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Exclusive: The real reason why  Effedua resigned as Rector, MAN, Oron

Funso Olojo

On November 13th, 2024, Commodore(rtd) Duja Effedua, tendered his letter of resignation as the Rector of Maritime Academy of Nigeria(MAN), Oron, to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, in a dramatic way that left maritime stakeholders dumbfounded.
They were shocked at Effedua’ s sudden resignation because of several reasons.
Firstly, Effedua still has over one year in his 8 – year tenure .
He was first appointed by the  former President Mohammad Buhari in 2017 and subsequently reappointed for a second term in office in September, 2021.
Also, Effedua had run an impactful and effective administration as he repositioned the  Nigeria’s apex maritime training institution which he patterned along the international maritime organization(IMO) model for maritime training institutions.
He has also cleaned the institution of its age- long rot, boosted the morale of staff through impressive welfare packages and thrust the institution into the global recognition.
More intriguing was the fact that Effedua was then just appointed by the Minister as a member of the high- powered ministerial committee to drive Nigeria’s reelection bid for the IMO category C seat.
Why then will a government appointee, despite his high performance and efficient service, resign when he still has over a year to complete his tenure, a decision alien to the culture of sit- tight syndrome of government appointees who dig in their feet even against overwhelming allegations of incompetence.
However, our reporter has stumbled on the real reason why the high- performing Rector signed.
Even though, the retired Commodore attributed his sudden decision to “personal reasons” but sources close to the former Rector whispered to our reporter that Effedua resigned because of his opposition to the controversial Nigeria Coast guard bill currently before the National Assembly.
It was alleged that the ministry of Marine and Blue Economy is hell- bent to have the bill sail through the national Assembly.
Even though, it could not be independently confirmed yet why the ministry has  such high interest in the passage of the bill( other than the proposed body will domicile under it),  despite the overwhelming opposition of the maritime stakeholders, it was however gathered that the Ministry instructed all the heads of the agencies in the industry, to support and buy-in to the ministry’s crusade of getting the bill scale through the national Assembly.
It was gathered that prior to the Public hearing of the bill at the National Assembly which held on December 9th, 2024, the ministry has convened a meeting in November with all the heads of the maritime agencies which include the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency(NIMASA), Nigerian Ports Authority ( NPA), National Inland Waterways Authority( NIWA), Nigerian Shippers’ Council and Maritime Academy of Nigeria(MAN), Oron.
At the meeting, the heads of these agencies had allegedly been mandated to support the passage of the bill.
It was further learnt that though most of these heads of the agencies have their reservations against the bill because of its potential to create bad blood among other agencies such as NIWA and NIMASA and create over lapping functions with the Nigerian Navy, but they lacked the will power to voice their opposition for fear of reprisal action from the ministry.
 It was further alleged that NIMASA was particularly uneasy with the bill as it is being speculated that the agency may fund the NCG if the bill eventually trasmutes into an Act.
So all of the heads of these agencies alleged swallowed their opposition and grudgingly accepted to support the crusade.
However, sources close to the meeting claimed that it was only Duja Effedua, who allegedly voiced our his opposition to the bill, giving his reasons why the proposed legislation may not be in the best interest of the Nation.
As a Naval officer, though retired, he explained the implications of having another body in the maritime space which may spark off unhealthy rivalry with the Nigerian Navy.
Knowing the consequences of his act of bravery, the ex- Naval officer was said to have later tendered his letter of resignation to the ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Though he said his decision was personal, but Effedua alluded to what may befall him if he fails to throw in the towel.
” It is best to leave when the ovation is loudest, not when they ask you to leave” he has told reporters who were pestering him for his reasond shortly after his resignation.
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Beyond The Communique: Can West Africa’s $27 billion port rhetoric Outrun gridlock?

