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Sambo reiterates commitment to disbursement of CVFF

—– seeks private collaboration to achieve transition to greener shipping
The Eyewitness reporter
The Minister of Transportation, Eng Muazu Jaji Sambo has reiterated his commitment to disburse the controversial Cabotage Vessel Financing Funds(CVFF).
This was despite the serial delays and abuse that the intervention funds have suffered over the years and the short tenure in office of the Minister.
Irrespective of the challenges, Sambo declared that the fund would soon be disbursed to enable indigenous shipowners to acquire new vessels that comply with IMO’s rules on gas emissions.
The Minister was making this pledge Thursday in Lagos during the commemoration of this year’s World Maritime Day celebration.
Speaking on the theme of the 2022 World Maritime Day, ”New Technologies For Greener Shipping” the Minister noted that the Nigerian government needs the cooperation and collaboration of private sector players to invest in modern platforms and assets which will meet the emission levels of the future.
It was through this partnership, the Minister continued, that the country could achieve a green transition of the maritime industry into a sustainable future in line with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) theme of the 2022 World Maritime Day.
In line with this theme of this year’s celebration, Sambo expressed government commitment to cutting down carbon emissions from ships and reaching net zero by 2050.
According to him, Nigeria is duty-bound to contribute to global efforts to ensure a safe environment in all sectors, including shipping.
 He said the need for new technology to drive the maritime sector has not only become necessary but imperative following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic which affected global trade.
The Minister, therefore, called on private sector operators who are the beneficiaries of government policies put in place to address carbon emissions to deploy adequate resources and technology to address emerging technologies in partnership with the government.
“IMO’s identification of partnerships and information sharing on best practices as well as unfettered access to resources as being critical to the transition of the maritime sector into a greener and more sustainable sector is not by coincidence. This partnership must be cultivated globally and nationally.
“For us as a nation, the entire maritime community has a role to play in bringing about a greener and sustainable maritime industry in resource mobilization, maritime training, awareness, job creation and full implementation of maritime laws and regulations,” he said.
In his remarks, the Minister of State for Transportation, Mr Ademola Adegoroye, said to attain greener shipping, it was imperative that new technologies be embraced through aggressive technology transfer, research and development, innovations and partnership.
Also speaking, the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Bashir Jamoh, said Nigeria plans to cut its Greenhouse Gas emissions intensity by 20 percent by 2030 and a further 45 percent reduction conditional on receiving climate finance, technology transfer and capacity building.
He said as Nigeria’s agency responsible for regulating shipping, NIMASA has developed measures to protect the marine environment from the impact of shipping activities.
These measures according to him, “include taking steps to ensure ships comply with the IMO 0.5 percent sulphur in fuel oil used on board ships, delineating emission control and slow steaming areas in Nigeria’s ports and its approaches and establishing a National Technical Committee on Green House Gas emission reduction and decarbonisation.”
He said Nigeria will adopt a National Action Plan in 2023 to ensure that the National Technical Committee on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from ships will be strengthened and tasked to develop a clear and achievable plan.
He said there would also be the provision of incentives and financial mechanisms to shipping companies, port operators, and others in the maritime value chain to invest in new enterprises and innovative solutions.
“NIMASA will act by mobilising and facilitating fiscal policies and financial mechanisms – including donor initiatives to support energy efficiency and emission reduction initiatives focused on ships, port infrastructure, and other key areas,” he said.
Jamoh added that Nigeria needs global and regional cooperation and partnerships to transition to a net zero carbon emission future in shipping to share good practices and information, create synergies, and leverage expertise.
Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Muhammed Bello- Koko noted that bringing environmental efficiency and digitisation to the maritime industry was a duty everyone owed the habitat.
Realising that automation is the pillar of port efficiency, we are working assiduously under the technical guidance and consultancy of the IMO to deploy the Port Community System (PCS).
“This will afford us the platform needed to develop a cocktail of digital solutions that can make ships more energy-efficient, reduce pollution, and ensure the global competitiveness of the Nigerian Ports through eco-friendly services,” he said.
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Headlines

MWUN threatens to picket shipping companies, terminal operators over manipulation of pension remittances of seafarers, dockworkers

Gloria Odion 
The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria(MWUN) has accused terminal operators, shipping companies and ship owners of shortchanging dockworkers and seafarers in their employment in the remittance of their pensions to the appropriate authorities.
In a statement by the union led by  Comrade Francis Bunu Abi, the erring service providers were allegedly either holding back the deductions made from the salaries of their staff into the pension funds scheme or under- remitting the deductions.
The union warned of dire consequences for such act which it regarded as unethical and illegal and threatened to shut down any service provider found culpable in this illegal act.
“The leadership of the Union recently got the wind of these employers of labour and terminal operators over their acts of irregular remittance of their employees pensions to its appropriate quarters.
“Thus shortchanging the Seafarers and  the Dockworkers, both categories of workers from the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria.
“It was also learnt that some Ship Owners and Terminal Operators have allegedly stopped the remittance of Dockworkers and Seafarers’ PSA in their employ, which is a gross violation of labour laws.
” As a result, the President -General of the Union, Comrade Bunu, stated  that the Union will have no other option than to descend heavily and bring to book all the earring managements of these companies working against the ethics and practices of labour rules in their various companies.
“The Delta State- born labour leader made this point known, stressing that it’s unlawful to deny workers their pensions rights either by crook or hook,;  and may not hesitate to call out these Concessionaires and Shipping Companies that have defaulted in the payment of the statutory pensions of the Union Members.
“Comrade Bunu also said that these erring companies in the Maritime sector would be shut down if this ugly trend is not reversed to status quo.” the statement concluded.
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Headlines

