Ships & Ports Newspaper

Vol. 17 No. 1658 MONDAY, MARCH 13, 2023
SHIPS PORTS
D A I L Y
...the voice of the maritime industry
Ease of Doing Business:
FG ranks Customs,
Shippers' Council low
WINNER
BEST
MARITIME
MEDIA
AWARD
INSIDE
CONTINUES ON PAGE 3
APM Terminals
APM Terminals
Apapa gave me
Apapa gave me
opportunity to
opportunity to
thrive - female
thrive - female
crane operator
crane operator
APM Terminals
Apapa gave me
opportunity to
thrive - female
crane operator
Nigeria's
total trade
hits N11.7tr
in Q4 2022
EU enforces
EU enforces
new rules
new rules
on inbound
on inbound
airfreight
airfreight
EU enforces
new rules
on inbound
airfreight
Freight agent
jailed ive
years for drug
traf icking
Page
4
Ourcompanyisaleaderintheprivateterminaloperationsectorofoureconomyand
hasinvestedheavilyinouroperationsovertheyears.Thefollowingvacanciesexist
forbusinessmindedindividualstojoinourworkforceinthefollowingcapacities.
TERMINALOPERATIONSMANAGER:
Ÿ Bachelor s degree or HND in Social Sciences, Transport Management.
Ÿ Must have minimum years experience in port terminal operations.
Ÿ Ideal candidate must possess good oral and written communication skills.
Ÿ Effective organizational and multitasking skills.
DELIVERYCLERKS:
Ÿ MinimumofONDinTransportManagementorSocialSciences.
Ÿ years experienceinlogisticsandterminaloperations
SUPERINTENDENTS:
Ÿ Minimum of HND or Bachelor s degree in Transport Management Social
Sciences.
Ÿ Musthaveminimumof yearsmaritimeexperienceinterminaloperations.
SUPERVISOR:
Ÿ Minimum of HND degree in Transport Management, logistics and social
sciences.
Ÿ Musthavebetween - yearsmaritimeexperienceinterminaloperation.
LEGALOFFICER:
Ÿ CandidatesmustpossessBachelor sDegreeinLaw LLMcouldbeanadded
advantage
Ÿ - years experiencepostscalltobar.
Ÿ Knowledgeorworkexperienceinmaritimelawisarequirement.
Ÿ Abilitytocopewithhighlevelsofresponsibilityandconﬁdentialmatters.
Ÿ Excellentcommunicationskills,bothwrittenandoral.
REMUNERATION:
Ÿ Beneﬁts which are designed to attract the best candidates are competitive
andnegotiable.
METHODOFAPPLICATION
Ÿ Interested applicants should forward their detailed cv within two
weeksofpublicationto:THEHUMANRESOURCEMANAGER,
P.O.BOX ,APAPA,LAGOSORemail:maritimejobs gmail.com
VACANCY

MONDAY, MARCH 13, 2023
How has the currency crisis affected clearing of goods at the port?
Clearing of good at the
ports in Nigeria is cash
dependent and until we
m o v e a w a y f r o m t h i s
phenomenon we will continue to
have issues whenever there is cash
crunch. The cashless policy in
Nigeria was introduced since
2012 by the Sanusi Lamido-led
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)
administration with the aim of
reducing physical cash in our
system and cut down corruption.
Had it been we have fully
integrated this policy since then
without reading our greed to it, this current situation wouldn't have been
anissueinour business operation.
The cash dependent business like ours need to be transformed immediately.
Doing business in our ports without cash will reduce expenses, no one is expected
to part with cash that is not available unnecessarily. Every receipt payments are
made through bank transfer and with ease; no more free cash in individual pockets
withimpunity.
The corrupt minded personnel's in our society will continue to make things
difficult and hinder clearing procedures for selfish reasons. These unscrupulous
individuals are making things difficult in our ports. They delay our consignment
until you go extra mile to get cash at exorbitant rates. Most times they give their
boys account details to transfer bribes because our people are not coming clean.
Until customs brokers and freight forwarders learn to do business under the extant
rulesandprocedure,wewillcontinuetohavehumandelaysintradefacilitation.
ISSUES IN THE NEWS
ISSUES IN THE NEWS
ISSUES IN THE NEWS
Austin O. Nwosu
Compiled by Tosin Aribisala
The currency crisis going
on in the country has
affected a lot of things
because everything one does
involves money. You have to pay
money to do a lot of things like the
logistics chain and so on. The
m o n e y i s n o t t h e r e a n d
everything has come to a
standstill. The government came
out with a policy that was not well
thought out; they didn't look at the
negative effect. They are only
looking at the positive effect
which is beneficial to them alone.
As a result of this, there is a complete standstill of operation at the port because
there is no money to pay for anything and people cannot do anything money
transaction other than to be watching.The government is losing money, the freight
forwarders have no money to do business with nor take care of their families. In
fact, it has actually disrupted and disorganized the whole value chain in the freight
forwarding industry. This crisis has impacted people negatively. The government
needs to have a meeting with the stakeholders to discuss the way out of the
problemassoon aspossible.
Fred Akokhia
Since the CBN policy on the
new naira took effect, there
has been a slowdown in
cargo clearance at the port
because it now takes days for
shipping and terminal charges to
be processed by customs licensed
agents online and in the banking
halls. Aside from using various
online payments, agents that go
physically to the banking halls to
make payments are also not
finding it easy as many banks are
now complaining of several days
of network fluctuation and total
network failurein some cases.The situationis worsened by the lackof cash in
circulation as many agents and importers now use interbank transfers, which, in
mostcases,takelongerdays toeithergothroughorreverse.
Chris Agba
There is a serious problem and
frustration in Nigeria
presently. Agents are finding
it difficult to clear containers in the
port because one needs money to
move files from table to table at the
port. If you do not have cash at hand,
your document will likely remain on
one table for days and even weeks,
and the longer the delay, the higher
the demurrage and storage rent the
person will pay. Even online
transaction is bad for now because of
network issue. I had to pay a lot for
demurrage and storage rent to the
shipping company due to the delay in clearing the container I have been
processing for months now. Clearing cargo in Nigeria's seaport had always been a
challengebutnow aggravatedbythehighrateofpaymentfailure.
Ugochukwu Nnadi
This is dangerously affecting
the clearing of goods at the
port. Paying of duty is now a
problem and money is always
required to clear goods. This policy
has affected a lot of businesses. I
know what the government wants to
implement is a cashless policy but it is
coming at a wrong time. It would be
better if the government allows old
naira notes to be paid into the bank
and by so doing, it will ease off
gradually and the economy would be
betterthanitis.
Frank Aliakor
Money is the livewire of
e v e r y e c o n o m y.
Currently, the effect of
lack of money in the economy
slows down every pace of doing
business in the port because
money has to be paid to shipping
c o m p a n i e s a n d t e r m i n a l
operators. Without that there will
be no transaction. Most of these
companies are not willing to
accept transfers because of
network problem and there is no
cash availability to pay either,
hence the delays of goods at the port. Cashless policy is a very good one because it
helps every economy but it depends on how sincere the government is about this
that would determine the good intention of going into it. If it is based on their
selfish interest, automatically it will be from bad to worse. The truth is the
currency crisis is affecting the maritime industry badly but I believe
everything will stabilize very soon. I want to urge the government and most
especially the CBN governor to make cash available at the bank and the crisis will
fizzle out but if cash is not made available, definitely to remove the old naira notes
fromthesystemwould behard.
Emeka Chukwumalu
Imust say the currency crisis is
bearable because the payment of
duty is done in the bank and
through an app, which is mobile
banking. So, the clearing of goods
have been smooth except when it
comes to the use of truck because
most of them don't have a bank
account and that can be a challenge.
This is a government policy and the
citizens have to adjust to it but where
the policy becomes harsh as it is now,
there is need for the CBN governor to
extend the deadline and listen to the
SupremeCourttoseeaway thepolicycanbenefiteveryone.
Stanley Ezenga

newbuildingcapacity,”saidAlphaliner.
The consultant said the IMO's CII (Carbon Intensity
Indicator) regulations that come into force for shipping next
year could have some effect on vessel supply, as non-
compliant ships would be forced to reduce speeds to meet the
new standards, which could advance a shipowner's
scrappingoptions.
However, the jury is out on the impact of the CII
regulations, given that many ships already operate at well
beloworiginalservicespeeds toconservefuel.
Gender imbalance in the maritime sector
he 2023 International Women's Day celebrated
Tlast Wednesday offered another opportunity to
appraiseinclusivityinmaledominatedindustries.
TheInternationalWomen'sDayisaglobaleventfocusing
on women's rights and gender equality. It was set aside to
celebrate the accomplishments of women in areas like
economy,education,culture,politicsandthesocietyatlarge.It
is also an opportunity to examine progress made regarding
genderimbalanceanddeterminegapsthatneedtobefilled.
While it appears the world is becoming more inclusive
in many ways, there are still many issues that need to be
addressed especially in sectors that are typically male
dominated like the maritime where the gender equality gap
is still very wide and unacceptable. For instance, less than
two per cent of women make up the workforce in the sector
while female seafarers make up only 1.2 per cent of the
seafaringworkforce.
While government agencies and private companies
have tried to develop various policies and initiatives
including training, mentorship and networking
opportunities to integrate more women into the sector, the
gap remains intolerably wide largely due to certain deep-
seatedprejudicesandperceptions.
Male-dominated industries and occupations are
particularly vulnerable to reinforcing harmful stereotypes
and creating unfavourable environments that make it even
more difficult for women to excel. Female seafarers
particularly face daunting career prospects, not due to the
type of work they do, but because of discrimination and
othersocialprejudicesconfrontingthem.
Many studies have established gender-based
discrimination and harassment in the sector, especially
against women at sea.TheWomen's International Shipping
and Trading Association (WISTA) International last year
released results of an in-depth survey, with shocking
figures on gender-based discrimination against women,
onboard harassment, and bullying. Of the 1,128 female
seafarers who responded to the survey, 66% said male
employees had harassed and intimidated female co-
workers, 60% reported experiencing gender-based
discrimination onboard while 25% believed that in the
shipping sector, physical and sexual harassment is
common, occurring on board and involving intrusions on
their privacy. The results of the in-depth survey are
significantly worse than those reported in 2021 by a UK-
Dutch union for maritime professionals, Nautilus. A 10-
year Social Conditions Survey of Nautilus members – the
largest independent survey of seafarers worldwide –
showed that women seafarers still face unfair obstacles
during their careers. When asked about bullying and
harassment onboard, a number of respondents highlighted
their experiences of sexism and sexual harassment - a
major issue facing women at sea. Nearly a third of the
members reported experiencing bullying or harassment
onboardships.
Women in the maritime sector also have to deal with
the problem of acceptance, where they may feel left out or
ignored. A yet-to-be-published study commissioned by
Ships & Ports suggests that many female seafarers believed
they were discriminated against by their male counterparts
who don't regardthemasgood enoughonthejob.
At the core of the International Women's Day is a
rallying cry for action. While some organisations merely
use the day for promotional purposes, it is imperative to
point out the need for deliberate and sustained action to
address gender imbalance at various levels of the society
by dealing with the problems of stereotyping,
objectification and sexual harassment of female workers in
male dominated industries. Private organisations and
government agencies in the Nigerian maritime sector must
take the lead through measurable interventions to address
harmfulgendernorms.