The Monday Discourse with Nasiru 
The dust has settled on the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) conference hosted by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in Lagos last week.
 For three days, 18th to 20th May 2026, Maritime Executives, Regional Ministers, and Portuguese Administrators traded optimism, signed agreements, and toasted to the future.
The headlines if not hallucinating, were intoxicating: a staggering $27 billion committed to Regional Port Infrastructure, grand declarations of transforming into sustainable “Blue Economy” engines, and lofty goals to replicate the seamless digital models of Rotterdam and Singapore.
Yet, for the average importer, shipping line agent, or haulage driver navigating the chaotic access roads of Apapa, Tin Can, or Luanda, the disconnect between boardroom rhetoric and dockyard reality remains jarring.
While the Lagos conference successfully demonstrated Nigeria’s diplomatic hosting prowess under the leadership of NPA Managing Director, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, it also exposed a deeper regional vulnerability.
West and Central African ports are masterful at planning, but historically abysmal at executing.
If this $27 billion infrastructure boom is to be anything more than a monumental paper tiger, regional leadership must pivot immediately from policy curation to aggressive, unforgiving execution.
On paper, the sub-region is undergoing a maritime renaissance. We are told of Guinea’s massive $20 billion Simandou-Morebaya project, Cote d’Ivoire’s $2 billion Port San Pedro expansion, and Nigeria’s own $1.5 billion Lekki Deep Sea Port, alongside fresh pledges to modernize aging brownfield terminals.
But a Port is not merely a collection of deep berths, breakwaters, and expensive gantry cranes. It is an intricate, living logistical ecosystem.
Building a multi-billion-dollar Deep-Sea Port while leaving the surrounding multimodal transport network broken is an exercise in futility.
Lekki Deep Sea Port, despite its state-of-the-art infrastructure, still struggles with optimal evacuation routes.
True regional competitiveness will not be won by the nation that signs the largest infrastructure contract; it will be won by the nation that successfully connects its berths to functioning rail lines, Inland Dry Ports (IDPs), and uncongested highways.
Until cargo can move from a vessel to an inland destination seamlessly, these multi-billion-dollar investments are simply monumentally expensive parking lots for containers.
The conference highly praised the “Rotterdam-Singapore data-exchange model” as the blueprint for eliminating West Africa’s notoriously high cargo dwell times.
 In Nigeria, officials proudly showcased the roll-out of the National Single Window initiative and the Port Community System.
But let us be objective: West African ports do not suffer from a lack of digital concepts; they suffer from a lack of institutional compliance.
For years, “Single Windows” have been launched, rebranded, and relaunched, yet manual interventions persist.
Why? Because automation directly threatens the lucrative, entrenched economies of corruption, extortive  human contact, and bureaucratic bottlenecks.
 Replicating Singapore requires more than buying expensive software; it requires the political will to strip corrupt agencies of their physical inspection monopolies.
If Customs administrations and border agencies can still demand the physical, manual opening of containers despite digital clearances, then the “Paperless Port” remains an expensive mirage.
A commendable takeaway from the Lagos summit was the celebration of Nigeria’s Deep Blue Project, which has successfully suppressed piracy in the Gulf of Guinea for three consecutive years.
This is a massive victory for regional security. However, security is only a facilitator of trade, not trade itself.
While the waters may be safer from pirates, the land corridors remain plagued by a different kind of piracy: systemic extortion at border checkpoints, overlapping regulatory charges, and severe cargo diversion.
It is an open secret that landlocked neighbors like Niger, Chad, and Mali often bypass geographically closer Nigerian ports in favor of Beninese, Togolese, or Ghanaian corridors.
 Why? Because the total cost of cargo clearance, measured in both time and bribes, makes Nigerian routes economically punitive.
Decentralizing operations to Nigeria’s Eastern Ports, as proposed by the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, will fail to yield results if the same predatory regulatory culture is simply exported from Lagos to Port Harcourt, Warri, Onne, and Calabar.
If the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa wants to avoid meeting next year to lament the same old problems, the AGENDA must change today.
First, the NPA and its regional peers must tie Port Key Performance indicators (KPIs) strictly to cargo dwell times, not revenue generation.
A Port’s primary job is efficiency, not tax collection. Second, the implementation of the National Single Window must be backed by executive enforcement that legally penalizes any agency insisting on manual intervention outside automated channels.
Finally, regional integration must move past the ECOWAS protocol paperwork. There must be a unified, digitized tracking system that allows a container cleared in Lagos to move to Niamey without facing a dozen predatory checkpoints.
The Lagos communique was a beautiful piece of literature. But literature does not offload vessels, clear containers, or lower the cost of doing business.
 West Africa’s maritime sector does not need more summits, boards, or committees. It needs an execution squad.
Until we match our boardroom eloquence with dockyard discipline, the “Ports of the Future” will remain a luxury we can only read about in conference brochures.
Chief Ibrahim Nasiru , a Public Affairs Analyst, writes from Abuja
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Beyond The Lagos Communique: Can West Africa’s $27 Billion Port Rhetoric Outrun Gridlock?

