Headlines

IDAN laments lack of originality in African architecture, interior designs

Eyewitness reporter

The Interior Designers Association of Nigeria (IDAN) has described the Nigerian Architectural and interior design status as lacking cultural and historical essences.

This was made known at a just-concluded event to mark the World Interiors Day (WID) celebration.

According to IDAN, the Nigerian architectural pieces are devoid of colonial references and have little cultural and artistic value attached.

The group lamented that the country is not presenting it past particularly well.

In a round table discussion organised to address salient issues affecting the nation, one of the panelists, Miss Kaine Amachree started noted:
“I have been saying this for a long time. I am not seeing enough of our cultural references in our architecture and in our interiors.

” I am not talking about putting vintage antics on display.

“Most of the Nigerian architecture has no colonial references, it has very little culture except if you go to Kano or to the homes of the Obas or the Ooni’s and the kings, that’s where they keep all the beautiful African-based architectural habitat.”

Amachree cited that African countries such as Mali, and South Africa have retained their histories in their architectural pieces saying:

“You talk about a man like Francis Kere of Mali, you talk about the past.
“We took a lot from the South African Cape.

“We took a lot from our colonial masters. The houses were designed for cross ventilation.

” So you have big windows on this side and on that side. You don’t have that problem anymore.”

The interior design expert described the focus of colonial architecture saying:
“The rooms were made for the purpose.

“The person was there for a purpose for a period of time.

“So in a big colonial house, you had 2 big bedrooms, beautiful wooden floors; you had the cool air coming from cross ventilation, you had high ceilings, the windows were plumbed 90 degrees all over.

“You had wooden beams that are fabulously seamed and beautiful to look at.

“You have staircases that are created out of solid timber that doesn’t split or warp in any way.”

The business mogul lent her experience to the audience saying, “(There is ) no casting back to our influence from the colonials. We are not casting back to the symbolism of how we lived, the materials that we used- mud, grass, straw, ground shells, rocks and they were used for a reason.

“We have lost that part of our history.

“We don’t have an unusual design, we don’t have anything very, very original.

“We tend to copy and the internet has really permitted that.”

Amachree, who has over 25 years of experience in interior design and architectural drawing, went on to admonish the stakeholders
” I don’t want to see another Corinthian design or capital, I want to see something that is more African.”

She lamented the dearth of traditional skills.

“We are losing artisanal skills, we need to bring back the artisans from Edo state, I used to get carvers from there.

“We are losing weavers even those Hausa guys that used to do the hats. We are losing all those skills to importation.”

Miss Amachree revealed that sometimes she talks to young architects and say, “Why are you acting funny, why don’t you introduce this (African design) to your clients?”

The architects would respond, ‘The clients they don’t want this, they want Dubai,’ and according to her ,she would respond:
“Dubai is marble, Disney comics, Batman! They have created their own style.

” We don’t have anything amazing, original and very artistic”

In her closing remarks, the BOT member challenged Nigeria emphatically stressing:
“Why (is it) in America, we have the Design and Decorations (D&D) building, Architecture and Design (AD) building.

In London, they have the Chelsea Harbor Design?

“I want to see the day that we have our own design center that caters to not just interior design, interior African decorations to specialized interior finishes; where we have our own museum, auditorium, where we can have masterclasses and symposium for young students, where there are books, photographs. I will my entire library to that!”

World Interiors Day is one set aside by the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers to celebrate the industry.

This year’s theme, “Pride of the Past, an incentive for the future”, celebrates innovation and a future-forward look at the profession, while honouring the past and learning from its experiences.

The immediate past President of IFI and Founder of IDAN, Dr. Titi Ogufere said, “I thought that topic was important and for me, I always say if you don’t know your past you don’t know where you are going, you don’t know your future and that’s one of the issues we’ve had in Africa where we have actually been robbed of even knowing history, knowing where we are coming from, knowing who we are, our identity and that is so important.”

Headlines

NIMASA flaunts automation process of Nigerian ship registry at 2- day webinar with stakeholders

Funso OLOJO Editor

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) will host a two-part stakeholder webinar on October 6 and 8, 2026, to showcase the ongoing automation of the Nigerian Ship Registry as part of efforts to modernise ship registration services and enhance the competitiveness of the Nigerian flag.

The webinars will provide shipowners, operators, maritime professionals, financial institutions, insurers and other stakeholders with insights into the new digital registration platform and its potential to significantly improve the speed, transparency and efficiency of ship registration and related services.

The automated system is designed to enable 24/7 access to registration services, streamline application and approval processes, and facilitate faster issuance of electronic certificates, thereby reducing administrative delays associated with conventional paper-based procedures.

A key feature of the platform is its capacity to provide secure, real-time tracking of ship mortgages and related registry transactions. This will strengthen transparency and provide greater visibility for stakeholders, including financial institutions and other parties involved in vessel financing.

The automation initiative is also expected to make interaction with the Nigerian Ship Registry more seamless for local and international shipowners, while improving the Agency’s ability to deliver efficient, responsive and globally competitive flag-state services.

Speaking on the initiative, the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of NIMASA, Dr Dayo Mobereola, said the automation of the Ship Registry was part of the Agency’s broader commitment to transforming the Nigerian flag and creating an enabling environment for increased participation in the global shipping industry.

“The automation of the Nigerian Ship Registry represents a significant step in our commitment to providing efficient, transparent and globally competitive services to shipowners and other maritime stakeholders.

“Our objective is to make the Nigerian flag more accessible, responsive and attractive through technology-driven processes that meet international standards,” Mobereola declared.

The ongoing user-testing phase is focused on validating the platform’s functionality, security and user experience ahead of its official deployment.

