, well within view of the Nigerian Navy’s FalconEye, but they never reacted”.

“We are indeed saddened and disappointed that the Nigerian Navy could descend so low as to make such bizarre accusations against our organisation, knowing the same to be false,” he added.

“Perhaps they are not aware that video evidence of what transpired between the Tantita operatives and the Nigerian Navy at the scene exists and has been transmitted to the highest authorities.

“We will therefore not join issues with the Nigerian Navy as we are well aware that Nigerians know who is who.”

It would be recalled that the activities of Tantita and other security outfits have saved the country a whopping $43.2m from oil theft daily.

Recalled that on Thursday, December 7, 2023, the Nigerian Navy had disclosed that 17 people said to be engaged in the illegal siphoning of crude oil in Ondo State were nabbed aboard a 77-meter-long Motor Tanker (MT) VINNALARIS 1 Lagos.

Navy spokesperson, Commodore Adedotun Olukayode Ayo-Vaughan, disclosed in a statement, saying the suspects were nabbed at the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Igbokoda in the early hours of Thursday.

However, a day later, the Navy turned around to accuse Tantita Security Services Limited (TSSL) of complicity in the incident.

Headlines

NPA set to review concession agreement over faulty 2006 lease terms with terminal operators

— as terminal operators fail to remit $852m, N1. 8b due to encumbrances

The Eyewitness Reporter

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has declared that it has gotten consultancy from the World Bank for review of the concession agreements which would be free from any form of encumbrances.

The review was necessitated by what the NPA said was the faulty concession agreement that the federal government signed with the port concessionaires in 2006.

Explaining the unremitted sum of $852m, N1. 8b by the terminal operators to the federal government, the Managing Director of the NPA, Mohammed Bello-Koko, said that the port concessionaires refused to remit these sums due to the encumbrances fostered on them by the federal government in the concession agreement.

Bello-Koko, who was speaking before the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, absolved the NPA of any complicity in the unremitted sum.

The Office of the Auditor General of the Federation had in the 2019 Audit Report, alleged that NPA did not collect remittances which amounted to $852m and N1.8bn from terminal operators.

The Senate Committee on Public Accounts, on the strength of the audit queries against NPA on Tuesday, directed its Managing Director, Mohammed Bello-Koko, and other management staff, to appear before it unfailingly within 48 hours.

In response to the committee’s directive, the Managing Director of NPA explained to the committee that the lump sums of $852m and N1.8bn, raised in the queries, were an accumulation of unremittances from private port operators who came on board through 2006 concession agreement.

He explained that faulty concession agreements signed with the private operators by the Federal Government in 2006, largely accounted for the unremittances NPA is being held responsible for today.

Bello-Koko said, “The $852m and N1.8bn unremittance by private operators to NPA, are largely caused by faulty concession agreements the Federal Government signed with them in 2006 when the ports were concessioned.

“The concession agreements were faulty in the sense that some of the operators are facing encumbrances in different ways to cover the space concessioned for them which also encumbered them to remit what is due from them to NPA.

“The encumbrances in question range from the inaccessibility of some portions of areas leased, by concessionaire, communal encumbrance and volume change or turnage amount.”

He told the committee members that the Federal Government that signed the concession agreement with the private operators even contributed to encumbrances faced by the concessionaires at the beginning by not removing structures that belonged to it from the right of way of the affected concessionaires.

The NPA MD added, “Out of the $852m, going by our in-house assessment, $504m are accumulated unremitted levies due to encumbered areas.

“However, we have been able to recover $232.2m and N269.4m from the N1.8bn.

On the second query of outstanding debts of $ 67.45 million and N32.266bn, the NPA boss told the committee members that the debts were not incurred by the NPA but by the defunct Nigerian Shippers Councils whose debtors are no longer traceable.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Aliyu Wadada, told the NPA boss to furnish the committee with their financial statement and way out for the government to write off the legacy debts.