Tantita Security to bankroll 2025 OTC in USA

Gloria Odion 
The foremost security provider in Nigeria, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL) has been confirmed as the official sponsor of the 2025 Offshore Technology conference scheduled to hold in Houston Texas, United States on 5-8 May , 2025 .
Executive Director, Technical and operations , Tantita security services Limited, Captain Wareddi Enisuoh  in an interview with journalists on Friday, said the company attracted the OTC conference lucrative sponsorship deal in recognition of its  capacity to deliver on the conference.
Founded in 1969 , Offshore Technology conference is a series of conferences and exhibitions, focused on exchanging technical knowledge relevant to the development of offshore energy resources , primarily Oil and Natural Gas.
The conference also serves as the meeting place for the brightest minds to share ideas , discuss, debate and build consensus around the most pressing challenges and innovations in the offshore energy sector.
This year’s exhibitors , speakers and attendees represent some of the highest calibre professionals from more than 100 countries .
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Customs

Customs shuns N12 trillion inflated revenue target imposed by National Assembly 

— focuses on realising N6.5 trillion 2025 target 
Funso OLOJO 
The Nigeria Customs Service may have tactically shrugged off the imposition of the N12 trillion revenue target by the National Assembly.
It could be recalled that government gave the NCS ₦6.5 trillion revenue target for 2025.
This followed the impressive revenue performance of the service in 2024 when it surpassed that year’s target of N5.07 trillion by 20.2 percent.
However , in January, 2025, the National Assembly joint committee on Finance led by its chairmen, Senator Sani Musa and Hon. James Faleke, believed that the projection of N6.5 trillion revenue target given to the customs was conservative and encouraged the NCS to aim higher.
Consequently, the joint committee slammed a whooping sum of N12 trillion as revenue target, doubling the initial N6.5 trillion projected revenue.
This humongous target sparked off an outrage among perplexed stakeholders who felt the target imposed by the law makers was outrageous and unrealistic which they feared may stretch the capacity of the customs to a breaking point and put unnecessary pressure on the men and officers of the agency.
Indication that the Customs authority may not be well disposed to the imposed target of N12 trillion by the National Assembly emerged recently when the Comptroller -General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, was giving account of the activities of the service in the first quarter of 2025.
While giving the analysis of the revenue performance of the service during the period under review, Adeniyi benchmarked the revenue generated by the service during the first quarter of 2025 by N6.5 trillion revenue target given by the Federal Ministry of Finance, thus jettisoning the N12 trillion imposed by the National Assembly.
“ Against our annual target of ₦6,580,000,000,000.00, the first quarter’s proportional benchmark stood at ₦1,645,000,000,000.00.
“I’m proud to announce we’ve exceeded this target by ₦106.5 billion, achieving 106.47% of our quarterly projection.
” This outstanding performance represents a substantial 29.96% increase  compared  to  the  same  period  in  2024,  where  we  collected
₦1,347,705,251,658.31″ Adewale stated, while giving the analysis of the performance of the service in the first three months of the year.
Analysts believed that from the analysis of the revenue performance of the NCS in the first quarter of the year which was predicated on the N6.5  trillion revenue target, it was obvious that the service was not paying much attention to the imposed N12 trillion,  but rather focusing on how to meet the more realistic target of N 6 .5 trillion.
” You can see that the CGC did not make mention of the N12 trillion imposed by the National Assembly which presupposes that the unrealistic amount is not in the reckoning of the Customs” a customs broker who plies his trade at Apapa port, said, pleading for anonymity.
” Where  on earth do they want the Customs to realize such an humongous amount of money in a depressed economy, in a country where importation has plummeted due to the unfriendly policies of government?
“It is unfortunate that these people (the law makers) have lost touch with the current economic realities in the country.
” All what they are after is to witch hunt government agencies to go and hunt for money for them to share.
” If not, how could they sit down in the comfort of their air conditioned offices and imposed such amount of revenue for customs to realize.
” Of course, the pressure would be on the men and officers of the service who will in turn go after the hapless importers and their agents in the most brutal way to raise the imposed target.
” It is unfortunate that the lawmakers, who are expected to make laws that will encourage export drive of the Federal government, are those asking the customs to focus more on the import goods where such money could be realized” another freight forwarder, who did not want his name in print but based at Tin Can Island port, declared.
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