The International Chamber of Shipping estimates a
global shortage of 89,510 seafarers by 2026. This potential
shortage can be filled by encouraging more women to work
at sea. Women must therefore be made to feel welcome in
everypartof themaritimesector.
All affected jurisdictions globally should pay close
attention through their competition authorities to ensure
the market is not distorted, and put in place a mechanism to
intervene quickly to protect shippers and consumers
worldwide.
Small containerships likely to face the chopping block
“Demolition will be the main way to cut supply and
mitigate overcapacity risks,” saidAlphaliner, “but it remains
to be seen how much of the fleet could effectively be torched,
consideringitsaverageageof justunder14 years.”
According to Alphaliner data, the global cellular
containership fleet comprises 5,627 vessels, for a total
capacity of 25.5 million TEU,
withanaverageageof 13.5 years.
However, that average is
skewed by the oldest ships being
in the smallest sizes, with for
example small feeder vessels of
500 to 999 TEU having an
average age of 17 years, including
239 ships that are 20 years old and
above.
In the post-panamax 5,300
to 7,499 TEU sizes, Alphaliner's
data shows an average age of 16
years, with 115 ships in the sector
aged20 andolder.
A c r o s s a l l t h e s i z e s ,
Alphaliner calculates a total
capacity of 655,149 TEU of ships
of 25 years of age and older, but if
the barrier was lowered to
include, say, ships over 20 years
old, that figure would jump to
around2.5 millionTEU.
Assuming demolition prices
persuaded shipowners to send
their ships to the scrapyards and
that the recycling market
supported the big influx of ships,
even a record figure of 2.5 million TEU of containership
scrapping during 2023 and 2024 would be insufficient to
mitigate the tsunami of newbuild tonnage expected to hit the
seas inthenexttwo years.
A period of aggressive vessel scrapping will be
required to address a looming “severe risk of
overcapacity”incontainershipping.
But the likely demolition candidates are in the smaller
sizes, where newbuild orders are sparse. The lack of
investment in replacing smaller containerships in recent
years, in comparison to the rush to
order ULCVs, has resulted in the
industrybecoming'top heavy'.
Alphaliner says there is “zero
potential” for the scrapping of
ships between 12,000 and 24,000
TEU, given their much younger
ages.
The orderbook stands at 7.3
million TEU, representing 28% of
the global fleet, with another 2.3
million TEU expected to be
delivered next year and 2.8 million
TEUstemmedfor2024.
Scrapping has been virtually
non-existent in the containership
sector this year, with strong
demand, port congestion and
e l e v a t e d d a i l y h i r e r a t e s
continuing to support deployment
of everyserviceablevessel.
However, with demand
collapsing on several tradelanes,
particularly since China's Golden
Week holiday at the start of the
month, the inactive fleet is set to
spike dramatically in the coming
weeks as carriers off-hire as much
charteredintonnageaspossibleandidlesomeoftheirownships.
“As the world edges toward what could be a lasting
recession, with an anticipated drop in seaborne trade, the
market will likely not be able to absorb such a flood of
SHIPS PORTS
D A I L Y
PUBLISHER/
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Bolaji Akinola, PhD
CONTRIBUTORS
Jite Eriabie
Abolanle Oluwatola
Oluwatoyin Amao
Enyeribe Anyanwu
WEB MASTER
Muyiwa Sonuyi
ADMINISTRATION
Oluwatosin Rotimi
Folasade Adedokun
Aminat Abdulkareem
DESIGN/GRAPHICS
Oluwaseun Mosaku
ADVERTISING/SALES
info@shipsandports.com.ng
©Ships & Ports Communication Company 2023

purpose of the MoU, the
Chief of Naval Engineering,
Rear Admiral Lawal said, “It
is expected that in the nearest
future, both parties would
develop capacity in the area
of oil and gas exploration and
to establish a factory that will
producemilitaryequipment.
“The MoU will provide
engineering training facilities
a n d s k i l l a c q u i s i t i o n
enhancement to support the
Nigerian Navy. It will
p r o v i d e e n g i n e e r i n g ,
research and development
training and capacity
development to the Nigerian
Navy personnel and support
other activities incidental to
e n g i n e e r i n g s e r v i c e s ,
research and development
in the Nigerian Navy for the
overall development of
N i g e r i a n m a r i t i m e
industry.”
NigerianNavy,NASENIsignMoUtobuildships,defenceweapons
relationship will develop
facilities that could ease our
work in local development of
our infrastructures and
reducecapitalflight.
He said the Nigerian
Navy would become fully
active in developing their
own ship, design and
fabrication of components
andspareparts.
According to him, the
Nigerian Navy, working
together with NASENI
would strengthen the naval
capacity and manpower to do
more and to take ownership
o f t h e c o u n t r y ' s
infrastructuraldevelopment.
The Chief of Naval
Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal
Zubairu Gambo described the
MoU as historic, saying it
would strengthen inter-
agency relationships for
maritimedevelopment.
“The MoU will not end
on paper but will ensure the
u t i l i z a t i o n o f m u t u a l
relationship between the two
parties in research and
development that could
enhance development of
Nigeria sustainability,”
Gambosaid.
Elaborating on the
nauticalequipment.
E x e c u t i v e V i c e
Chairman of NASENI,
Mohammed Sani Haruna, said
the collaboration will reduce
capital flight and strengthen
nationaldevelopment.
Speaking at the MoU
signing ceremony which took
p l a c e a t t h e n a v a l
headquarters in Abuja,
Haruna said, “The creativity
and ingenuity of the present
crop of Nigerian naval
personnel was what attracted
NASENI management to
approach the leadership of the
force for partnership. The
h e N a t i o n a l
TAgency for Science
a n d E n g i n e e r i n g
Infrastructure (NASENI) and
the Nigerian Navy on
We d n e s d a y s i g n e d a
M e m o r a n d u m o f
understanding (MoU) to
jointly develop and produce
maritime platforms including
vessels and defence weapons
for theuseofnavalofficers.
The MoU also covers
other areas including
research, development and
training to enhance local
content, technology transfer
and reverse engineering of
Oduwole
CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE
FG ranks Customs...
u a w e i
HTechnologies has
debunked a media report
alleging that it has concluded
plans to sue the Federal
government in London over a
$304 million e-customs
project over moves by the
Nigeria Customs Service
( N C S ) t o a w a r d t h e
concession agreement to
anothercompany.
Huawei Technologies is
one of the Special Purpose
Vehicle (SPV) partners in the
disputed $304 million e-
Customsproject.
In a statement issued
Monday, the Director of
Public Relations of Huawei,
Kelvin Yang explained that
the company has no intention
of suing the Nigerian
government over the matter
adding that Huawei remains
committed to its long-term
partnership with Nigeria and
will continue exploring
opportunities to support its
technologicaldevelopment.
The statement reads:
“Our attention has been
to advance the digital
transformation agenda and
unlock new opportunities for
economic growth and social
development.
H e s a i d H u a w e i
remained committed to
transparency and open
communication with all its
stakeholders and will
continue to provide accurate
and timely information to the
publicasappropriate.
“We urge media outlets
to exercise caution and verify
t h e i r s o u r c e s b e f o r e
publishing news related to
H u a w e i o r a n y o t h e r
c o m p a n y, a s f a l s e o r
misleading news can have
serious consequences,
including damaging the
reputation of companies and
harming their relationships
with partners and customers.
Huawei looks forward to
continuing its partnership
with the Nigerian government
and contributing to the
c o u n t r y ' s d i g i t a l
transformation journey,” the
statementadded.
leader, Huawei has always
been committed to partnering
w i t h g o v e r n m e n t s ,
businesses, and communities
around the world to drive
innovation and foster
sustainablegrowth”.
Yang noted that Huawei
believes that technology can
play a transformative role in
improving people's lives and
helping countries achieve
their development goals
adding that the company is
committed to working with
the Nigerian government and
other partners in the country
drawn to a news story with
the headline “$176b Revenue
at Risk as Huawei moves to
sue FG in London over
$304M e-customs project”
published on Monday, March
6, 2023. It is essential to state
that Huawei Technologies
Nigeria Limited is the
technical partner in the e-
custom project. As the
technical partner, our role is
to support the project with
our technical expertise to
improve the digitalisation of
thecustomsprocess.
“As a global technology
E-Customsproject:HuaweidebunksplantosueFG
would need time to respond,”
hesaid.
He further informed the
court that both parties had
also met and agreed on an
adjournment.
The counsel for the first
defendant, W.O. Busari, and
the counsel for the second
defendant, E.D. Onyeke, both
confirmedtheposition.
Consequently, Justice
Adebiyi adjourned till Friday,
March 24, 2023, for the
adoption of final written
addresses, with respect to the
no-casesubmissions.
Olopoenia and a company,
Gama Marine Nigeria Ltd.
before the charge was
amended to involve only both
ofthem.
At Monday'ssitting, the
prosecuting counsel, Rotimi
Oyedepo, SAN, informed the
court that the prosecution had
done its part by responding to
the final written address of
the defence and that the
response had been served on
thedefense.
“We served them on the
25th of February 2023, but
they informed me that they
were initially charged
alongside Governor Juan,
Vincent Udoye, Ekene
Nwakuche, Adegboyega
Justice R.I.B Adebiyi
of the State High
Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos,
on Monday, March 6, 2023,
further adjourned till March
24, 2023 for the adoption of
final written addresses in
relation to the no-case
submissions filed by both
Patrick Akpobolokemi, a
former Director General,
N i g e r i a n M a r i t i m e
Administration and Safety
Agency (NIMASA), and a
former Executive Director of
the agency, Ezekiel Bala
Agaba, who are both facing
trial over an alleged N754.8
millionfraud.
Akpobolokemi and
Agaba, who are alleged to
have defrauded NIMASA,
Akpobolokemi:CourtadjournstillMarch24foradoptionofwrittenaddresses
debt burdens would make it
extremely difficult for LDCs
to meet the 2030 agenda for
t h e 1 7 s u s t a i n a b l e
developmentgoals(SDGs).
“In 2015, the world
came together to endorse the
2030 agenda for the 17
sustainable development goals.
There was no doubt that it was
highly ambitious and would
require leaders around the
world to be fully committed for
the SDGs to be achieved within
theprojectedtimeframe.
in regional and global value
chains.
The President spoke at
the UN conference of LDCs
in Doha, the capital of Qatar,
according to a statement on
Monday by his spokesperson,
GarbaShehu.
He criticised the current
structure of the global
financial system which places
an “unsustainable external
debt burden on the most
vulnerablecountries”.
Buhari warned that such
r e s i d e n t
PM u h a m m a d u
B u h a r i h a s c a l l e d o n
countries to grant duty-free
and quota-free market access
for products originating from
least developed countries
(LDCs).
Nigeria is not among the
4 6 n a t i o n s c u r r e n t l y
identified as LDCs by the
UnitedNations(UN).
Buhari said granting
such market access to LDCs
will ensure their integration
Buharicallsforduty-freemarketaccessforleastdevelopedcountries
Akpobolokemi

increased in the fourth quarter
by 7.17% and 10.28% when
compared to the amount
recorded in the third quarter of
2022.
