Headlines
NPA has no plan to terminate contracts of port concessionaires— Bello- Koko

Contrary to the widespread claim that the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) may sack five of the port terminal operators whose concession agreements have elapsed and operations are under the scrutiny of the agency, the Managing Director of the government parastatal, Mohammed Bello-Koko, has said the authority has no intention of disengaging the services of any of the operators.
“The planned renegotiation will avoid the mistakes of 2006 and aim at national interest and seek more influence for the NPA in the agreements” he stated.
According to him, of the amount sent to the CRF, a sum of N26.83billion represented the NPA‘s 2022 operational remittance.
“Because of measures we have put in place that have made us be more efficient and generate more revenue, we have been able to transfer over N45 billion to the consolidated revenue fund (CRF) , while N26.8billion of the amount was for the Authority’s operational remittance for 2022.
“We are also paying more attention to staff welfare and training. This is why we have just commissioned a training school at the Dockyard in Apapa, Lagos.
“The school has the capacity to train 380 people at a time and it is equipped with modern teaching facilities while it has accommodation for 30 people at a time. It has a canteen kitchen among other facilities.
“NPA is going into partnership with international bodies for the training of its personnel in such a way that they would have the capacity to cope with the mandate of the NPA.”
According to him, N25b of the amount was collected this year through more deliberate efforts at debt recovery and getting port managers more accountable through weekly revenue meetings.
He said the NPA under his watch has reduced administrative costs and improved Port stakeholders’ engagement to achieve efficiency and improve standards.
He described the recently commissioned Dockyard Training Institute as a way of building capacity and reducing the cost of training NPA staff abroad or in hotels because the facility is fitted with modern gadgets, including a bridge simulator.
While the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has given a 2025 deadline for port automation, he said Nigeria targets achieving it by 2023 and the country is engaging IMO consultants.
He described the port community system (PCS) as a game-changer that will bring efficiency in monitoring the arrival of vessels from fairway buoys to berths and help to evolve into a national single window system integrating all port stakeholders
He disclosed that the NPA under him had approved licenses for ten export processing terminals in Lagos, Ondo and Ogun States in line with the Federal Government’s drive to promote exports.
Headlines
Traffic gridlock returns to Apapa port as Federal government closes Total bridge for maintainance works

“Given the impact the closure will have on Port users, the Authority in partnership with LASTMA, Police, FRSC, and the Nigerian Navy have worked out alternative routes and are on the ground to manage the traffic situation in the affected areas.
“The Authority wishes to solicit the understanding and cooperation of all stakeholders as we continue to support measures to mitigate the temporary disruptions, the NPA pleaded.
Headlines
NIMASA collaborates with NCC to regulate submarine cable operation for enhanced navigational safety on Nigerian waters

The eyewitness reporter
Apparently alarmed by the indiscriminate laying of communication cables and pipelines underneath the Nigerian waters by telecommunications operators and other allied professionals which has the potential of harming the safe navigation of ships, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, (NIMASA) has engaged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in a strategic discussion to forge a formidable synergy with other relevant stakeholders with a view to developing a regulatory framework to provide operational guidelines for submarine Cable and Pipeline Operators in Nigeria.
Officials of both organs of Government in Lagos reached this agreement at a pre Audit meeting on submarine cable regulation.
The Director General of NIMASA Dr. Bashir Jamoh, who chaired the meeting, which also had the Director General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) Mr. Dasuki Arabi in attendance, noted that the Agency is committed to the Ease of Doing Business while implementing International Conventions which Nigeria has ratified and domesticated.
He noted that with Nigeria now a destination for global communication players, the time has come to prevent unregulated underwater cable laying, which might become hazardous to shipping.
According to him, “It is worthy to note that marine cable laying has been ongoing for over two decades in Nigerian waters.
“Our focus is to ensure the safety of navigation of shipping in Nigerian waters with all these underwater cables being laid.
“NIMASA is actually developing the guidelines to regulate submarine cable operators in line with the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, UNCLOS; which we have ratified and NIMASA is the Agency of Government in Nigeria responsible for its implementation.
“Collaboration is a key component of ease of doing business in the best interest of the country and we will work closely with the NCC to achieve this”.
On his part, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Professor Umar Garba Danbatta, who was represented by the Director, Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement, Efosa Idehen, noted that the stakeholders’ dialogue strategy adopted by NIMASA in developing the guidelines would ensure a win-win situation, urging NIMASA management to include the Ministry of Justice, a request NIMASA DG immediately granted.
Also speaking at the meeting was the Director General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms Mr. Dasuki Arabi, who commended NIMASA and NCC for adopting effective Inter-Agency collaboration to avert a potential challenge for the country in the future.
NIMASA had notified submarine and cable operators in Nigeria of a soon-to-be-implemented regulatory guideline for submarine cables and pipelines in Nigeria, in line with the provisions of UNCLOS.
NIMASA and the NCC agreed to identify and resolve areas of likely regulatory overlaps, ensuring a regulatory framework based on consultation to engender the attainment of Nigeria’s digital economy transformation.
Officials of the Federal Ministry of Environment and representatives of Submarine Cable operators in Nigeria were also at the meeting.
Customs
Comptroller Nnadi mourns death of retired customs officer, DCG Sanusi

“He passed on about an hour ago at a private hospital in Abuja. The Janaza prayers hold after the Zuhr prayers (1 pm) at the National Mosque, Abuja In Shaa Allah,”
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