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Bello-Koko kicks off 2022 Maritime Cup tourney as ENL wins opening match 

The Eyewitness reporter
The 2022 Ships & Ports Maritime Cup Competition kicked off in grand style in Lagos on Tuesday with eight teams vying for the coveted trophy.
The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mr. Mohammed Bello-Koko, represented by the General Manager,  Human Resources, Mr. Ahmad M. Umar, formally kicked off the competition.
The NPA Managing Director was supported in kicking off the tournament by the Chairman, Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN), Princess Vicky Haastrup; Chairman, Shipowners Forum, Barrister (Mrs.) Margaret Onyema-Orakwusi and representative of the Chief of Naval Staff, Navy Capt. Christian Akokota.
In his remarks at the opening ceremony, Bello-Koko assured the maritime community of his support for sporting activities, even as he commended Ships & Ports Communication Company, the organisers of the annual tournament, for creating the platform for competitive sporting activities in the industry.
“It gladdens my heart to see young men file out today. We appreciate the organisers of this event for doing it every single year.
“I wish everyone good luck, but there is no work without hard work, as you must have prepared yourselves very well for this competition,” he said.
The NPA boss encouraged employees in the maritime industry to engage in sporting activities to improve their health and well-being.
STOAN Chairman, Princess Vicky Haastrup, noted that the competition was good for industry operators’ mental health.
Haastrup commended Ships & Ports for keeping the competition alive, despite the challenging times, particularly regarding the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is really important for our mental health, it instills unity within the sector.
“We are a family – everyone in the shipping sector, so it is really so great for all of us to participate.
“Like the previous competition, this is going to be a huge success. The winner will carry the cup and it is ENL that will carry the cup because I know my boys are up to the task.
“This is good for the industry and this championship has come to stay. I say a big thank you to the organisers and I wish everyone the best of luck,” Princess Haastrup, who is also, the CEO of ENL Consortium, said.
Also speaking, the Chairman of Shipowners Forum, Mrs. Margaret Onyema-Orakwusi, said she was impressed by the large turnout at the opening ceremony.
“This is a competition, so there will be losers and winners.
 However, you are all winners because you will make new friends, which is what the Maritime Cup is doing in the industry.
Good luck and may the best team win,” she said.
The Chief Executive Officer of Ships & Ports, Dr. Bolaji Akinola, said that the Maritime Cup competition was set up to foster healthy living and promote recreation in the maritime industry.
Akinola said the competition is in its 12th edition.
“This competition is about bringing together everybody in the maritime industry in a convivial atmosphere, away from the serious discussions that we are all used to in seminars and conferences.
“Apart from bringing the industry together, it encourages recreation and of course, we know the importance of sports and exercise in healthy living.
“This is what the tournament is all about,” he said.
He noted that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual competition did not hold in 2020 and 2021.
In the opening match of the tournament, defending champions ENL Consortium defeated Higher Pacific International 4-1.
HPI opened the scoring through Gozie Ebule in the 38th minute of the first half, but ENL equalized two minutes later through its top striker Paul Uchechi.
Joseph John scored for ENL in the 42nd and 85th minutes while Uche Nkwoji sealed ENL’s victory with a fourth goal in the 87th minute.
The Maritime Cup Football Competition was created by Ships & Ports in 2009 to encourage recreation and camaraderie among employees of government agencies, private sector operators, and regulators in the maritime industry.
Eight teams namely Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), ENL Consortium, Josepdam Port Services (JPS), Nigerian Navy, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Higher Pacific International (HPI) and Dynesty Ocean Shipping are competing in the tournament this year.
NPA, Josepdam, NAGAFF and Dynasty are playing in Group A while defending champions ENL Consortium, Customs, Navy and HPI will compete in Group B.
Winners of the Maritime Cup since its inception are the Nigerian Navy (2009), Micura Stevedoring Services (2010), Nigeria Customs Service (2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, and 2017), National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (2014), Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (2015), Nigerian Ports Authority (2018) and ENL Consortium Nigeria Limited (2019).
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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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