Headlines

Ameachi ends tenure elongation of CRFFN board members

–— fixes elections for October 9th.

Eyewitness reporter

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Ameachi, may have put paid to the ambition of the members of the current governing board of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) who are fighting tooth and nail to elongate their tenure in office.

The 32- member Council board, which was inaugurated in November 2018, has two- year tenure which expired in 2020.

But the members have since refused to go one year after, having surreptitiously extended their tenure to a four-year term which they attempted to legalise through a botched subterranean ploy to amend the council act.

However, the ploy for tenure elongation has now fallen through as the Ministry of Transportation has fixed the Council elections for October 2021.

Even though the election timetable came one year after the tenure of the council has expired, the move has however effectively foreclosed any possible tenure elongation.

In a circular made public and signed by the Electoral Committee Chairman, A. D. Suleiman, the15 professional members would be drawn from the Western port, Eastern port, and Airports/ land borders.

The pattern of this year’s elections is a radical departure from what it used to be.

Unlike the traditional pattern where members are drawn from the five registered freight forwarding associations, this year’s elections are based on geographical locations of freight forwarders at Western Ports, Eastern ports, and airport/land borders from where the 15 members into the council will be drawn through elections.

The 15 elected members will join the 17 government-appointed members to form a 32- member Council.

As the election of the new board is slated for October, operational vehicles assigned to the outgoing members are yet to be returned to the Council.

Abubakar Tsanni, Chairman, Governing board of CRFFN and Ameachi

The circular reads thus:

“Sequel to the expiration of the two-year tenure of the Governing Board of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), the Honourable Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has constituted an electoral committee to conduct the election into the Governing Board of the Council.

“This is in line with the powers conferred on him by Section 2 (1) (f) of the CRFFN Act 2007.

According to a Public Notice issued in Abuja on Thursday by the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, A.D. Suleiman, the Act Provides that an elected or appointed member of the Governing Council shall hold office for a period of two (2) years beginning from the date of the election or appointment as applicable.

“The notice recalled that Section 2(1) (g) of the enabling Act states that that five persons to be elected from amongst registered freight forwarders operating in each of the following zones: Western Ports – 5, Eastern Ports – 5, Cargo Airports/Land Borders – 5.

“It went on to inform all eligible registered freight forwarders that the Electoral Committee would commence the election process as contained in the timetable as follows:

“Nomination Form: 6th –17th September 2021; Collection and submission of completed nomination forms shall be within ten (10) days from 10 am to 4 pm daily in the following locations: Lagos – Council for Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) No. 1 Joseph Harden Street, Marina, Lagos (contact Mrs. Ogwuche-Obe Ene Helen – staff of the Ministry, Phone – 08033071392).

“Abuja – Federal Ministry of Transportation, Maritime Services Department, 4th Floor, Central Business Area, Abuja (contact: Solomon Zaks, 3rd Floor, Phone – 08035891726).

“Port-Harcourt – Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) office, Behind Wesham Filling Station, Camp Round About, Onne/Eleme Road, Onne, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State (contact: Mrs. Nwosu J. Uchechi – Staff of the Ministry, Phone – 08060621320).

“The notice further stated that screening of candidates will hold in Lagos 21st – 22nd September 2021, while that of Abuja will hold on the 24th September 2021 from 10, am t0 4 pm daily.

According to the notice, screening of candidates from the Western and Eastern ports will hold at the Rock View Hotels, Apapa on 21st and 22nd of September, 2021 from 10 am to 4 pm daily while screening of candidates from cargo airports/ land borders will hold at the Federal Ministry of Transportation Conference Room, 8th Floor, Abuja on Friday 24th September, 2021 from 10 am to 4 pm.

“While accreditation of candidates holds on 7th to 8th October 2021 in Abuja, the display of contestants’ list will be on the 8th October 2021 at the venue of the election, CRFFN office Abuja and Federal Ministry of Transportation office Abuja respectively.

“The election, according to the notice, is scheduled to hold on the 9th October 2021 at the National Women Centre, opposite CBN Headquarters, Abuja.

“It went on to state that the deadline on receipt of complaints arising from the election is scheduled to hold on Monday 11th October 2021 while the decision on all complaints received will be on Tuesday 12th October 2021.

“The notice advised all interested freight forwarders registered with the CRFFN to pay a non-refundable fee of five hundred thousand Naira (N500,000) for the nomination form into the CRFFN number and nomination form will be issued on presentation of a receipt of payment at the designated points of the two operational zones of the Council and the Federal Ministry of Transportation as indicated above.

