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Our operations are critical to preserve national peace, security– Navy 

Gloria Odion 
The Nigerian Navy has said its operations which span across the stretch of the nation’s space is critical and strategic to preserve national security.
According to the Commanding Officer of the Nigerian Navy, Forward Operating Base Badagry, Capt Leyeh Omotayo, its officers and men are also on standby to respond to any situation affecting movements of goods and citizens within designated ECOWAS space.
Omotayo, who was speaking when he received a delegation of the leadership of the ECOWAS Subregion Media Group who paid him a courtesy visit, explained that the job of the NN does not entertain any form of laxity nor compromise to crush acts of economic criminalities on Nigerian territorial waters.
The FOB CO ,who was represented during the visit on Tuesday, July 1, 2025 by the Base Staff Officer, S. Yakubu ,said the criticality of the NN to the maintenance of peace and security within the nation and the ECOWAS sub region is further emphasized by what is known as the ‘Strategic Directive’.
This philosophy , he further maintained, temanates from the Office of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla and designed as a quick response to quell developments that are detrimental to the peace and security of the nation.
One of the major credits to the FOB Badagry was a recent curtailment of attempted trespass by the Republic of Benin Navy into Nigerian territory; believed to have been speedily responded to under the CNS SD as part of the NN Internal Security assignment.
Speaking about various forms of economic criminalities within its territory stretching across the borders, Yakubu explained that most smuggling activities are planned on land before they are executed at the creeks, while some of the smuggled items are also routed through the creeks and rivers; and vice versa.
“We conduct operations in the waters and on land in the area of internal security; be it that of sovereign aggression, economic criminality or social uprising.
“We start from the brown waters and our men often go there to conduct operation before they go to sea.”
He said that the Base has regularly helped in making seizures both of customs and narcotic goods such as rice and cannabis sativa at the creeks which they later hand over to the Seme Command of the Nigeria Customs Service and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, respectively.
Yakubu further explained that of recent, the Base rescued three young
Nigerian ladies that were  trafficked out of Lagos and the victims were handed over to the Western Naval Command for onward handover to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.
“On collaboration, we work with all other government security agencies on this axis and respond to request for enhanced counter action to arrest any security situation”, Yakubu said.
This is even as the Base leadership pledged to partner with ECOWAS  Sub-Region Media Group, while urging members of the group and the media generally to give greater attention to editorials designed to sensitize and provide a new positive  orientation to the Nigerian youths bracket that criminality is a misnomer.
“The CO who was to receive you personally have to rush out for an important assignment and he asked me to tell you that the Base will partner with you for the ease and success of your task as media practitioners.
“We regard the role of both the media and NN as an important national duty and we are are willing to collaborate with you.
“The job of the NN is also a very sensitive one and the media  should recognize it for what it is and desist from sensational and negative reports that are capable of creating distrust and or peddling inaccuracies.
” We thank you for your visit and look forward to working with you.”
Yakubu lamented that the media has unfortunately helped criminally minded youths and individual groups with the propagation of their negative actions, by promoting gains of notorious criminal activities.
“For instance, insurgents in  the north and elsewhere use the media to propagate their heinous crimes, others watching will be tempted to believe that criminality pays.
” The media should be circumspect on what to promote in its news, especially regarding any form of  criminalities, political, religious, social or economic.
” This is the only way to dissuade the younger ones from believing that crimes are gainful or normal, it is a misnomer”, he said.
President of the ESMG, Mr. Ovi Manuel Kuponu who shortly before the visit became indisposed and was represented by Mr. Eguono Odjegba, emphasized the importance of availing journalists firsthand information about developments to forestall misrepresentations and imbalances in their news reportage.
He noted that the group acknowledge Navy’s critical role in safeguarding Nigeria’s territorial integrity.
This collaboration marks a significant step towards ensuring that the public stays well informed about the vital work the Nigerian Navy is doing in maintaining national security and combating illegal activities along the country’s sub regional routes, roads and waterways inclusive; in addition to responding to other internal security issues.
The representative of the CO presented a plague to the group as a commemoration of the courtesy visit.
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Customs

Beyond euphoria of WCO chairmanship: Stakeholders urge Nigeria to translate global Customs ascendency to reformation of Port industry

Funso OLOJO

The stakeholders at the maritime industry were firm and unanimous in their admonition that the Nigerian government should leverage the ascendency of Nigeria to global Customs top hierarchy to position the Port industry into a world player with improved port efficiency, world class infrastructure and automated port system.
It could be recalled that the Comptroller- General of Customs,  Adewale Adeniyi, in June, 2025 became the first Nigerian to be elected as the Chairman of the World Customs Organization(WCO).
His historic election elicited wild jubilation and encomiums as Nigerians expressed undisguised happiness over the feat.
However, maritime experts who spoke at the one- day seminar organized by the League of Maritime Editors(LOME) in Lagos on Tuesday, September 30th,2025, warned that Nigerians should not be carried away with the historic feat.
The lead speaker, Dr Eugene Nweke, the Head of Research at Sea Empowerment and Research Center (SEREC), who spoke on the theme of the seminar “Nigeria ‘s Chairmanship of WCO Council: The Impact on Nation’s Economy” advised that the position is not a trophy to decorate the shelf but rather it was a call to duty and a rare opportunity for the country to leverage  the feat to stimulate its maritime industry.
 Represented by Francis Aneze-Chukwu, Dr Nweke,  said the country’s new  customs global status will pale into insignificance if Nigeria fails to leverage the position to improve Port efficiency, engender reforms and strengthen regulatory laws to protect legitimate trade
Addressing the gathering which cut across operators of the port industry,  Nweke declared that Nigeria’s July 1, 2025 assumption of the WCO Council chair—an institution representing over 180 customs administrations and 98 percent of world trade—places the nation under an unforgiving global spotlight.
“This position is not for celebration alone; it is power to influence customs standards and champion Africa’s trade future. Leadership without domestic discipline is hollow,” he said.
He warned that despite Customs generating ₦1.3 trillion in the first quarter of 2025, port congestion and inefficiencies continue to drain an estimated $4 billion annually.
Nweke outlined six key reforms under Comptroller-General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi—Time Release Studies, data-driven inspections, advance ruling applications, the Authorized Economic Operator programme, the B’Odogwu single-window migration, and rapid cargo scanners—as the springboard to leverage Nigeria’s WCO status, but cautioned that infrastructure decay, policy flip-flops and entrenched bureaucracy could erode the gains.
Turning his focus to the media, he charged maritime journalists to “educate, interrogate and shape narratives” rather than indulge in “undue praises that make us a collective ridicule,” urging them to become professors of the maritime space and watchdogs of reform.
The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Dr. Akutah Pius Ukeyima,  who was also represented by Mrs Margaret Ogbonna, Director Regulatory Services department, insisted that Nigeria’s international leadership must be matched by “strong, clear and enforceable laws” to regulate ports and protect shippers.
He called for the urgent passage of the Nigerian Port Economic Regulatory Agency Bill to give the NSC a statutory mandate to curb monopolies, enforce competition and end opaque concession renewals.
 “The world is watching Nigeria, and credibility abroad will only be matched by credibility at home,” he warned.
The  former General Manager of Public Affairs at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Capt. Iheanacho Ebubeogwu, reminded the gathering that the Customs Service remains the frontline enforcer of border laws and the first symbol of government authority at every port.
“For us who are professionals, the rest of you can look at the signboards and say NPA ports, but we insiders know it is first a customs area.
“That is where customs enforce all border fiscal regulations, demonstrate trade facilitation, and show that they can attract foreign investment,” he said.
While congratulating the Comptroller-General on his global appointment, Ebubeogwu warned that the WCO Council is a “salad of interests—country interests, regional interests, diplomacy and politics,” and urged stakeholders to rally behind Adeniyi to protect Nigeria’s and Africa’s stake in the organization.
 He called on the maritime press to “manage his image and talk up his reputation” so that Nigeria’s tenure at the WCO strengthens the nation’s profile rather than diminishes it.
Earlier in her welcome address, President of the League of Maritime Editors, Mrs. Remi Itie, described Adeniyi’s election as “a historic moment for Nigeria” and a clear signal of the country’s growing influence in global customs affairs.
She noted that as WCO chair, Adeniyi now provides strategic leadership to the global customs agenda on trade facilitation, revenue optimization, security, and digital transformation.
But she challenged participants to go beyond celebration and interrogate how this elevation will “boost the nation’s growth index and possibly change the narrative concerning Nigeria’s trade and image abroad.”
Calling on government to harness the country’s maritime potential to create jobs for Nigeria’s vast youth population, Itie urged coastal states to look beyond federal allocations and invest in maritime opportunities such as seafaring, fishing, agro-tourism and coastal security.
“We cannot run away from global trade,” she said. “Nigeria has the natural resources to create more jobs through the nation’s maritime potentials.”
The speakers and stakeholders agreed that Nigeria’s WCO chairmanship offers a rare chance to align with global best practices on customs governance and trade facilitation.
But they stressed that prestige alone will not cut cargo dwell times that still average 20–25 days—among the worst in West Africa—nor end the corruption and inefficiency that cost traders billions.
 “Let Customs deliver, let industry comply, and let the press profess,” Nweke charged.
The speakers were unanimous in their conviction and submission that  Nigeria’s new global customs power is a weapon.
They believed that without decisive reforms, strong laws and relentless enforcement, the global recognition will remain an unused sword while the nation’s ports will continue to wallow in inefficiency and corruption.
The event witnessed presentations  of awards to deserving industry players such as the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, the Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippers Council NSC Barrister Pius Akutah, the Controller of Lagos A Federal Operations unit of Nigeria Customs Service, Comptroller MS Shuaibu.
Others were the Tin Can Island Customs Area Controller,  Comptroller Frank Onyeka, the Assistant Comptroller- General Babatunde Olomu and the Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA, Dr Dayo Mobereola.
Charles Edike, a retired Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs(ACG) presided over the event.
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NRC gears up for resumption of Abuja–Kaduna train services, opens platform for ticket payment 