Thereportalsonotedthat
conversely, total imports
declined by 15.46% in the
fourth quarter of 2022
compared to the value
recorded in the third quarter
of 2022 (N6.343.53 trillion)
and fell by 9.73% when
compared to the value
r e c o r d e d i n t h e
corresponding quarter of
2021(N5.940.58 trillion).
Buhari: Lagos train accident extremely sad, distressing
NPAawardscompletesfencingofTin-Canport
Transportation, Jaji Muazu
Sambo has expressed sadness
overtheaccident.
In a press statement
made available to SHIPS &
PORTS, the minister who
prayed for the repose of the
victims commended the
Lagos State Government,
N a t i o n a l E m e r g e n c y
Management Agency and
concerned Nigerians who
swung into action after the ill-
fated incident to ensure the
site was cleared and the
injured got immediate
treatment.
“We pray for eternal
repose for those who have lost
their lives and we pray the
Almighty God grant them
eternal rest and we pray for
speedy recovery to the
injured.We commiserate with
the families of the victims and
particularly the Governor and
people of Lagos state. Please
accept our deepest concerns
andcondolences.
“We also appreciate the
cooperation we got from the
Lagos State Government,
NEMA and concerned
Nigerians who swung into
action after the ill-fated
incident to ensure the site was
cleared and the injured got
immediate treatment,” the
ministersaid.
M e a n w h i l e , t h e
Minister of Aviation, Hadi
Sirika, has directed the
Nigerian Safety Investigation
Bureau (NSIB) to commence
an immediate investigation
intotheLagostrainaccident.
“Following the report of
a collision of a passenger
train and a bus conveying
workers to their work places
in Lagos Thursday morning,
Minister of Aviation, Senator
Hadi Sirika has directed the
Nigerian Safety Investigation
Bureau experts to commence
Immediate investigation into
the accident,” a statement
released by Sirika's Special
Assistant on Public Affairs,
JamesOdaudu, said.
The Minister assured the
public of the capacity of the
NSIB to unravel the immediate
and remote causes of the
accident and proffer ways of
preventingsuchinthefuture.
of the many who were
injured.”
T h e p r e s i d e n t
commended the Lagos State
authorities and Federal
Government agencies for
promptly getting involved in
reliefwork.
A train and a bus
conveying workers to their
work places in Lagos collided
on Thursday morning, killing
six people and leaving many
injured.
Lagos State Governor,
Babajide Sanwo-Olu has
declared three days mourning
for those that died in the
accident.
Also, the Minister of
over the accident at Shogunle
areaofIkeja,Lagos.
In a statement issued by
his media aide, Garba Shehu,
Buhari said, “The accident at
the level crossing involving
the train and the BRT staff bus
is distressing and extremely
sad. I pray for the souls of the
deceased and quick recovery
r e s i d e n t
PM u h a m m a d u
Buhari has described the train
accident involving a staff bus
and a train which claimed six
lives in Lagos on Thursday
morning as distressing and
extremelysad.
The President said this
while expressing sympathy
he Nigerian Ports
TAuthority (NPA)
said it has completed the
perimeter fencing of the Tin-
Can Island Port Complex,
Lagos.
Tin-Can Island is the
second port largest port
complex in Nigeria, next only
to the Lagos Port Complex
Apapa in terms of size and
capacity. Commissioned on
October 14, 1977, the port sits
on 73hectaresofland.
However, for more than a
decade, a good section of the
quay apron at the port has
caved in while the perimeter
fencing has also collapsed thus
makingitporous.
H o w e v e r , N P A
M a n a g i n g D i r e c t o r ,
Mohammed Bello-Koko,
during a visit to the port on
Friday, said the perimeter
fencing was done to enhance
security.
Addressing journalists
during the visit, he said, “We
can see that Tin-Can has now
port corridor. We went to
those islands to ensure the
residents there that do not
need to be there were
removed,”hefurtherstated.
He assured of prompt
repair of port access roads as
well as dilapidated roads
withintheport.
“People are complaining
of the road leading to the port
which is the responsibilities of
the Federal Government of
Nigeria through the Federal
Ministry of Works. We felt we
should ensure that the roads
within the port are in good
state and thus the ongoing
rehabilitation. It has started
raining in Lagos and we came
to look at the level of
execution of the contract we
awarded,”hesaid.
H e s a i d t h a t t h e
c o n t r a c t o r , A v a l o n
Intercontinental Nigeria Ltd,
has assured him that a section
of the road under repair at Tin
Can Island Port would be
readyintwoweeks.
fence but are looking at the
best option due to the soft
nature of the ground. So, if we
can't fence the waterfront
what we should do is patrol it,
restrict access into the port
from the waterside using the
patrolboatsandsurveillance.
“Our security men are up
to the task and we will keep
giving them all the tools that
they need to improve their
communication. We will keep
improving it and we will buy
more patrol boats to ensure
the waterfront is also
secured,”hesaid.
He also said that NPA
was engaging leaders of
communities around the port
waterfront to reduce security
breachattheport.
“We are engaging them
through community and
stakeholders interactions. We
are also working with Lagos
State Government. We once
had the 360 degrees operation
in which we went round to
remove all shanties along the
been fenced using concrete
walls from the outside. The
essence is to secure the port,
not just because of safety but
also to restrict entrance.
There are individuals that just
wake up in the morning and
want to come into the port
withno business intheport.
“By reducing the number
of persons, by restricting entry
into the port, you are ensuring
that we reduce pilfering and
theft, reduce thugs and
miscreants into the port. Then
it will create an enabling
business environment within
the port location as referred
by the International Ship and
PortFacility(ISPS) Code.”
Bello-Kokoalsosaidthat
NPA was in talks with the
Nigerian Navy to increase
patrol of the waterfronts to
reduceincidentsattheport.
“Weareworkingwiththe
Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS)
Beecroft and there are parts of
the port along the waterway
that we felt we should also
Again,containerfallsofftruckonOjuelegbaBridge
lawyer, Uche Okoronkwo,
pleaded with the court to
temper justice with mercy
insentencinghis client.
Justice Aneke, in his
judgment, sentenced the
convict to five years
imprisonment in each of
thecounts.
The judge, however,
gave him an option of
N5m, in lieu of the jail
terms and also ordered him
to perform a 100-day
communityservice.
Justice Aneke also
o r d e r e d t h a t t h e
confiscated drugs be
destroyed if there was no
a p p e a l a g a i n s t t h e
judgment after the period
prescribedbythelaw.
punishable under Section
20(2)(a) of the NDLEA
Act Cap N30 Laws of the
Federation of Nigeria,
2004.
The convict pleaded
guiltytothecharges.
Following his guilty
plea, the prosecutor urged
the court to convict and
s e n t e n c e h i m i n
accordance with Sections
247 of the Administration
of the Criminal Justice Act
2015.
He also urged the
court to allow his agency
to destroy the seized drugs
at the expiration of the
appeal period to the
judgment.
But the convict's
Nigeria Police Force were
seen at the scene of the
accident trying to instill order
and remove the fallen
container.
A n o f fi c i a l o f
LASTMA, who identified
himself as Mr Idowu, said
there was no casualty as a
resultof theaccident.
Recall that on Sunday
January 29, eleven people –
two children and nine adults –
died after a truck conveying a
20ft container fell on top of a
c o m m e r c i a l b u s a t
Ojuelegba.
The National Bureau
of Statistics (NBS)
said Nigeria's total trade in the
fourth quarter of 2022 was
N11.722trillion.
According to a report by
the NBS, the country exported
N6.359 trillion goods, whule it
imported N5.36 trillion goods
intheperiodunderreview.
The document noted that
on annual basis, total trade hit
N52.387 trillion. Total annual
imports were N25.5 trillion,
while total annual exports
wereN26.7trillion.
NBS said total exports
Nigeria'stotaltradehits
N11.7trinQ42022
container fell off a
Atruck in the early
hours of Friday morning on
OjuelgbaBridge,Lagos.
The accident has in turn
hindered commuters and
vehicular movement in the
area. Commuters had to look
for alternative routes to get to
their places of work while
othersresortedtotrekking.
Officials of the Lagos
S t a t e E m e r g e n c y
M a n a g e m e n t A g e n c y
(LASEMA), Lagos State
T r a f fi c M a n a g e m e n t
Authority (LASTMA) and
Nwagu, told the court that
the convict was arrested on
January 9, 2023, with the
banned substances, which
he planned to export to
Dubai, United Arab
Emirates, at the export
shed of the Murtala
Muhammed International
Airport,Ikeja,Lagos.
N w a g u s a i d t h e
convict was arrested with
900 grammes of Tramadol
225mg, 100 grammes of
Rohypnol and grammes of
Ecstasy, which are all
psychotropic substances
similar to heroin and
cocaine.
According to the
prosecutor, the offence
committed contravened
Section 20(1)(a) and is
he Federal High
TCourt sitting in
Lagos State has convicted
and sentenced a 55-year-
old freight agent, Oyeyemi
Sharafadeen, to five years
i m p r i s o n m e n t f o r
exporting several banned
substances.
J u s t i c e
Chukwuejekwu Aneke
handed down the jail term
after Sharafadeen pleaded
guilty to three counts of
unlawful export of the
b a n n e d s u b s t a n c e s
preferred against him by
the National Drug and Law
Enforcement Agency
(NDLEA).
D u r i n g h i s
arraignment, the NDLEA
prosecutor, Augustine
Freightagentjailed iveyearsfordrugtraf icking

Nigeria, we not only give equal
opportunities to both genders, but we
also actually go the extra mile to
encourage female participation in
some of the fields and roles where
you have limited participation of
females. We also ensure we have
female representation in the
leadership cadre of the organisation
and create an enabling environment
for them to succeed in whatever
roles they have within the
company.”
Not to confuse equality with
equity, a distinction must be made
between the two. General Manager,
Legal and Corporate Affairs, APM
Terminals Nigeria, Chinenye Miriam
Deinde, while noting the difference,
described as positive, the shift in the
IWDthemefromequalitytoequity.
She says, “Equality means I
share resources to people equally
irrespective of their specific needs.
Equitymeansapportioningresources
to persons according to their specific
needs in such a way as to level the
playing field for everyone. What
women want to see is employers
looking beyond absolute values and
determining what support each
employee needs. Women for
example may need additional
support to be at par with their male
colleagues.”
Additional support such as the
APM Terminals Strategies for
Success (SFS), a training program
Since 2019 when the Federal
Government approved
women working night shifts,
Nigeria's largest container terminal,
APM Terminals Apapa, began a
c o n c e r t e d e ff o r t t o c r e a t e
opportunities for women in its
largelymale-dominatedoperations.
Startingwiththeemploymentof
female crane operators that same
year, the company has gone on to
introduce more gender friendly
policies as regards its female
employees. Women can now be
found in previously male dominated
roles such as the planning
department and banksmen. With
t h i s y e a r ' s t h e m e f o r t h e
International Women's Day being
“equity for all”, female employees
across the three APM Terminals
facilities in Nigeria take stock and
review the company's contributions
towardsgenderbalance.
O n e o f s u c h a r e a s i s
encouraging women to not only
aspire for leadership positions but to
also undergo specific training
programs designed to position them
for roles in leadership and
management. Already, at terminal
levels across the country and the
national level, APM Terminals has
sixwomeninmanagement.