“It provided the account details as follow:

“Account Name: Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) TSAA AccountNumber: 0020494461014G GIFMISCODE: 0229006001

“In view of the above, all registered freight forwarders should adhere strictly to the election timetable by this publication of the notice. Also, note that guidelines for the conduct of the election would be given at the point of collecting nomination forms”, the circular concluded.

The outgoing governing board will go down in the history of the CRFFN as the most controversial, self-serving, ineffective, inefficient, and laid-back council which tenure was substantially characterised by in-fighting and treachery.

It was a general consensus in the freight forwarding industry that the council did not add value to the professional well-being of average freight forwarders.

Rather, the council was busy pursuing its own self-serving agenda that was at variance with the welfare of its members.

Headlines

Exclusive! Hope rises on take-off of proposed $3bn Badagry Deep Seaport as NPA, APMT resume discussion

The eyewitness reporter

Barring any last-minute hitches, the proposed Badagry deep seaport project may soon be on the stream as the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has resumed discussions with the lead promoter of the multi-billion project, APM Terminals’ Global investment limited.

The investors/ promoters led a team to the NPA headquarters last Wednesday where they met with Mohammed Bello-Koko, the NPA Managing Director, and his management team.

The discussion centered on the take-off of the Badagry project which was conceived in 2016 to take the pressure off the overstretched Lagos ports.

The investment team was led by Martjin Van Dongen, the Global Head, Business Development of APM Terminals Global investment limited.

An elated Bello- Koko revealed that the two teams discussed how to optimize the potentials of the Badagry Deep Seaport.

“Discussions focused on optimizing the potentials of the upcoming Badagry Deep Seaports and other new ports as NPA Management intensifies action toward the vision to make Nigeria the maritime logistics hub for sustainable port services in Africa”

It could be recalled that the Federal government in 2016 conceived the idea of developing deep seaports in the country to position Nigeria as the hub of maritime activities in the West African sub-region.

The proposed deep sea ports project include Lekki deep sea port, which has already taken off, the Ondo deep sea port, Ibom Deep seaport and Badagry deep seaport.

While preparations for the takeoff of both the Ondo and Ibom sea ports projects are in top gear, that of the Badagry project was initially bogged down by technicalities and disagreement between the NPA and the promoters of the project.

The Badagry deep seaport project is an initiative of a consortium led by APM Terminals, Orlean Invest, Oando, Terminal Investment Ltd and Macquarie.

However, in November 2012, APM Terminals and its consortium partners announced plans to develop the Badagry deep seaport.

In 2020, the NPA disclosed that the promoters paid $500,000 as a commitment deposit into an escrow account to signify their commitment towards the port project.

However, the NPA kicked against the initial Outline Business Case for the port, which has been reviewed to include the suggestions of the Ports Authority.

The Federal Government however has approved a concession arrangement for the development of the Badagry deep seaport project over a period of 45 years.

The approval was finalised following a presentation by the Federal Ministry of Transportation at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) during the last administration of President Mohammed Buhari.

According to officials, the port is expected to generate $53.6 billion in revenue over the 45 years concession period.

The proposed site of the project is located 55km west of Apapa and the port of Lagos, along the 55km long Lagos-Badagry Expressway, which is being upgraded from a four-lane to a ten-lane expressway.

The port is expected to have an annual throughput capacity of 1.8 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs).

The proposal for the project was announced in 2012. Feasibility studies have been completed and construction works are yet to start.

The project will be implemented in four phases, with the overall project cost estimated to range between $2 billion and $3 billion.

Also, it is expected that the new port will primarily ease pressure on the existing ports of Lagos, Apapa and Tin-Can Ports, which handle approximately 85 percent of the country’s non-oil throughput.

It will further alleviate the burden on the country’s existing ports, which are on the verge of exceeding their cargo handling capacities, and address the country’s annual container traffic, which is expected to grow to 10 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units by 2030.

When fully built, the deep-water full-service port will be one of the largest in Africa with 7km of quay and 1,000 hectares (2,470 acres) of dedicated yard. It will include state-of-the-art facilities for container, bulk, liquid bulk, Ro/Ro and general cargo as well as oil and gas operations support and a barge terminal.

Plans for the adjoining Badagry Free Trade Zone will include a power plant, oil refinery, industrial park and warehousing and Inland Container Deport functions.

Headlines

Jamoh, Bello- Koko, serial award winners, bag National Productivity merit awards

Bello-Koko, Jamoh, NPOM award winners

The eyewitness reporter

The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Bashir Yusuf Jamoh, is gradually turning into a serial award winner as he has landed yet another plaque of honour from the federal government.