Ibrahim Nasiru
The Monday Discourse with NASIRU focuses on the take away from the just concluded PMAWCA board meeting in Lagos.
Last week, maritime leaders gathered in Lagos for the PMAWCA conference, celebrating a staggering $27 billion infrastructure boom and drawing up plans to replicate the seamless digital models of Rotterdam and Singapore.
But for the average importer, agent, or truck driver trapped in the chaos of Apapa or Tin Can, the disconnect is jarring.
West African Ports are masterful at planning, but historically abysmal at executing.
A multi-billion-dollar Deep Sea Port is just an expensive parking lot for containers if the surrounding rail and road infrastructure remains broken.
True competitiveness will not be won by the nation that signs the largest contract; it will be won by the nation that actually clears a container without corruption, extortion, or manual delays.
It is time to move past courtroom style policy curation and deploy an execution squad.
Read full details tomorrow on why West Africa’s maritime sector needs dockyard discipline over boardroom eloquence.
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Sallah celebration: Osun govt offers free train ride to indigenes as NRC increases Lagos–Ibadan Train Trips for Sallah

Gloria Odion, maritime reporter 
The Osun State government has made full payment to the Nigerian Railway Corporation( NRC) for the use of its narrow gauge rail services to transport the indigenes of the state free of charge for the Sallah celebration.
The annual gesture was confirmed by the management of the Corporation while announcing a temporary increase  in train services on the Lagos–Ibadan Train Service (LITS) corridor for Tuesday, May 26, 2026, ahead of the Sallah celebration.
The NRC revealed that the Osun government free train ride will be on its narrow gauge corridor.
The special train will depart from Iddo Station, Lagos, on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, while the return trip from Osogbo to Lagos will take place on Thursday, May 28, 2026.
The service, which is usually operated during festive periods, is being sponsored by the Osun State Government through a paid arrangement with the Nigerian Railway Corporation to convey Osun indigenes free of charge for the Sallah celebration.
Meanwhile, the Corporation has announced an adjustment to its schedule on its Lagos–Ibadan Train Service (LITS) corridor for Tuesday, May 26, 2026, ahead of the Sallah
The temporary adjustment is aimed at accommodating the expected increase in passenger movement as many Nigerians travel to celebrate the festive season with their families and loved ones.
Under the special arrangement, the Corporation will operate six train trips on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, instead of the usual four trips currently operated on the corridor.
For the day, train departures from the Lagos end will be at 7:45am, 1:40pm and 4:00pm, while departures from the Ibadan end will be at 8:00am, 10:50am and 4:30pm.
The Management clarified that this arrangement is strictly temporary and applies only to the Sallah travel period.
 Immediately after the celebration, the normal Tuesday timetable of four trips will resume.
Similarly, the recently introduced Thursday six-trip operations will be temporarily adjusted next week, as only four trips will operate on Thursday May,  28th during the period under review.
The regular six-trip Thursday schedule will however resume the following week.
The NRC reassured passengers of its commitment to providing safe, efficient and reliable rail transportation services across the country and wishes all Nigerians a peaceful and memorable Sallah celebration.
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