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Pius Akutah orders mass dismissal of contract staff, casual workers at Shippers’ Council

Pius Ukeyima Akutah
— continues to keep 45 sacked freshly recruited staff guessing.
The Eyewitness Reporter
Five months after he ordered the suspension of the last recruitment exercise done by his predecessor, Emmanuel Jime, in which he sent 45 newly employed staff packing, Pius Ukeyima Akutah, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’Council, has struck again.
He has asked for the massive removal of all the contract staff and casual workers in the agency.
Impeccable sources told our roving reporter that the council last week instructed all the workers in these categories to cease coming to work as they were allegedly making the corporate headquarters of the council unnecessarily congested, rowdy and noisy.
According to sources, the message was conveyed through the agency’s Human Resources Manager, Mrs Okam Adaku.
It was reliably gathered that some of these categories of staff have been providing cheap labour for the council for as back as five years ago .
It was also gathered that ex-corpers who carried out their primary assignments at the council at various times but stayed back on the instructions of their departmental heads for stipends were equally affected.
“They were all informed by the HR manager to stop coming to work as their presence was causing a nuisance to the management”
They were warned that if anything got missing after the instruction for them to stay away, they would be held responsible” the source claimed.
Some of these people are the ex-Corpers who served at the council at different times.
” While some just finished their service last year, others had finished as far back as five years ago”.
” They were there at the pleasure of their departmental heads who probably felt they were competent while on service but asked them to stay for monthly stipends until there could be openings in the council or anywhere else.
“It was a gesture done on humanitarian grounds at no cost to the council which incidentally gets cheap labour from them”
These are casual workers” the source bemoaned.
According to the source, there is another category which is contract staff whose status was a bit glorified than the casual ones.
However, Rebecca Adamu, the Acting Public Relations officer of the Council said there are no casual or contract staff at the Shippers Council.
She said the management only asked the Youth Corp members who had finished their service to leave.
”We have no contract staff or casual workers at the Council. The Council only asked those corp members who have finished their service to leave to give room for other intending Corp members” Mrs Adamu briskly informed our reporter.
Incidentally, some of these ex-Corpers were among the 45 staff employed in October 2023 by the immediate past Executive secretary of the council, Emmanuel Jime at the twilight of his administration but whose employment was cancelled by the incumbent ES.
It was exclusively reported by theeyewitnessnews that the first assignment carried out by Pius Akutah when he assumed duty in November was the sack of these staff, some of whom were ex-Corpers who had provided cheap labour for the council in the last five years.
However, Akutah had explained that the recruitment of the 45 staff did not follow due process and was against the civil service extant rules”
He had claimed that he acted based on the petition by the in-house workers’ union when he resumed duties in November.
“All this time, I was not here then, and the union kicked against the recruitment process and said it must be stopped.
” When I came into the office and saw the petition kicking against the recruitment on my table, I actually said we would go on and conclude the recruitment exercise.

“That we will do it in a manner that is in line with the Public Service Rules.

“So, we wrote the affected 45 workers and told them to hold on, that we are suspending the employment process and will review it to ensure it follows due process.”

Even though, he promised to recall the sacked staff, some of whom had resumed duties at the corporate headquarters of the council, to regularise their recruitment ” as soon as possible” about five months later, the sacked staff are still kept in limbo.
“The process to review the employment is on, that’s why I didn’t want to speak about this publicly.

” If you remember, I resumed here on the 1st of November 2023, and since I resumed here, there have been so many activities between Abuja and Lagos.

“We ought to have started the review of that employment in November 2023 when I resumed here, but because of my very busy schedule, we have not been able to begin the review.