Not left in the harvest of awards which was a reflection of their value-addition in their various endeavours is Mohammed Bello-Koko, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA) who is also a recipient of the National Productivity Diadem and a fellow serial awards winner.

Added to the already crowded roll call of honours of Jamoh is the National Productivity Merit Award conferred on him by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity to recognize the invaluable contributions of the NIMASA DG to the development of the maritime industry.

To underscore his sterling leadership qualities as the DG of NIMASA and his roles in the current revolutionary trend in the maritime industry, the federal government nominated Dr Jamoh as a recipient of the 2021 National Productivity Order of Merit, NPOM, Award.

In a letter of the award signed by Dr Nasir Olaitan Raji-Mustapha, the Director General/CEO of the National Productivity Centre, Abuja, there are five categories of the awards.

Jamoh was listed among the 35 recipients under the category of 2021 Individual Awardees while Bello-Koko was listed among the 36 recipients under the category of 2022 Individual Awardees.

To share the limelight with Jamoh in this same category of the award is the Executive Director, Finance and Administration of the Agency, Hon. Chudi Offodile, while the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr Magdalene Ajani will share from the euphoria with Bello-Koko under the same category of 2022 recipients of the award.

The official conferment ceremony is scheduled for Monday, June 5, 2023.

An excited Jamoh expressed appreciation to the Federal Government, noting that it is a call to greater service to our Fatherland.“I am spurred by this award, particularly as it is coming from the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, which underscores the ministry’s role in ensuring reward for hard work and productivity in public service”

“Let me also use this opportunity to dedicate the award to the industry’s stakeholders; external and internal, as they have made our work easier as an administration.

“We will continue to strive to make the maritime sector a viable economic driver, especially with the Blue Economy mantra, which is critical to the sustainability of the maritime sector”, Jamoh said.

Commenting the on the selection of the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, the DG said it is a well-deserved honour, as she has remained a core professional and astute administrator in the coordination of activities in the Ministry and the Agencies under the supervision of the Ministry.

“I am not surprised by her selection, as she is an administrator par excellence and has remained resolute and professional in the discharge of her duties.

“Little wonder she is commonly referred to as the “Head Mistress” of the Ministry and the Maritime Sector”. I congratulate her on the well-deserving award.

In the same vein, the NPA MD expressed appreciation to the Federal government for the award and said that the recognition will further spur him on to put in his best in his resolve to turn the rich maritime potentials of the country into actualities.

”I will like to express my profound appreciation to the Federal Government for the honour of being conferred with the National Productivity Order of Merit Award.

”This conferment can only spur me and the entire team at the Nigerian Ports Authority whose commitment to exceptional performance culminated in this recognition, to continue pushing the limit and advancing the frontiers of trade facilitation.

”Imbued with the understanding that excellence is a moving target, I want to seize this moment to assure that we will not rest on our laurels in our resolve to turn our rich maritime potentials into actualities’, an elated Koko declared.

The National Productivity Order of Merit Award was instituted by the Federal Government of Nigeria to recognize and honour productive individuals and organizations in Nigeria in the year of the award for achievements made in the preceding years.

Headlines

Shippers’ Council bestows on APMT certificate of registration as regulated service provider at ports

Emmanuel Jime

The eyewitness reporter

AP Moller Terminals led by its Vice President, Mr. Martijn Van Dongen, has led a four-man delegation of the company to the management of the Shippers’Council to receive recognition as a certified regulated service provider at the Nigerian Ports.

This recognition was bestowed on the terminal operators during the visit of his top management staff to the economic regulatory agency at Apapa Friday.

Dongen said the essence of the visit was to strengthen collaboration with the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, the port’s economic regulator.

APMT received its certificate to operate as a regulated service provider during the visit.

Chinenye Deinde, the Legal Adviser and Head of Corporate Affairs of APMT also called on NSC to pursue the National Transport Commission (NTC) Bill, stating that it has the potential to sanitize the maritime sector.

In his response, the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of NSC, Rt. Honourable Emmanuel Jime said that the Shippers’ Council is working on the review of its enabling Act which he believes will strengthen the agency in its role as port economic regulator.

According to him, the Federal Government is committed to making Nigeria an investment haven for foreign investors while encouraging local entrepreneurs to be creative in growing the economy.

“The strategic location of this country on the African continent makes it a trigger for investments”, the NSC ES/CEO concluded.

Mr. Dongen was accompanied on the visit by Mr. Klaus Holm Laursen, Head of Joint Ventures, Africa and Europe, Mrs. Chinenye Deinde, Legal Adviser & Head, Corporate Affairs, APMT as well as Mr. Frederick Klinke, MD, APMT Nigeria.