Senior Human Resource
Business Partner, APM Terminals
Nigeria, Uzoma Ngozi Ben-Ude,
reiterates, “In APM Terminals
APM Terminals Nigeria: Narrowing the gap in gender equity
ChinenyeMiriamDeinde
introspection on how to become
better. This has expectedly led to an
increase in the number of female
employees with remarkable
presence in roles that previously
enjoyedonlymalepresence.
“In APM Terminals Nigeria,
women are also stamping their
presence in leadership positions,
where, along with their male
counterparts, they are held
accountable for progress in diversity
a n d i n c l u s i o n a g e n d a ,
demonstrating APM Terminals'
commitment to the cause,” she
says.
Making gender friendly
policies and enabling equity in the
work environment is not without its
challenges and pitfalls. As with all
positive ideas and policies, there is
always the human element to look
out for. Uzoma aptly captures this.
She says, “Biases and stereotypes
always come in the way of having a
truly diverse work environment.
There are stereotypes about roles
that should be done by men and
women and sometimes people are
not open to the possibilities of
having the female gender in certain
roles and levels of responsibility
withintheorganisation.
“In addition, people perceive
creating an enabling environment
for women as creating double
standards and as such might not
welcome the opportunity for
inclusion, and we therefore can lose
specifically designed to position
women in the junior cadre and
middle management level, for
leadershippositions.
For RTG Operator, APM
Terminals/West African Container
Terminals Onne, Goodhope
Rowland, the IWD theme resonates
on a more personal level. She says, “I
always look forward to every theme
t h a t c o m e s w i t h t h e I W D
celebration. On a personal level, it's
usually an opportunity to get
curious and learn something new
about a topic. This year's theme
resonates a lot with me, when I think
of not just the opportunity that I've
been given to play in a unique space,
but also the privilege of being well
equipped to function and succeed in
that space, regardless of social
definition of concepts such as
gender. Now that is what Embrace
Equity means, it's about fairness,
giving people equal access to
opportunities, dismantling, and
strategically addressing systemic
oppression and inequalities that
potentially stall progress of any
kind. Inequalities could be racism,
gender discrimination and more, but
in the context of the IWD
celebration, it's all about gender
gaps and differences in the
workplace.”
One cannot speak of equity
without inclusion, enabling
employees feel comfortable and
confidentofthemselves,workingina
way that allows them deliver your
businessneeds.
Customer Service Officer,APM
Terminals/WACT, Adaeze Ojukwu,
says, Historically, the terminal and
shipping business is a male
dominated space, with unimaginable
o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r w o m e n .
Consequently, as part of its strategy
of becoming a Safer, Better and
Bigger Terminal, APM Terminals
has been on a journey of enabling a
highly diverse and inclusive
workplace, actively enhancing
more female involvement in the
business, and ensuring everyone is
given a fair chance to succeed in any
capacity, taking into cognizance the
differences and individual needs of
eachwoman.
Adaeze adds that in her time
with APM Terminals, the company
e f f o r t l e s s l y a i d e d f e m a l e
employees realise their full
potentials, while allowing for
the huge benefit of having a diverse
workforce where everyone is
contributing from different
perspectives and the performance
oftheorganisationisenhanced.”
To counter this human element,
Chinenye pointed the need for all
leaders to be conscious of their
individual biases. She says, “Bias is
abigissuebecauseitisunconscious.
As an employer and a leader, you
may not be aware that you have this
bias. So we need to ask ourselves
what unconscious biases do we
have? It is important to shine the
torchlight on these unconscious
biases by confronting ourselves
honestly if we are to make fair
decisions.”
To ensure inclusivity, APM
Terminals focuses on gender equity
and inclusion right from the point of
recruitment through the employee
life cycle. Employees are mandated
to undergo a Diversity, Equality and
Inclusion training to create
awareness about unconscious
biases and how they can stifle
equityintheworkplace.
Uzoma adds, “We ensure that
we demonstrate a duty of care
towards our female employees by
creating female gender sensitive
policies and environment to ensure
they can perform at their best. We
also provide good health care
system and have family support
programs.”
Customer Service Officer,
APM Terminals Kano, Fatima
YakubuAliyu, throws more light on
some of the gender friendly policies,
describing them as encouraging to
female employees to aspire further.
She says, “As at the time I joined
APM Terminals a few years ago,
the HR Manager was a lady. I was
impressed; it was encouraging to
know that I could also aspire to
management.
“The company has a great
maternity program; four months of
paidleaveand6-monthbacktowork
program that allow you to resume
later and close earlier than normal
work hours. This way, it makes
adjustment back to work after
maternityeasieronthewomen.”
Thereisstillmuchtobedonein
ensuring workplace equity and
closing the gender gap. However, the
first steps begin with acknowledging
the loopholes and the courage to
makethenecessarychanges.
Goodhope Rowland
AdaezeOjukwu
FatimaYakubuAliyu

NPA's Assistant General Manager,
Operations, Ayo Durowaiye, said, “It is
gratifying to note thatAPM Terminals is also
paying attention to exports particularly now
that the Federal Government is focused on
growing the non-oil and agro business
sectors.”
The Zonal Coordinator, ZoneA, Nigeria
Customs Service, Assistant Comptroller-
General Modupe Aremu, represented by
Comptroller Queen Ogbudu, also
commended APM Terminals Apapa for
setting the pace in terminal operations in
Nigeria.
“The Nigeria Customs Service is proud
of youAPM TerminalsApapa, you are doing
a good job, and no doubt about it - always a
pacesetter and we appreciate you,”
ComptrollerOgbudu said.
Shortly after the commissioning of the
smart building,APMTerminalsApapa rolled
out two new digital initiatives for the benefit
of its customers. The new initiatives were
geared towards its commitment of
continuous service improvement. The first
digital initiative was the #Dynamic #TDO,
which brought about an impressive and
faster process of generating Terminal
Delivery Order (TDO) with multiple
containers on the same Bill of Lading while
the second was #Dynamic #Delivery, which
enabled faster loading of customers'
containersintheyard.
The Planning Manager of APM
TerminalsApapa, Riyaz Melekolangath, said
the new initiatives would lead to reduction in
waiting time during TDO generation for Bill
of Lading with multiple containers;
reduction of truck waiting time; reduction of
truck inefficiency; and improved TDO
security.
Some customers of the terminal
recognised the continuous efforts in
deliveringtop-notchservicesattheport.
Supply Chain Director of Promasidor,
Idowu Osoneye, said, “APM Terminals
Apapa provides great value to Promasidor
and the entire value chain. The terminal has
automated its invoicing process, payment
process, and receipting process.At any point
in time, any time of the day, payment can be
done, and all other processes can equally be
concluded without any delay. I also want to
talk about the 24-hour service. You can be
very sure that at any point in time, your goods
can exit the port and have them delivered
without any issue at all. I am satisfied with
the truck turnaround time, and with the
introduction and schedule of barge
operations.”
Also speaking, Chief Operating Officer
of BlueAnchor, Emeka Dimude, said, “APM
Terminals is doing a good job in Apapa.
ince its inception at the Lagos Port
SComplex Apapa in 2006, Nigeria's
largest container terminal, APM Terminals
Apapa has continually remained in the
forefront of port modernisation and
digitisation.
Starting off with the overhaul of
terminal equipment and port infrastructure,
the terminal expanded its yard capacity,
modernised its Information Technology
hardware and software systems and skilled
upitsworkforce.
Currently, APM Terminals Apapa holds
30 rubber tyred gantry cranes (RTGs) in
operation. It also has 13 Mobile Harbour
Cranes (MHCs), in addition to several Reach
Stackers, forklifts, empty handlers and
specialized terminal trucks, making it the
best-equippedportterminalinNigeria.
Over the past few years,APMTerminals
Apapa has been on a remarkable
transformation journey, with a strong
ambition to become a world-class terminal
operator, enabling access to the jobs,
products, foods, medicine and other essential
itemsforNigerians.
In March 2022, APM Terminals Apapa
commissioned its new digitalised
administrative building in line with its
commitment of introducing new innovations
to help both shipping lines and landside
customers achieve improved supply chain
efficiency and flexibility in a cost-effective
manner. The building is the first of its kind;
equipped with a digitised Operations
Command Centre that has significantly
improved container handling operations and
processing, and a state-of-the-art crane
simulator, the first of its kind in the entire
West African region, to train crane operators
on the usage of sophisticated terminal
equipment such as the MHCs and RTGs that
areinuseattheterminal.
The significance of having the first
digitalized port building in Nigeria was
underscored by the high-level personalities
and stakeholders that graced the grand
commissioning ceremony. The roll call of
dignitaries at the event included the
representatives of the Nigerian Ports
Authority, Nigeria Customs Service,
Nigerian Shippers' Council, Nigeria Police
Force, major shipping lines and landside
customers.
The event was also attended by Keith
Svendsen, who is now the CEO of APM
Terminals. The new building, according to
Svendsen, would set a new standard for port
operationinNigeria.
“What is more important is to make sure
that we are ready for the future. A port is one
of the infrastructures that take years to plan
and build. This is why we are working to
make it better and get ready for the future,”
Svendsensaid.
He said the technology embedded in the
new building would improve container
handling operations and processing in the
terminal particularly in enabling electronic
invoicing, electronic receipt and online
payment processes that allow customers fast-
tracktheirdocumentation.
Also speaking, then Country Managing
Director of APM Terminals Nigeria, Klaus
Laursen, said, “The aim is to make APM
Terminals Apapa a better trade and logistics
zone. We just have to be better and improve
everyday by investing in our people and
infrastructure in order to have a smarter and
digitalized business that serves the need of
ourcustomersandthecountryatlarge.”
Managing Director of Nigerian Ports
Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello-Koko,
commended APM Terminals for raising the
standards of port operation in the country,
and for adding immense value to the port
overthepast16years.
Bello-Koko, who was represented by
APM Terminals Apapa: Setting standards for port digitalisation in Nigeria
SteenKnudsen, TerminalManager,APMTerminalsApapa.
program, means no injury was sustained on
the job by an employee or contractor that
resulted in the person being absent from
work.
For its outstanding Health, Safety and
Environment (HSE) records, the terminal
won the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA)
PlatinumMeritAwardinDecember2022.
Government Relations Manager at
APM Terminals Apapa, Kayode Olufemi
Daniel, who received the award on behalf of
the company, said, “We are so excited that
we have received the 2022 Nigerian Ports
Authority (NPA), Lagos Ports Complex
HSE Committee Merit Award. This great
honour is a demonstration of our continued
commitment to improving health, safety
and environment, not just within the
terminalbutalsowithintheportfacility.”
The terminal places great value on the
training and development of its employees.
In 2022, 844 employees underwent
trainings in their functional areas, and in
leadership and management. To instil a
culture of efficiency and productivity, the
terminal runs a LEAN Academy with 603
employees undergoing LEAN training from
Levels1to4in2022.
In addition to meeting international
security requirements outlined by the
International Ships and Ports Facility
Security Code (ISPS Code) and APM
Terminals global safety requirements, the
terminal operates a truck safety program,
which ensures that designated, physically
protected areas are provided for drivers
conducting operational activities outside of
their truck cabs, as well as safety
instructions specific to each facility's layout
andtrafficflow.