NIMASA said the webinars would also provide an opportunity for stakeholders to understand the platform, experience its key features and provide feedback as the Agency moves towards full implementation.

The Agency is inviting shipowners, ship managers, maritime professionals, financial institutions, insurers, legal practitioners, classification societies and other interested stakeholders to participate in the webinars.

Headlines

NRC joins global community to celebrate customers’ loyalty

Funso OLOJO, Editor

For the first time in its 128 years of existence, the Nigerian Railway Corporation(NRC) joins the global community to commemorate 2026 Customer Service Week from October 5 to 9, with a renewed commitment to putting passengers at the centre of its operations.

The week, being celebrated under the theme, “The Extra Mile,” marks a significant milestone for the 128-year-old Corporation, which is observing Customer Service Week for the first time in its history.

For the NRC, the celebration goes beyond appreciating its passengers. It is also an opportunity to recognise employees who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to service delivery while reinforcing a culture of customer-centricity across the Corporation.

The initiative is in line with the vision of the Managing Director of the NRC, Dr. Kayode Opeifa, who has consistently emphasised the need to place passengers at the heart of the Corporation’s operations and improve their overall travel experience.

Opeifa said the experiences of the Corporation in recent times had further underscored the importance of listening to customers and responding more effectively to their needs.

“Customers are at the heart of everything we do. Their feedback, trust and partnership challenge us to keep improving and delivering value every day.

“Customer Service Week is an opportunity to recognise that relationship and remind ourselves that great service must go beyond expectations,” he said.

According to the NRC, the theme, “The Extra Mile,” reflects the changing expectations of modern train passengers and the need for service providers to go beyond routine obligations.

Going the extra mile, the Corporation noted, could mean listening more attentively to passengers, resolving complaints more quickly, providing clearer and timely information, anticipating customer needs, simplifying processes or demonstrating empathy when it matters most.

The NRC said the commitment would apply across all its operational areas nationwide, with emphasis on providing passengers with a consistent, responsive and dependable experience regardless of where or how they interact with the Corporation.

The Corporation also pledged to strengthen its customer-feedback mechanisms and establish a closer link between passenger insights and continuous improvements in service delivery.

It said its objective was to ensure that exceptional customer service becomes an everyday practice rather than an activity reserved for Customer Service Week.

“Every interaction presents an opportunity to listen better, respond faster, show genuine care and create greater value for our customers,” the Corporation stated.

For the NRC, therefore, “The Extra Mile” is more than a theme for a week-long celebration. It represents a commitment to making every passenger interaction count and ensuring that customers enjoy a safer, more responsive and rewarding experience throughout their journey on Nigerian trains.

Commentaries

Our Oceans, Our Wealth: The real benefits of new fishing port

Monday Discourse with Nasiru Ibrahim

Nigeria has a very long coastline, but we have ignored our oceans for decades. Our major sea gateways, from Apapa to Port Harcourt, are mostly built to handle crude oil exports and heavy manufacturing containers.

Meanwhile, the local fishing industry—which has the capacity to feed the entire nation and create vast wealth—has been left to survive entirely on its own.

This is why the recent announcement by the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, makes a lot of sense.

Speaking through a representative at the National Conference on Sustainable Fishing in Lagos, the NPA boss stated that Nigeria plans to build a specialized fishing port to finally harness the true value of our ocean resources.

As the country tries to grow its marine and blue economy, this move is completely long overdue.

For a very long time, Nigeria has suffered from an intense oil blindness, focusing all investments on petroleum while ignoring the massive economic potential floating right on our waters.

Right now, our deep seas are teeming with valuable fish, but because we lack proper docks, specialized marine structures, and secure landing sites for large fishing vessels, foreign ships enter our territory and steal our marine resources every single year.

A dedicated fishing port will change this entirely. It will give our local operators and commercial fishing trawlers a safe, modern, and legally protected base to harvest, dock, and process their catch.

Instead of letting foreign poachers dominate our waters, a specialized port ensures that Nigeria profits directly from its own geographical blessings.

We cannot talk about maritime infrastructure without looking at the kitchen table, especially since the average Nigerian family is facing a massive food crisis.

Severe inflation has turned basic proteins like fish and beef into luxury items that ordinary people can no longer afford.

A specialized fishing port will help fix this supply chain problem. The NPA’s plan involves creating dedicated fish terminals equipped with modern cold-room facilities, meaning local fishermen can preserve their catch immediately without it spoiling on the high seas.

When fish can be safely stored and transported into local markets without rotting, the overall supply goes up. When supply goes up, the price goes down, helping ordinary citizens put affordable protein back on their dining tables.

Furthermore, a modern fishing port is much more than just a place to park boats; it is a full-scale industrial business hub.

Building a specialized facility will spark immediate economic activity along our coastlines, naturally attracting seafood processing factories, boat repair yards, ice-making companies, and specialized transport networks.

This infrastructure will create thousands of genuine jobs for young people, refrigeration technicians, boat mechanics, and market women who dominate the local seafood trade. It bridges the gap between rural, traditional fishing and modern, industrial maritime commerce, bringing life back to struggling coastal communities.

The NPA has presented a great vision, and using a Public-Private Partnership model to fund it is a smart strategy.

But as Nigerians, we know our main problem is never a shortage of good plans—it is making those plans actually happen on the ground.

If this fishing port is going to transform our economy, the government must move quickly from conference papers to physical construction. We need to see real investments start on our coastlines.

Utilizing our ocean resources is one of the smartest ways to build a country that does not rely solely on oil. It is time to stop looking at our waters as just shipping lanes, and start treating them as the goldmines they really are.

Ibrahim Nasiru, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja.