Headlines
NIWA begins enforcement of approved safety jackets among boat operators —as ATBOWATON inaugurate Gbaji Yeke jetty

Oladimeji Ige
“NIWA has noticed the growing trend of various colours of life jackets in use by boat operators and hereby sent notice that it will no longer be business as usual as we shall begin enforcement from next month to enable ATBOWATON members comply,”
Mr Shehu Shuaibu, who represented the NIWA Lagos Area, declared.
At the inauguration of the jetty constructed by the Association of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transporters of Nigeria (ATBOWATON), Mr Gani Balogun, the President of ATBOWATON, said that the initiative was to facilitate ease of movement and safety of growing numbers of boat operators and water users in the area.
He commended initiatives of the Gbaji Yeke jetty facilitator, Mr Joseph Phillip, for putting up the facility, constructed in line with extant safety regulations of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA).
He reiterated that under his watch as ATBOWATON President, more of such water transportation facilities would be provided by prominent members across the state.
He pointed out that it was to help rural littoral communities to commute to and from other communities, and the city centres, thereby, driving development, speedy growth of the rural areas and creating jobs.
“As much as we appreciate the support given to us to manage some jetties in Lagos by NIWA and Lagos State government, we are not relenting to provide more jetties to most unreached communities as veritable partners to national and states water transportation development agenda.
“Though it is an expensive venture, ATBOWATON believes that it is part of our mandate to help unlock and link the treasures in most remote communities in Lagos and help drive rural development and create jobs,” he said.
Balogun also praised the dedication and sacrifice of the Badagry chapter Chairman of ATBOWATON, Mr Tope Fajemirokun, for making the area new bride of water transportation in the state.
He added that the Gbaji Yeke jetty would help to solve the demand for additional jetty facilities in and around the strategic intra water transportation ecology between Badagry West local government, Ogun and Porto Novo.
Earlier in his address, Phillip said that the Gbaji Yeke jetty initiative was primarily to help open up the community which was at the heart and centre of Badagry West local government for development and to create jobs for the young and old.
He added that the boat operation known as “Only God”, needed a jetty hub in the area to effectively provide water transportation services to its growing clients and for other boat operators under ATBOWATON leadership.
Headlines
P&ID fraud : Court convicts, winds up Marqott Nigeria Limited.

Owolola Adebola
Justice D.U Okorowo of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has convicted and wound up Marqott Nigeria Limited, one of the 30 companies associated with the Process and Industrial Development Limited, P & ID, for money laundering.
The company was convicted on Thursday, June 16, 2022, after being found guilty of four-count charges bordering on money laundering preferred against it by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Count one of the charges read: “That you, Marqott Nigeria Limited, being a designated Non-financial Institution; and Giovanni Beccarelli, Valentina Fantoli, and Dimitri Duca, being directors of and signatories to the bank account of Marqott Nigeria Limited, sometime in September 2014, in Abuja, within the Abuja Judicial Division of the Federal High Court, failed to comply with the requirements of submitting to the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, a declaration of activities of Marqott Nigeria Limited contrary to Section 16(1) (f) read together with Section 5(1)(a)(ii) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011(as amended and you thereby committed an offence punishable under section 16(2)(b) of the same Act.”
Count two read: “That you, Marqott Nigeria Limited, being a designated Non-financial Institution; and Giovanni Beccarelli, Valentina Fantoli, and Dimitri Duca, being directors of and signatories to the bank account of Marqott Nigeria Limited, sometime in September 2014, in Abuja, within the Abuja Judicial Division of the Federal High Court, failed to develop programs to combat money laundering and other illegal acts, to wit: failure to designate at management level a compliance officer within any strata of Marqott Nigeria Limited, contrary to Section 16(1)(f) read together with Section 9(1)(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 16 (2)(b) of the same Act”.
At the point of the first arraignment on February 7, 2022, the defendant pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, setting the stage for a full trial.
In the course of the trial, the EFCC presented many witnesses and tendered many documents as exhibits.
In his judgment, Justice Okorowo found Marqott Nigeria Limited guilty of all the four-count charges and convicted it accordingly. He also ordered that the company be wound up and its entire assets forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Marqott was first arraigned on Monday, February 7, 2022, for being an accomplice in the $9.6bn Gas Supply and Processing Agreement between the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and P&ID.
Headlines
N25.7bn fraud: Appeal Court affirms conviction of ex-Bank PHB MD, Atuche, others

Owolola Adebola
A three-man panel of the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, on Thursday, June 23, 2022, upheld the conviction of a former Managing Director of the defunct Bank PHB Plc, Francis Atuche, as well as the bank’s former Chief Financial Officer, Ugo Anyanwu.
Atuche and his co-convict, Anyanwu, had approached the appellate court to set aside their conviction by Justice Lateefa Okunnu of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos on June 16, 2021, over a N25.7 billion fraud.
The panel, comprising Justices Sadiq Umar, Adebukola Banjoko and Kayode Bada, while resolving all the issues in the appeal in favour of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) except the sentencing, also clarified that Atuche’s jail term was 12 years concurrently, rather than 120 years, handed down by the lower court, if calculated consecutively.
Also, the panel reduced Anyanwu’s jail term from 10 years to eight years and affirmed the discharge and acquittal of Atuche’s wife, Elizabeth.
In an abridged ruling read by Justice Umar, the three-man panel upheld the EFCC’s arguments and unanimously dismissed the appeal.
It would be recalled that, in 2021, Justice Okunnu, while sentencing Atuche and Anyanwu, had upheld the arguments of the prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN.
Headlines
Jamoh raises hope on removal of war risk insurance on Nigeria- bound cargo


The Honorable Minister expressed delight at the equipment and assets of NIMASA, stating that it underscores the importance the Federal Government attaches to combating maritime crimes and ensuring zero tolerance for illegal activities on the nation’s territorial waters.
While commending the synergy and collaboration amongst agencies of Government in the maritime sector, the Honorable Minister expressed delight at the fact that Nigeria has witnessed piracy-free waters since 2022.
Accordingly, she said; “for over 28 years, we have been in the press for the wrong reasons, over the piracy issues at the Gulf of Guinea (GoG).
Furthermore, Senator Saraki noted the need to sustain the momentum to ensure Nigeria remains attractive to investors, adding that the Ministry is delighted at the steps NIMASA is taking to address the issue of War Risk Insurance premium on Nigerian Bound Cargoes.

“The most important thing now is that we don’t rest on our oars. The Free Trade Agreement and how it affects Nigeria is our focus.
However, the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr Bashir Jamoh disclosed that the focus of the agency is sustaining the achievements in recent times, adding that the plans are in three categories of short medium and long term.
“Our focus now is to sustain the tempo
“Though Nigeria was removed from the red list of piracy nations on the 3rd of March this year, it is natural that the international community will desire sustainability.
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