Apapa Terminals Apapa also upgraded
its yard lighting system in 2022, by
installing a new LED lighting solution.With
this, the terminal succeeded in attaining the
global lighting standard, thus taking it to the
highestlevelofsafetyattainable.
APM Terminals Apapa strongly
supports Nigeria's non-oil export drive. It is
the only container terminal in Nigeria
offering inter-modal transportation, with
rail connectivity to the north and hinterland,
bargeandtruckservices.
A s a r e s p o n s i b l e c o r p o r a t e
organisation, APM Terminals Apapa takes
its corporate social responsibilities
seriously by positively touching lives and
giving back to its host community. In June
2022, it sponsored the International Day
Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug
Trafficking to address drug challenges in the
country. Employees at the terminal also
participated in activities organised by the
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency
(NDLEA) tomarktheday.
APM Terminals Apapa is, without a
doubt, the bellwether of port operation in
Nigeria, setting the pace for port digitisation
inthecountry.
Apart from the fact that they are bringing in a
world-class facility to operate inApapa, they
are also trying as much as possible to make
their operation humane. In 2021 when things
were so bad as a result of COVID-19
pandemic, we had many consignments that
piled up for several reasons. The terminal
was kind enough to reach out to me and
enquired about my many consignments. I
explained my situation and they were so kind
to ask me to apply for a waiver so that I could
be given a soft landing. They did that and it
was abigcushionforus.”
Besides its focus on port digitisation, the
terminal has, in recent years, directed more
efforts into environmentally sustainable and
friendly operations. Last year, it signed a
Memorandum of Understanding with
FREEE Recycle Limited to recycle its used
tyres, eliminated the use of single-use plastic
bottled water in order to reduce its plastic
waste footprint and commenced recycling
PVC fibres toproducecoveralls.
“We are reducing environmental
footprint in Nigeria, and I am super excited
we have FREEE Recycle Limited to partner
with. We are recycling our used tyres into
materials that can be used in other parts of the
supply chain. It is important to partner with
companies that have different expertise to
complement our efforts to ensure that
together, we reduce the environmental
footprint in our businesses,” Terminal
Manager, APM Terminals Apapa, Steen
Knudsen said.
APM Terminals Apapa has received
several commendations and awards not just
for its efficiency but also for its sterling
safety records. Last year, the terminal set a
new safety record at the port, as it logged 500
days without LostTime Injury (LTI). No Lost
Time Injury (LTI), which is a key indicator of
the effectiveness of an organisation's safety
TheAPMTerminalsApapasmartbuilding

in spite of the paradox of being
anoilexportingcountry.
MSN Africa reported that
as of December 31, 2019,
Nigeria owed $3.18bn to the
Exim Bank of China, $76.13m
to France's Agence Francaise
Development, $361.75m to
J a p a n I n t e r n a t i o n a l
Cooperation Agency, $32.14m
to the Exim Bank of India, and
$202.27m to Germany's
K r e d i t a n s t a l t F u r
Wiederaufbua.
A total of $106.33m was
paid as debt service for
bilateral loans in Q1 2021, with
China and India receiving
$102.2m and $4.13m, while
France, Japan and Germany
got. The total debt owed to the
five countries increased further
to $4.25bn as of June 30, 2021,
with China having $3.48bn;
Japan, $74.77m; France,
$482.15m; India, $34.59m;
andGermany,$174.39m.
One thing is certain:
Nigeria has no concrete debt-
r e p a y m e n t s t r a t e g y o r
workable plans to defray its
foreign indebtedness, rather,
the nation continues to tighten
the noose of indebtedness
either in the form of direct
borrowing or its recent resort to
concession the Nigeria
Customs Service to a Chinese
company for 20 years.The way
out of the country's economic
woes is not the 'handover' of its
national assets or agencies to
foreign entities, but the
adoption of sound and
practicable economic policies
which downplays the need to
wallowindebtslavery.
and sometimes, even the terms
of the debt repayment may not
be fully understandable by the
obligor.
Debt slavery as a modern-
day form of slavery is the most
c o m m o n m e t h o d o f
enslavement with an estimated
8.1 million people bonded to
labour having pledged their
assets or services as security
for the repayment of a debt or
some other obligation.
Individuals and institutions
who are caught in the web of
debt slavery rarely set out with
such intent in mind but,
oftentimes, realise the
entrapment too late in the
game.
At the initial stage of
pleasantries, the euphoria of
receiving humongous sums of
money, as well as its inherent
potential to resolve certain
pressing infrastructural and
fiscal woes usually obscures
any looming danger of non-
payment. Therefore, they
hurriedly execute documents
either without a full grasp of its
implications, or against the
misconceived belief that the
indebtedness will be fully
defrayed and would, therefore,
not result in any negative
implications, no matter what
documentsmaybesigned.
Not too long ago, the
Ugandan Finance Minister
expressed his regret over
Uganda's unwholesome debt
marriage to China which
would very likely culminate in
the forfeiture of its national
asset – its airport. He
reportedly said: “I apologise
that we shouldn't have
acceptedsomeof theclauses”.
I n e q u a l t e r m s , t h e
Managing Director of the
Ugandan Civil Aviation
Authority expressed his regret
when he said: “Some 13
c l a u s e s w e r e d e e m e d
unfriendly and as good as
mortgaging the airport and
e r o d i n g t h e c o u n t r y ' s
s o v e r e i g n t y. T h e m o s t
troubling for the aviation
bosses was a clause that gave
Exim Bank the sole authority
to approve withdrawal of funds
fromtheUCAAaccounts”.
Back in 2021, there was a
report that Nigeria may lose its
assets to China over $3.48bn
loan which it obtained in
several tranches over the years.
In the past year, Nigeria's
public debt profile hit an all-
time high of N28.63 trillion as
of the first quarter of the year
2020 – representing a 4.49%
increase from the N27.40
trillion being Nigeria's
indebtedness as at the last
quarterof2019.
A major undermining
factor for a country's economic
growth is its huge debt stock
and as s uch, N igeria' s
humongous debts ratio is
directly linked to the decades
of misrule and financial
imprudence of its military and
political leaders. With
incessant foreign debts being
accumulated by successive
governments, Nigeria became
caught up on crippling foreign
debt crisis which, till date,
compromised its economic
progress and political stability
China a couple of times and
today we are going to become
fully digitised. I thank theAFC
for financing this project on
behalf of the entire Nigerians.
The success of this project will
be on the global map. We are
going to hit the ground
running”.
Those familiar with
history will more easily liken
the Chinese company's
promise of huge financial
returns in exchange for the
F e d e r a l G o v e r n m e n t ' s
concession of its all-important
agency to a Trojan Horse – a
subtle invitation to debt
slavery. The gravity of this
reality becomes more glaring if
one asks this pertinent
question: how will the $3.2
billion investment by the
foreign entity be recouped if
the long-term financial
projectionsfailtomaterialise?
Is this not another leprous
invitation to further sink
Nigeria into a mire of foreign
indebtedness without a
concrete strategy of defraying
the existing one? Besides the
most common forms of slavery
being military slavery and
domestic slavery, one subtle
and perhaps the most lethal of
themallisdebtslavery.
The peril of debt slavery is
not due to the danger it
personally poses to the obligor,
but its huge effect on those who
were not party to the said debt.
Often, the security for the said
debt is usually something of
shared interest and not
necessarily the personal
property of the debt obligor
ecently, the Federal
RG o v e r n m e n t
conceded the operations of the
Nigeria Customs Service,
NCS, to a Chinese company in
a bid to facilitate what it
described as 'e-Customs
project'.
T h e c o n c e s s i o n i s
reportedly expected to attract
an investment of $3.2 billion
with an estimated income of
$176 billion to be generated
for the Federal Government in
20 years. While the exact
details of the concession are
not immediately released to
the public, the grant of the
concession would arguably
repose the operations,
management, and control of
perhaps one of the most
s e n s i t i v e g o v e r n m e n t
agencies, responsible for the
protection of the nation's
borders against smuggling
activities, in the hands of a
foreigncompany.
Being a foreign company
subject to the laws of its home
country, it is not unlikely that
by extension, the Chinese
government will maintain
some form of oversight in the
operations of the concession,
thereby unguardedly exposing
classified information about
the country's borders to a
foreigngovernment.
It would, however, seem
that the Federal Government
and the management of the
Nigeria Customs Service are
more focused on the financial
prospects of the concession
that they are oblivious of the
inherent risks which the
arrangement may portend in
the long run – or simply
resting on the assurance that
the current administration will
not be around to mop up the
mess which the arrangement
may create in a conceivable
future.
J u s t i f y i n g t h e
arrangement and expressing
excitement at future financial
prospects, the Comptroller-
General of the Nigeria
Customs Service, Col.
Hameed Ali (rtd), reportedly
stated that: “The $3.2 billion
e-Customs project to be
financed by theAfrica Finance
Corporation, AFC, and
managed by a Chinese
company under a 20-year
concession window, when
fully implemented, would
quadruple Customs' current
N210 billion monthly revenue
collection.
We will be making $176
billion within the next 20
years. I appreciate our
partners. We had to go to
ConcessionoftheNigeriaCustomsService:Aninvitationtomodern/debtslavery
By Aare Afe Babalola

manage them properly and
at the end of the day come
outthebest.”
Also speaking, Lydia
Agbashe, who represented
t h e E x e c u t i v e Vi c e
Chairman/CEO ENL
Consortium, Princess
Vicky Haastrup, said,
“Women in Nigeria should
not be discriminated
against because we are
women. Nigeria should
always embrace equity in
d i s t r i b u t i o n o f
appointments to public
offices and politics. There
should be a legislation that
prevents harassment and
discrimination of women
from participating in
politics and from being
appointed into public
offices.
“To embrace equity is
to encourage organisations
to establish guidelines and
procedures in addressing
h a r a s s m e n t a n d
discrimination in the work
place so that all employees
a r e t r e a t e d e q u a l l y
irrespective of their
gender.”
Women make up 45% of our management staff — Nigerian Shippers' Council
APMTerminalsApapagavemeopportunitytothrive-femalecraneoperator
t h e t o p c a d r e o f
management. Precisely,
women represent 45% in
the high profile cadre, as
well as occupy other
equally juicy positions in
s i m i l a r l e v e l o f
representation, we indeed
have surpassed the 35%
affirmative action of the
UnitedNations.
“ I n l i n e w i t h
embracing equity, the
Council has already
trained over 65% of its
female staff locally and
internationally in different
c a p a c i t y b u i l d i n g
programmes to properly
position them in the
organisation. The council
will do more where our
female members of staff
demonstrate the requisite
capacity. I commend our
female staff for showing
capacity by performing
excellently well in their
designated offices,” the
NSC boss said.
Also speaking, the
chairperson of WILAT,
Khadijat Sheidu-Shabi,
said, “Equity is fairness,
making sure people get the
same opportunity, to be
included with a sense of
belonging, feeling like and
wanted. Once we embrace
e q u i t y, w e e m b r a c e
diversity and inclusion.
Through the process of
equity, you can get
equality. Equality is
giving everyone a shoe
while equity is giving
everyone a shoe that
fits.”
Also speaking, the
Chairman, CILT Lagos
b r a n c h , M o h a m m e d
Bashiru, said women play
critical roles in the society.