“We are calling everybody back very soon to see how we can go on with the employment exercise.” the Shippers’Council boss had then promised when asked how soon the review exercise would start.
However, five months after he sent the beleaguered staff home with the promise to recall them, they were still waiting with no word from the council.
Adamu Rebecca, the spokesperson of the Council however said the process of revalidation of the recruitment exercise is ongoing.
”The process of regularisation of the exercise is ongoing’, she declared.
Our reporter nevertheless gathered that the Council’s helmsman may have sold a dummy to the affected staff as he had no plan to recall them.
“We haven’t heard anything from the council since November when we were sent home with the promise to recall us to regularise our recruitment exercise” one of the casualties of the recruitment exercise confided in our reporter.
“We heard that the Es had decided to cancel the recruitment exercise and conduct a fresh one” the disconsolate source whispered to our reporter.
With the latest mass chase away of the casual workers and contract staff, stakeholders were wondering if staff dismissal was part of the mandate of the Benue state-born technocrat.
“Since he came, he has not done anything to impact the industry” an angry freight forwarder based in Apapa declared.
“He hasn’t shown any capacity to carry out the mandate of the council of protecting the shippers and calling the shipping companies and terminal operators to order as a commercial regulator”
” If he is not travelling to Abuja or Benue, his home state, he would be ordering for the sack of some hapless staff,” another freight forwarder said derisively.
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  1. Junction

    September 11, 2024 at 12:16 pm

    How do I contact you guys as regards to Nigerian Shippers council recruitment which is not done based on merit and also the gross abuse of corp members human rights going on in NSC?

    Reply

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Headlines

May Day: Mobereola salutes maritime workers for passion, dedication to building virile industry 

Gloria Odion,  Maritime reporter 

The Director – General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola, has saluted the courage , passion and dedication of maritime workers to building strong and virile industry.
In his message at the Workers’ day on May 1st, 2026, the NIMASA DG extolled the virtues of workers and acknowledged the distinguished service of various stakeholders whose efforts he noted continue to significantly contribute to the development of the Nigerian maritime industry.
Dr. Mobereola, while wishing stakeholders a Happy Workers’ Day said “to all the amazing officers and stakeholders in the maritime sector who bring their passion and expertise to work daily.

“Thank you for your dedication and invaluable contributions”.

He emphasized that as a regulator, the Agency remains committed to its oversight function of regulating maritime labour activities in the industry in line with extant instruments and the expectations of the theme of the 2026 Workers’ Day, which focuses on safety, dignity and productivity.

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Customs

Kaila, Seme Customs CAC, seeks collaboration with stakeholders to achieve seemless trade along border corridor 

Funso OLOJO, Editor
The new Area Controller of the Seme Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, Comptroller Abdullahi Kaila, has  reached out to traditional rulers and  sister agencies at the border communities to ensure the achievement of his mandate of detection, determent of smuggling, revenue generation and trade facilitation along the border corridor.
To achieve these objectives, Comptroller Kaila went on tour of the communities within the border corridor where he met and sought for the support and cooperation of major critical stakeholders, including the traditional rulers and sister agencies.
According to him, his objective was to eradicate trade hindrances affecting free movement of goods and services along the Lagos-Abidjan business corridor.
Speaking at the Palace of Oba Akran of Badagry Kingdom, the Customs Area Controller condoled with the royal family and entire people of Badagry kingdom on the passing away of HRM De Wheno Aholu Menu Toyi I who was a well recognized traditional ruler across the border communities.
“”The purpose of my visit is to introduce myself as the Area Controller of Seme Command and to equally seek your royal blessing and support to achieve the core mandate of the service.
“Our priority remains to generate revenue, facilitate trade, and suppress smuggling.
“And we in the Customs believe that without due support and co-operation from traditional rulers, we can not have effective performance of our functions as Customs officers” he said
 The King Regent, Chief Abel Ogunbiyi, who described Kaila as the son of the soil, added that “We have listened to your request.
” Know that Badagry is a very peaceful town, and we will keep collaborating with you in safeguarding our borders and in promoting legitimate trade, ” he stated.
Comptroller Kaila also visited the Onibereko of Ibereko Awori-Kingdom, where the monarch, Oba Israel Okoya, signifies his commitment to fostering the service relationship with residents living within the border  communities
“I welcome you to Badagry and be rest assured that I will always talk to my people whenever the need is required.
” In our town, our youth does not engage in illegalities as I have no other choice than to assist you in achieving the government mandate, ” he mentioned
While at the Palace of Alapa of Apa Kingdom, the king HRM Oba Oyekan Ajose Ilufemiloye commended and described the CAC, Comptroller Kaila as a professional, seasoned and well respected officer as described by indigenes of border communities.
“I promise you that I will always assist you in my area for anything that you need.
“Our border here has been peaceful because our youth always listen to the elders, and I know with your presence here, things will change for the better, ” he said
In his efforts to consolidate on existing synergy between sister security agencies, Kaila also visited Headquarters of 653 Nigerian Air force base, Ahanve-Badagry.
The  Commanding Officer, Group Captain Hungruy  Medugu,expressed the  readiness of the formation to always support the command in achieving its mandate.
“Our collaboration has been key to various successes we have recorded in our area of responsibility.
” Your presence here strengthens existing bonds of inter-agency collaboration between both Services, and we will not take it for granted ,” he said
The Area Controller then ended his familirisation tour with seeking for mutual cooperation with a visit to the Republic of Benin Police office, showing his readiness to eradicate hindrances affecting the free movement of goods and services across the border.
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Headlines