Funso OLOJO 
Ahead of the scheduled resumption of passenger services on the Abuja–Kaduna Train Service (AKTS) on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, the Nigerian Railway Corporation(NRC) has opened the online ticketing platform for payment.
According to the NRC management, passengers are encouraged to book their tickets online via https://nrc.tps.ng or visit any of the designated stations to purchase their tickets.
“In preparation for the resumption of services, the journey time has been reduced following a review of the Temporary Speed Restriction (TSR) to enhance operations.
” The new schedule is as follows:
 New Timetable
Abuja – Kaduna
Idu: 8:45 AM
Kubwa: 9:10 AM
Rigasa (Arrive): 11:47 AM
Kaduna – Abuja
Rigasa: 2:30 PM
Kubwa: 5:12 PM
Idu (Arrive): 5:32 PM
“The NRC appreciates the patience and understanding of its esteemed passengers during the suspension period and assures the public that safety, comfort, and customer satisfaction remain our top priorities” the NRC declared.
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Resident alleges threat to life over report of vandalized Lagos Water Corporation infrastructure 

Our reporter
A middle aged man, Mayowa Alonge, has been accused of vandalizing a critical infrastructure belonging to the Lagos State Water Corporation (LSWC).
 The incident occurred at No. 9, Ago-Owu Street, off Kayode Street, Onipanu, Lagos State, where Alonge allegedly broke the bricks and removed the iron lid cover protecting a major pipeline interjection station along the railway axis connecting Ijora Olopa to Iju Waterworks.
According to Niyi Kolawole, the complainant and administrator of the affected family property, Alonge reportedly told some residents in October 2024 that he intended to remove the heavy iron lid of over a century-old interjection point of the LSWC pipeline in the area.
Few days later, it was observed that the bricks had been broken and the heavy iron lid over the manhole had been removed.
 This incident reportedly occurred around October 2024.
On noticing that Alonge has  allegedly  went ahead with the removal of the iron , sparking safety concerns and due to the potential environmental and safety hazards posed by the vandalism, Niyi Kolawole promptly notified the Lagos State Water Corporation in January 2025.
Prior to this, on December 13, 2024, Kolawole had submitted a petition to the Deputy Commissioner of Police,  State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Panti,Yaba, Lagos, detailing the vandalism and requesting that the alleged culprit be investigated and held accountable.
Niyi Kolawole further said, he  also wrote the Lagos State Governor on the issue, of which he later saw the letter minuted to the Lagos State Water Corporation for action , but nothing has been done up till now.
Kolawole further alleged that Mayowa Alonge was invited by the police and reportedly confessed to committing the crime and selling the iron for ₦133,000.
He also said Alonge later claimed to have bribed the officers in charge with ₦350,000 to have the case dropped.
He further alleged that during a visit to the State CID at Panti for verification, some police officers pressured him to drop the case, with one officer reportedly threatening to detain him if he returned.
Although petitions were sent to the Lagos State Government, the DCP,  Panti and the Managing Director of Lagos State Water Corporation and agents visited the crime scene to verify the claims, no action has been taken to address the issue so far .
Furthermore, Kolawole said for being a good citizen by reporting such collateral damage to government asset and threat to human lives , instead of being commended, he is being threatened, including Mayowa Alonge and his relatives, lamenting that his life and  that of his family is in great danger.
Kolawole is therefore urging the Lagos State Government to urgently secure the manhole with a durable lid like the old type to prevent flooding and potential accidents involving children and pedestrians, particularly as the culprit continues to evade justice and community safety being risked.
In response  to our reporter phone call, the accused, Mayowa Alonge, said he removed the said Lagos State Water Cooperation manhole lid when they carried out renovation  of their grand father’s house where they currently reside at No 9,Ago- Owu Street, off Kayode Street, Onipanu.
The renovation, he said, was jointly funded with Debo Kolawole who is his cousin and a brother to Niyi.
He further  explained that the manhole lid is  located at the setback between their house and the railway line known as railway axis interjection station running from Ijora Olopa to Iju Water Works, Lagos State.
Alonge  further said Niyi petitioned the State Criminal Investigation Department(SCID), Musiliu Smith Street, Panti -Yaba, Lagos accusing him of taking the said lid and sold to scrap metal dealers.
 “I never sold the water Cooperation manhole lid nor bragged of bribing the police.
“I told the police I sold the metal scraps removed from the renovated house for ₦133,000.
“The police however ordered me to go and replace the lid. I have not been able to do so because I presently do not have any job to enable me fund it. Am hopeful of doing so soonest”, Mayowa Alonge, the accused, told our reporter on phone .
On the other hand , when our reporter called the Chief Security Officer(CSO) of the Lagos State Water Cooperation, Mr Babajide Kassim and Mr Bimbo an independent security agent sent to investigate the vandalism, both declined to speak when contacted.
They both evaded answering the questions  from our reporter that  bothered on safety of Lagosians and criminality rather was seeking to know  how our reporter was able to get  their phone numbers regardless of the fact they are public figures. They however abruptly terminated the calls with our reporter.
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