He urged the Federal
Government to give
women in the rural areas
access to “technological
education”.
employees.
The International
Women's Day is observed
annually to recognise the
social, economic, cultural
and political achievements
of women. The day, which
is celebrated every March
8, also marks a call to
action for accelerating
genderequity.
T h e 2 0 2 3
International Women's
Day celebration, with the
theme “Embrace Equity”,
was celebrated by NSC in
collaboration with Women
in Logistics & Transport
Nigeria(WILAT).
“ T h e N i g e r i a n
Shippers' Council is very
g e n d e r f r i e n d l y a s
reflected in the number of
women representation in
Wednesday at an event to
m a r k t h e 2 0 2 3
Day.
J i m e , w h o w a s
represented at the event by
NSC's Director of Human
Resources, Mrs. Adaku
Okam, said the Council
remained committed to
ensuring fairness and
equity for its female
i g e r i a n
NS h i p p e r s '
Council (NSC) said
women represent 45% of
its top management staff
and also occupy juicy
p o s i t i o n s i n t h e
organisation.
T h e E x e c u t i v e
Secretary/CEO of NSCl,
Emmanuel Jime, disclosed
t h i s i n L a g o s o n
erpetua Onyia, a
Pfemale Mobile
Harbour Crane operator at
Nigeria's largest container
terminal, APM Terminals
Apapa, has expressed
satisfaction with the work
e n v i r o n m e n t a n d
opportunities given to her
to thrive in her chosen
career.
S p e a k i n g o n
Wednesday at an event
organised by the Lagos
Port Complex Apapa to
m a r k t h e 2 0 2 3
Day, Onyia said her
success as a crane operator
has opened the doors for
other women to embrace
similar career in a male-
d o m i n a t e d p o r t
environment.
The theme of the 2023
International Women's Day
was“EmbraceEquity”.
Onyia commended the
management of APM
Terminals for giving her
the same opportunities and
resources as her male
counterparts.
“From day one of
gone on to introduce more
gender friendly policies.
APM Terminals also
encourages women to not
only aspire for leadership
positions but to also
undergo specific training
programs designed to
p o s i t i o n t h e m f o r
m a n a g e m e n t a n d
leadershiproles.
“In APM Terminals
Nigeria, we not only give
equal opportunities to both
genders, but we also
actually go the extra mile
to encourage female
participation in some of the
fields and roles where you
have limited participation
of females. We also ensure
w e h a v e f e m a l e
representation in the
leadership cadre of the
organisation and create an
enabling environment for
t h e m t o s u c c e e d i n
whatever roles they have
within the company,”
Senior Human Resource
Business Partner, APM
Te r m i n a l s N i g e r i a ,
Uzoma Ngozi Ben-Ude,
said.
Since 2019 when the
Federal Government
a p p r o v e d w o m e n
working night shifts,
APM Terminals Apapa
began a concerted effort
to create opportunities for
women in the male-
d o m i n a t e d p o r t
operations. Starting with
the employment of female
crane operators the same
year, the company has
s t e p p i n g i n t o A P M
Terminals, it has always
been a fair and equal
chance. Nobody is saying
you're a female, you can't
do this,”she said.
Also speaking at the
event, another female
crane operator, Cynthia
Chukwuneke, said APM
Terminals encouraged her
to be the best in her chosen
career.
Technologyeliminatesgenderdisparity–Muse
programmes, promotion
of the rights of persons
living with disabilities
and awareness campaigns
on social vices and ills.
“The organisation
constantly reaffirms its
c o m m i t m e n t t o t h i s
endeavour using three
dimensional strategic
instruments of education,
a d v o c a c y a n d
e m p o w e r m e n t b y
determining what the
problems are, what actions
need to be taken and how to
carryouttheseactions.
“In the future, we
hope to regularly carry out
projects aimed at ensuring
that issues women and
girls face are addressed
and they have improved
a c c e s s t o d i g i t a l
t e c h n o l o g y. T h i s i s
because investment into
the future of women and
girls is always a worthy
i n v e s t m e n t a n d a n
investment into a better
future for all,” she added.
“ T h e p o w e r o f
technology has enabled us
to create more equitable
a n d a c c e s s i b l e
e d u c a t i o n a l
o p p o r t u n i t i e s .
Technology has allowed
us to bridge the digital
d i v i d e t h a t h a s
traditionally separated
women from education
a n d e c o n o m i c
opportunities. We have
seen technology used to
i n c r e a s e a c c e s s t o
e d u c a t i o n , i m p r o v e
teaching methods, and
make information more
w i d e l y a v a i l a b l e .
Technology has also
enabled us to close the
g e n d e r g a p i n t h e
workplace,”shesaid.
M u s e s a i d h e r
foundation was focused
o n r e d u c i n g i n f a n t
mortality, enhancing the
r i g h t s o f c h i l d r e n ,
r e h a b i l i t a t i o n o f
displaced persons, youth
e m p o w e r m e n t
D e v e l o p m e n t a n d
Professional Nigeria
(WEDPN) and ECOWAS
Federation of Business
Women and Entrepreneurs
(ECOWAS-FEBWE) to
m a r k t h e 2 0 2 3
Day.
The theme of the
2 0 2 3 I W D w a s
“DigitALL: Innovation
and Technology for
Gender Equality”.
he Port Manager,
TL a g o s P o r t
Complex Apapa, Mrs
Olufunmilayo Olotu, has
advised women in the
maritime industry to
embrace and support each
other in the quest for
professionaladvancement.
Speaking at the port
during an event to mark the
2 0 2 3 I n t e r n a t i o n a l
Women's Day celebration,
Olotu advised women in
the sector to desist from
pullingeachotherdown.
The theme of the 2023
D a y w a s “ E m b r a c e
Equity”.
“Women need to learn
how to celebrate each
other's achievement,
e d u c a t e a n d r a i s e
awareness about women
equality. Women need to
lobby for accelerated
gender parity, work
together and help each
other advance in their
chosencareers,”she said.
“Whatever challenges
we may have been facing
for long, we should
ApapaporthostsInternational
Women'sDayevent
The Founder of
B o m a r a h
Foundation and CEO of
Bomarah Group, Hajia
Bola Muse has said that
technology eliminates
gender disparity in the
work place, education and
healthcare.
She said this at an
event organised by the
Bomarah Foundation in
c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h
Women Entrepreneur
L-R: A reach stacker operator at APM Terminals
Apapa, Cynthia Chukwuneke; Port Manager,
Lagos Port Complex Apapa, Olufunmilayo Olotu
and a Mobile Harbour Crane operator, Perpetua
Onyia, at an event to mark the 2023 International
Women’s Day at the Lagos Port ComplexApapa on
Wednesday.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY SPECIAL
By Oluwatoyin Amao

prove all the more relevant
and allow us to look
forward to 2023 with
confidence.”
The company said that
it had reinvested close to
90% of net profit for 2022
in assets and capabilities,
i n a d d i t i o n t o
strengthening its balance
a consummate optimist and
risk taker. So original in
everything he did. He
rescued the Registry during
an acutely difficult time and
made it flourish. His
creative imagination was
unmatched and allowed him
to build multiple businesses
and commercial teams. He
was a mentor to so many and
is responsible for such much
of Liberia's local economic
development. He was a
pillar in the various
industries and countries that
he worked in. We are so
b e i n g e x c e p t i o n a l l y
authentic and disarming in
his communication style.
Colleagues cheerfully recall
it as being very “Yoram.”
The Liberian Registry
credits the foundation of its
service culture to Cohen's
intuitive ability to personally
connect with clients and
industry partners. He was an
inspiration to his staff and to
many friends and colleagues
in Liberia and around the
world.
His sons, Adam and
Elan, remarked, “Yoram was
h e L i b e r i a n
TRegistry (LISCR)
has paid tribute to its
founder and Chairman
Emeritus Yoram, who
passed awayrecently.
C o h e n w a s w e l l
regarded for stabilising the
L i b e r i a n R e g i s t r y ,
beginning in the late 1990's,
and subsequently driving its
remarkable growth and
expansion globally through
much of the 2000's. Under
his leadership the Registry
became an institution in the
maritime sector. He was
widely admired for his
commitment to shipowner
clients and for his efforts in
i n n o v a t i n g t h e F l a g
industry.
In 2016, Cohen was
succeeded by his two sons,
Adam and Elan Cohen, as
Chairmen of the Liberian
Registry, but he remained a
guiding figure and mentor
withinLISCR.
Colleagues remember
and admired Cohen for his
sharp commercial vision
and unique sense of humour.
He was well known for
M A C G M i s
Creinvesting for
the future as it racked up a
$24.9bn net profit in 2022
despite a marked decline in
performance in the fourth
quarter.
The French container
line owner reported a net
profit of $24.9bn for 2022
up from $17.9bn for the
previous year, while
revenues were up 33.1% at
$ 7 4 . 5 b n . H o w e v e r,
reflecting a sharp drop in
container freight rates net
profit for Q2 2022 declined
by 54.7% year-on-year to
fall to $3.0bn, compared to
$6.7bn ayearearlier.
CMA CGM described
2022 as year of contrasting
halves with the first half
characterised by high
consumer demand and
s h i p p i n g c a p a c i t y
constrained by port
congestion and supply
chain issues. By contrast
h e E u r o p e a n
TUnion (EU) has
kicked off the second phase
of its Import Control
System 2 (ICS2), to guide
modalities of air shipments
intothememberStates.
ICS2, being a new
advanced cargo information
and risk management
platform, aims to protect
against security and safety
threats from goods entering
theEU.
The enforcement,
which took-off March 1,
2023, requires of all air
carriers, freight forwarders,
express couriers, and postal
operators involved in the
transportation of goods by
air to or through the EU to
provide a complete set of
Entry Summary Declaration
data on the goods, prior to
their arrival at the EU
externalborder.
A c c o r d i n g t o t h e
Commission of Tax and
Customs, inbound freights
must be done through the
Control System (ICS) will
fully phase out from that
system as soon as they start
filing this data into ICS2,”
theCommissionstated.
The second phase of
ICS2 introduces new data
requirements and processes
to be complied with, prior to
transporting the goods from
a third country and before
their arrival at the European
Union's externalborder.
Failure by affected
economic operators to
obtain the necessary data
from their clients and to
provide it to ICS2 will lead
to actions by customs
authorities to enforce
compliance prior to and on
arrival at the external
border.
ICS2 system, which is
gradually replacing the EU's
existing Import Control
System (ICS) between 2021
and2024.
“Air carriers currently
fi l i n g a d v a n c e c a rg o
information into the Import
EU enforces new rules on inbound airfreight
c r e a t e v a l u e t o o u r
customers' supply chains.
To achieve this, it is
imperative for us to evolve
and organise ourselves in
the same way that most of
our customers are organised
geographically. This will
not only allow us to harvest
synergies in these markets
in a unified way but also
serve our customers better
through strengthened
offerings and resilient
solutions,” the Managing
Director, Maersk IMEA,
RichardMorgan,said.
The IMEAregion has a
geographically strategic
location, with the natural
advantage of creating hubs
for both ocean and air
transport that will connect
the manufacturing and
consumer markets across
the globe. Through this, the
customers' supply chains
will have further access and
e a s e , c r e a t i n g m o r e
efficiency with increased
reachandscope.