Opeifa decries encroachment on NRC properties across the country 

— praises collaboration with Abia, Enugu govts.
Funso OLOJO, Editor 
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Dr. Kayode Opeifa, has reiterated his displeasure over the widespread practice of encroachment on the properties of the Nigerian Railways Corporation across the country, warning that such action would not be tolerated by his administration.
Opeifa was speaking during the separate meetings he recently had with the governments of both Abia and Enugu states.
Represented by the Railway District Manager, Eastern District, Mr. Agwonye Francis Ejike, the NRC boss quickly condemned the occupation of the Corporation’s right- of – way by squatters in Umuahia, while correcting the wrongly- held belief that the Railway is defunct.
Opeifa however applauded the cordial and collaborative relationship between the Corporation and the governments of both Abia and Enugu.
According to him, such productive harmony can only yield even greater positive results for the benefit of the people.
During the Umuahia meeting, Dr. Opeifa strongly praised the Abia State Government for its crucial assistance in clearing the NRC’s right-of-way within Umuahia.
 He reiterated unequivocally that no one is permitted to build any structure on railway property without obtaining express approval from his office.
Appealing directly to the public, he urged for greater patience, stressing that the plans for the critical track extension from Aba, through Umuahia to Enugu and beyond, remain very much on course.
Responding on behalf of the Abia State Government, Mr. Kingsley Agomoh stated that the State Government is actively engaging all stakeholders by providing alternative, seamless locations for those currently conducting business on the railway right-of-way.
 He further revealed that the state government has already finalized plans to plant trees along the route, creating a leisurely and aesthetically conducive environment for relaxation, replacing previous commercial activities.
The high-powered team then embarked on an extensive inspection of the alternative relocation site for displaced persons; the demolition site where iron barrier installation is progressing; the Umuahia Central Bus Terminal; the site for the new Umuahia Railway Station; and the route for the proposed link road passing through the existing railway station.
The meeting also explored the provision of a temporary location for the Railway Police and the PTO, pending the construction of the new Umuahia Station, which is designed to include a police station and other NRC offices.
The same impactful message was delivered to Enugu State, where the Commissioner of Transportation, Dr. Obi Ozoh (representing the State Government), equally assured the NRC MD of the Enugu State Government’s unwavering commitment to collaborating with the Corporation to achieve its aims and objectives.
Describing Dr. Opeifa as a personal friend from their private sector days, Dr. Ozoh lauded him as a leader who “knows perfectly well what he is doing.”
He further assured the NRC that the Enugu State Government will actively assist in demolishing any obstruction on the Corporation’s right-of-way, stressing that the state eagerly awaits the flag-off to recommence construction of the rail line from Aba to Enugu and beyond.
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