The customers will
continue to work with the
s a m e t e a m t h a t h a s
supported them so far, and
the products and solutions
offered by Maersk will stay
the same until informed
otherwise.
transport and logistics
industry continue to
deteriorate.” It said that the
balance between demand
and supply was expected
to remain challenging with
increasing supply while
demand prospects “seem
uncertain”.
C M A C G M d i d
though see signs of some
macro-economic signals
were stabilising, and
noted the markets of
L a t i n A m e r i c a a n d
Southeast Asia remained
strong.
“The group is closely
monitoring the evolutions
in the economic and
geopolitical situation,
despite limited visibility
over the rest of the year,
and remains confident in
its ability to weather the
c y c l e t h a n k s t o t h e
diversification of its
businesses and its financial
strength,”itsaid.
In a n e f f o r t t o
s t r e n g t h e n i t s
integrator strategy and serve
its customers better, A.P.
Moller – Maersk has
integrated two emerging
markets – West & Central
Asia and Africa to form the
new Indian Subcontinent,
Middle East & Africa
(IMEA) region.
The new region will
e n c o m p a s s t h e c o r e
geographies of the Indian
subcontinent, the Middle
East, and Africa, including
important markets such as
India, Pakistan, UAE, Saudi
Arabia, South Africa,
K e n y a , I v o r y C o a s t ,
C a m e r o o n , N i g e r i a ,
Senegal, and Ghana,
amongstothers.
"We have come a long
way in our integrator
journey and it is now time to
look further into the future.
T o d a y , t h e m a r k e t
conditions are constantly
changing, especially in the
post-pandemic era, where
the demand is softening,
customer behaviours are
evolving and there is an
ever-increasing need to
provide competitive,
reliable and resilient
logistics.
“Our ambition is to
w h i c h i s p e n d i n g
regulatoryapprovals.
I n l o g i s t i c s , a
f a v o u r e d a r e a f o r
investment by container
lines in recent years, CMA
C G M a c q u i r e d e -
c o m m e r c e l o g i s t i c s
solutions in the shape of
Ingram Micro's Commerce
& Lifecycle Services
b u s i n e s s , E u r o p e a n
automotive logistics
company GEFCO, and
home delivery specialist
ColisPrivé.
CMA CGM plans to
expand its new air cargo
division to 12 freighter
aircraft by 2026, and has
acquired a 9% stake in Air
France-KLM as part of a
long term air freight
partnership.
Looking ahead the
company commented:
“Second-half 2022 trends
remained at play in 2023,
as market conditions in the
Maersk integrates Asia,
Africa into IMEA region
proud of who he was and
whathebuilt.”
Cohen was a serial
entrepreneur who founded
a n d l e d n u m e r o u s
successful ventures that
spanned globally, ranging
from organizations in the
maritime industry to the
telecommunicationssector.
is the fastest growing major
Flag globally, and its staff
c r e d i t C o h e n f o r
establishing its core
principles and foundational
roadmapforsuccess.
has a long-established track
record of combining the
highest standards of safety
for vessels and crews with
the highest levels of
responsive and innovative
s e r v i c e t o o w n e r s .
Moreover, it has a well-
deserved reputation for
supporting international
legislation designed to
maintain and improve the
safety and effectiveness of
the shipping industry and
protection of the marine
environment.
Liberian Registry founder Yoram Cohen passes away
the second half of the year
saw a demand shock that
worsened in the fourth
quarter with US inventory
destocking, the impact of
inflation on consumer
spending, and an energy
crisis in Europe. The result
was the company saw a
7.2% decline in container
volumes on east-west trade
routesinQ4 oflastyear.
Commenting on the
results Rodolphe Saadé,
Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of the
CMA CGM Group, said,
“Our group achieved
exceptional, historic results
in 2022 that have enabled
us to invest significantly in
operations across our
business, step up our energy
transition and share the
created value with our
employees.As trade returns
to normal and freight rates
decline, our strategy and
recent investments will
CMA CGM reinvests nearly 90% of 2022 record pro it
sheet.
Investments included
100% ownership of Fenix
Marine Services terminal
in Los Angeles/Long
Beach, and late last year it
announced the acquisition
of GCT Bayonne and GCT
New York in the Port of
New York & New Jersey,
Cohen

g u i d e d m i s s i l e s a n d
medium-range ballistic
missile components, Britain
said, adding that it had
i n f o r m e d t h e U n i t e d
joint U.S. and
AAustralian law
enforcement operation
busted an international drug
ring after intercepting 2.4
tonnes of cocaine aboard a
vessel off the coast of South
America that had been
bound forAustralia.
The cocaine, linked to
a Mexican drug cartel, had a
street value of around A$1
billion ($677 million), and
was equivalent to half of
Australia's estimated annual
consumption, making the
seizure one of the biggest
that Australian police have
beeninvolvedin.
Twelve suspects have
been arrested and charged in
the case, WesternAustralian
state police said in a
statement on Saturday,
releasing details for the first
time of an operation that
began last November when
the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA)
interceptedthevessel.
Western Australian
taly's government
Iwill hold a cabinet
meeting near the southern
seaside town where dozens
of bodies washed ashore
after a migrant ship broke up
on rocks last month, Prime
Minister Giorgia Meloni
saidweekend.
Speaking to reporters
in Abu Dhabi after meeting
United Arab Emirates
P r e s i d e n t S h e i k h
Mohammed bin Zayed al-
N a h y a n t o d i s c u s s
migration flows among
other topics, Meloni
rejected accusations that her
government had failed to act
topreventtheincident.
She also dismissed
calls from the opposition for
Interior Minister Matteo
Piantedositoresign.
“Frankly they ask for
the resignation of a different
ministereveryday,”she said.
The right-wing Meloni
has been criticized for not
traveling to the site of the
shipwreck in the southern
region of Calabria, which
do to honour the victims is
to look at what can be done
to avoid it happening
again,”she said.
The latest shipwreck
has intensified a debate on
migration in Europe and
I t a l y, w h e r e M e l o n i
government's tough new
laws for migrant rescue
charities have drawn
criticism from the United
Nationsandothers.
Meloni has called on
fellow European leaders to
do more to halt illegal
immigration and prevent
furthertragediesatsea.
“I don'tthinkasingleday
has gone by since I became
Prime Minister in which I
didn'tworkonthisissueamida
generalised lack of interest on
thepartofothers,”shesaid.
was visited instead by
PresidentSergioMattarella.
Asked if she had plans
to visit the area, Meloni said
the government would soon
hold a cabinet meeting there
todiscuss migrationissues.
“The best thing we can
Italy to hold cabinet meeting in migrant shipwreck area
police substituted the cargo
with identically packed fake
cocaine and dropped it
roughly 40 nautical miles
west of state capital Perth on
Dec.28.
T h r e e s u s p e c t e d
members of the “Australian
arm of a drug syndicate”
with 1.2 tonnes of fake
cocaine were arrested on
Dec. 30, after allegedly
making three trips out
through rough seas to
collectthepackages.
A further nine arrests
were made through Jan. 13,
including a traffic stop on
the Great Eastern Highway,
roughly 600 kilometres east
of state capital Perth, where
officers found more than
A$2 millionincash.
“The operation sends a
message to international
drug traffickers – your
deadly drugs are not
welcome here,” Western
A u s t r a l i a p o l i c e
commissioner, Col Blanch
saidinastatement.
The United States of
America, the Republic of
Fiji, and the Pacific Blue
Shipping Partnership have
announced the intent to
e n g a g e i n t e c h n i c a l
c o o p e r a t i o n t o h e l p
facilitate the establishment
of agreenshippingcorridor.
Together, they intend to
undertake a feasibility study
to explore the potential of
creating a green shipping
corridor in the region, which
can work to expand access to
new fuelsandtechnologies.
Upon its completion,
the partners will initiate
discussions on the next steps
amongkeystakeholders.
W i t h t h i s
announcement, Fiji is also
joining the Green Shipping
Challenge, an initiative that
U.S., Fiji to establish green shipping corridor
S h i p p i n g C h a l l e n g e ,
governments around the
world are creating green
shipping corridors that will
help put the shipping sector
on a pathway to align with
the 1.5-degree goal this
decade.
G r e e n s h i p p i n g
corridors are specific
m a r i t i m e r o u t e s
decarbonised from end to
end, including both land-
side infrastructure and
vessels.
Setting up such routes
involves using zero-
emission fuel or energy,
putting in place refuelling or
recharging infrastructure at
ports, and deploying zero-
emission capable vessels to
demonstrate cleaner, more
environmentally-friendly
shippingon agivenroute.
catalyses actions from
countries and non-state
actors to advance the
transition to a 1.5-aligned
shippingsector.
For its part, the United
States is pursuing this
technical cooperation under
t h e G r e e n S h i p p i n g
Corridor Initiation Project,
announced under the Green
Shipping Challenge at
COP27.
“ G r e e n s h i p p i n g
corridors are a key means of
spurring the early adoption
of zero-emission fuels and
technologies to help place
the shipping sector on a
pathway to align with the
goal of limiting global
temperature rise to 1.5
degrees Celsius,” according
totheofficials.
As part of the Green
U.S., Australia seize $677m
cocaine off South American coast
mind that the cleanup will
be more difficult if more oil
reaches coastal areas,” he
s a i d d u r i n g a m e d i a
briefing.
E n v i r o n m e n t
Secretary Maria Antonia
Yulo Loyzaga said a rapid
assessment was being
undertaken of coastal and
marine habitats that could
be impacted.
At risk of damage was
a p p r o x i m a t e l y 5 9 1
hectares of coral reefs,
1 , 6 2 6 h e c t a r e s o f
m a n g r o v e s a n d 3 6 2
hectares of seagrass, the
ministry said.
" T h e p o s s i b l e
contamination might
actually affect the viability
of these systems," Loyzaga
warned in a recorded
message on Thursday.
The disaster agency in
a statement said the oil spill
had reached coastal areas
of several municipalities in
Oriental Mindoro, the
eastern half of Mindoro
island.
Advocacy group Earth
Island Institute PH called it
"a potential environmental
disaster", likening it to a
2006 incident when a
tanker carrying 2.1 million
litres of bunker fuel ran
a g r o u n d i n c e n t r a l
Philippines.
Environment and
d i s a s t e r
a u t h o r i t i e s i n t h e
Philippines rushed to
contain an oil spill on
Friday from a sunken fuel
tanker that has reached
coastal towns on a large
central island, warning of
d a n g e r s t o m a r i n e
ecosystems if more oil
leaks.
T h e t a n k e r , M T
Princess Empress, was still
missing on Friday after
sinking en route to Iloilo
province carrying about
800,000 litres (211,338
gallons) of industrial fuel
oil.
T h e v e s s e l
encountered engine trouble
o n T u e s d a y d u e t o
overheating and drifted due
to rough sea conditions,
according to the coast
g u a r d . I t w a s n o t
immediately clear what
caused it to sink but all 20
crew were rescued before it
wentdown.
Carlos Primo David,
undersecretary at the
environment ministry, said
it was crucial authorities
find the tanker soon as there
could still be a large
volume of oil inside.
"If we can recover it
that will help us a lot in
containing the spill. Bear in
navigate to Iranian territorial
waters but was stopped by a
team of Royal Marines, who
then boarded the small boat
and recovered the suspicious
packages, Britain's Ministry
of Defencesaid.
"This seizure by HMS
Lancaster and the permanent
presence of the Royal Navy
in the Gulf region supports
our commitment to uphold
international law and tackle
activity that threatens peace
and security around the
world," British Defence
Secretary Ben Wallace said
inastatement.
I n i t i a l i n s p e c t i o n
suggested the packages
included Iranian anti-tank
British Navy says seizes smuggled Iranian weapons in Gulf
ritain's Royal
BN a v y s a i d o n
Thursday it had seized
Iranian weapons, including
anti-tank guided missiles,
last month from a smugglers
vessel in international
watersintheGulf of Oman.
Britain said the vessel
was detected travelling
south from Iran at high
speed during the hours of
darkness by an unmanned
U . S . i n t e l l i g e n c e
s u r v e i l l a n c e a n d
reconnaissance plane, and
was also tracked by a British
helicopter.
When hailed by the
Royal Navy, the vessel
initially attempted to
new listings and trade and
fi n a n c i a l s a n c t i o n s ,
including further export bans
worth more than €11 billion,
with the aim of depriving the
Russian economy of critical
revenue streams to finance
thewar.
The sanctions are
targeting, inter alia, a third-
country shipping company,
suspected of helping Russia
circumvent sanctions on oil
exports.
EU's new wave of sanctions targets Russia's Middle East shipping company
the start of Russia's war
against Ukraine, Sun Ship
Management has been
operating as one of the key
companies managing and
operating the maritime
transport of Russian oil.The
s e r v i c e s h a v e b e e n
described as a substantial
source of revenue for the
government of the Russian
Federation, accounting for
70% of Russia's energy
revenue.
The company is Sun
Ship Management, a Dubai-
based subsidiary of Russia's
state-owned shipping giant
S o v c o m fl o t , w h i c h
manages dozens of oil
tankers that ship Russian oil
and natural gas across the
globe.
Sovcomflot transferred
the management of 92
tankers and LNG carriers to
the company back in April
2022.The EU said that since
he EU has adopted
Ta new package of
sanctions against Russia
and its supporters in
response to Russia's
invasion of Ukraine. The
tenth package of sanctions
is being adopted as the
world marks one year since
Russia's full-scale invasion
of Ukraine and is targeting
1 2 1 e n t i t i e s a n d
individuals.
The package contains
Philippines battles to contain
oil spill after fuel tanker sinks
Nationsabouttheseizure.
It follows two previous
Royal Navy seizures of
Iranian weapons in the
regionearlylastyear.
Meloni

focus by NIMASA. Also,
many Nigerian seafarers are
l a n g u i s h i n g i n t h e
unemployment market
because there are no ships to
employ them. There is a huge
backlog of cadets of the
Maritime Academy of
Nigeria Oron waiting to get
m a n d a t o r y s e a - t i m e
experience to further their
studies. The waiting list
keeps growing because
Nigerian shipowners don't
have ships to take them
onboard. Last year, a
graduate of NIMASA's
N i g e r i a n S e a f a r e r s
Development Program
( N S D P ) , L o i s N j o k u ,
revealed how she and some
of her colleagues resorted to
petty trading - selling clothes
and bags - to make ends meet
as a result of unemployment.
Underperforming CEOs,
misplaced priorities and poor
understanding of the issues at
stake have all combined to
rob our shipowners of
vessels, seafarers of jobs,
cadets of sea-time experience
and the industry of desired
progress.
The Nigerian Ports
A u t h o r i t y ( N PA ) a n d
National Inland Waterways
Authority (NIWA) have not
fared any better. NPA in
particular has lost it. Right
before the eyes of its
management, critical port
infrastructures are rotting
away. A good portion of the
NIMASA derives its
powers and functions from
three legal instruments
namely the NIMASA Act
2007, the Merchant Shipping
Act 2007 and the Coastal and
Inland Shipping Act 2003
p o p u l a r l y c a l l e d t h e
C a b o t a g e A c t . T h e s e
instruments shape both the
functions and structure of the
agency. The NIMASA Act
2007 clearly mandates the
agency to “promote, regulate
and administer public
policies” in the sector.
N I M A S A ' s fi r s t c o r e
mandate is to pursue the
development of shipping and
regulatory matters relating to
seafarers and merchant
shipping.
Present day NIMASA
has, however, failed to
p u r s u e s h i p p i n g
development, and this failure
– including the agency's
failure to properly implement
the Cabotage Act – is at the
c o r e o f t h e
underdevelopment of the
maritime industry. Over the
past decade, many Nigerian
s h i p o w n e r s b e c a m e
shipowners only on paper. I
know of many shipowners
who owned or chartered four,
five, six vessels actively
trading in the past but which
have all gone under. Many of
them lost their landed
property to lenders. The
simple reason for this sad
development is the loss of
the spin-doctors' manual. Of a
truth, credit for the reduction
and eventual elimination of
piracy in the Gulf of Guinea
goes to the Nigerian Navy and
the Danish Navy, which
deployed a frigate to the
region. Since 2021, the
Danish Navy frigate, with
about 195 personnel, a
Seahawk helicopter and
maritime task force unit have
sustained presence in the Gulf
of Guinea and made many
arrests. In November last
year, one of the arrested
pirates – a Nigerian - was
prosecuted and convicted not
i n N i g e r i a b u t b y a
Copenhagen court, which
found him guilty of criminal
activities in the Gulf of
Guinea. If NIMASA truly
understands its mandate, it
should be concerned that the
Danish Navy had to fly the
Nigerian pirate named Lucky
Frances to Denmark for
prosecution because Nigeria
and other West African
countries refused to accept
him and others. So, it is not
totally correct for NIMASA
to continue to flaunt this so-
c a l l e d a c h i e v e m e n t .
NIMASA's major mandates
are safety and shipping
development. Security is the
responsibility of the navy.
Unfortunately, NIMASA has
conveniently relegated
shipping development to the
background while it keeps
a p p r o p r i a t i n g t h e
achievements of the Nigerian
Navy. The Deep Blue project
is merely a procurement of
land, air and sea assets for use
of the Nigerian Navy and
other security agencies. We'll
applaud NIMASA only when
i t d e v e l o p s t h e B l u e
Economy.
The spoils system
w h e r e b y t h e
political party in power doles
out top government jobs only
to friends and relatives has
not only sullied, but also
significantly stunted the
growth of the Nigerian
maritimeindustry.
P o l i t i c i a n s w i t h
consciences seared by
unbridled entitlement
m e n t a l i t y j o s t l e t o
appropriate the CEO and
other top positions of
government agencies they
perceive to be cash cows – a
grab mentality not borne out
of the desire to contribute to
the attainment of the
mandates of the agencies but
f o r s h a m e l e s s s e l f -
aggrandisement and contract
procurementpurposes.
When people complain
about the poor development
of the maritime industry, they
fail to see the nexus between
the underdevelopment of the
industry and underachieving
C E O s w h o o w e t h e i r
appointments to familial and
political links rather than
merit. Without a doubt, the
outputs of the CEOs of
NIMASA, NPA, Nigerian
Shippers' Council (NSC),
National Inland Waterways
Authority (NIWA) and the
Council for the Regulation of
Freight Forwarding in
Nigeria (CRFFN) have been
s u b - o p t i m a l . T h e
u n d e r a c h i e v i n g c h i e f
executives have failed the
industry. NIMASA is often
quick to taunt its Deep Blue
project as an achievement.
I n d e e d i t i s t h e o n l y
“achievement” NIMASA
lays claim to under the
present dispensation. It is a
handy rhetoric straight out of
Cronyism, nepotism as bane of Nigeria's maritime development
quay apron at Tin Can Island
Port has caved in while new
port concession agreements
are gathering dusts in the
drawers of civil servants. The
non-renewal of expired port
concession agreements robs
the ports of fresh capital
i n j e c t i o n b y p r i v a t e
operators. How do investors
s o u r c e f u n d s f o r t h e
acquisition of critical cargo
handling equipment and
infrastructural development
of the port without contracts?
The question I often ask is:
Does the NPA management
understand the issues at
stake? Does the executive
management team possess
the capacity and competence
to pilot the affairs of a 21st
century port authority? No.
Unfortunately, the spin-
doctors are on duty 24/7
churning out half-truths
a b o u t s o - c a l l e d
achievements.
NIWA was established
to improve and develop
i n l a n d w a t e r w a y s f o r
navigation as well as provide
a l t e r n a t i v e m o d e o f
transportation for the
evacuation of economic
goods and persons. The
poor use of the waterways
and the preponderance of
boat accidents across the
country say everything that
needs to be said about the
agency's performance.
B e t w e e n M a r c h a n d
October 2022 alone, no
fewer than 212 Nigerians
lost their lives in boat
accidents in various parts of
the country while the agency
watchedhelplessly.
So where do we go from
here? It is apt to appeal to the
President-Elect, Asiwaju
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to treat
maritime issues different
from his predecessors'
handling of the industry.
A s i w a j u f a v o u r e d
m e r i t o c r a c y i n t h e
appointments he made while
serving as the Governor of
Lagos State from 1999 to
2007. He will do well to make
that the hallmark of his
incoming government. None
of the present heads of
maritime agencies deserves
to continue in office beyond
May 29. The industry is in a
downward spiral and new
managers with progressive
mindsets are urgently needed
totakeover.
The President-Elect
may consider convening a
brainstorming session with
select stakeholders in the
industry. Participants should
be genuine private sector
stakeholders and a few senior
government officials none of
whom should include any of
the past or present political
a p p o i n t e e s . T h e
brainstorming session should
conclude with a clearly
defined roadmap and KPIs
for agency heads to take the
industry out of the doldrums
overthenextfour years.
Appointments of CEOs
and senior executives of
NIMASA, NPA, NSC,
NIWA, CRFFN, MAN Oron
and NITT Zaria should be
competitive. The positions
should be advertised with
clearly defined qualifications
and work experience.
Shortlisted candidates
s h o u l d b e r i g o r o u s l y
interviewed and only the best
with the right mindset should
be appointed into these key
positions. Monitoring and
evaluation systems must also
be set up with the aim of
improving outputs and
impacts.
As Nigeria takes a new
t u r n o n M a y 2 9 , a
fundamental change in
approach must happen to
reposition and redefine the
maritime industry. The
Tinubu administration
should understand that the
greatness of our nation is
inextricably tied to the sea,
with its commercial use in
peace time and its control
in war time, for, in the
w o r d s o f S i r Wa l t e r
R a l e i g h , “ w h o s o e v e r
c o m m a n d s t h e s e a
c o m m a n d s t h e t r a d e ;
whosoever commands the
t r a d e o f t h e w o r l d
commands the riches of the
world, and consequently the
world itself”.
SHIPS PORTS
D A I L Y
Eight years on, the possibility of
achieving the SDGs remains bleak for
many countries, particularly, the least
developed countries.
President Muhammadu Buhari
SOUND
BITE
By Dr. Bolaji Akinola, PhD
Underperforming CEOs, misplaced
priorities and poor understanding of
theissuesatstakehaveallcombined
to rob our shipowners of vessels,
seafarers of jobs, cadets of sea-time
experience and the industry of
desiredprogress.

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