The Nation Newspaper

Category: Maritime

  • Customs seizes goods worth millions in Lagos

    Customs seizes goods worth millions in Lagos

    Officers of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone A, Lagos, have seized two trucks of contraband goods worth several millions of naira.

    In the trucks were six suspected smugglers. The Customs accosted them on the Badagry Expressway, last Wednesday.

    The smugglers, who hit the expressway from a bush near the Federal Government College, Ijanikin, with their specially-built vehicles loaded with contraband, were probably on their way to Alaba Rago Market in Ojo area of the state before they were intercepted by the Customs men.

    Eye witnesses said the smugglers were daring, considering their number.

    When The Nation visited the scene at about 8:00 am, the Customs officers were still arguing with the smugglers. As the argument was going on, the smugglers called their colleagues on phone to come to their aid and stop the officers from seizing their goods. They threatened to burn the Customs vehicle and attack any officer who stood on their way. Within a few minutes of their call many of the smugglers colleagues arrived the scene

    Although the Customs officers were armed, they told the smugglers why the vehicles and the items were seized. But their words fell on deaf ears. Instead, the smugglers threatened the officers with charms which they brandished.

    As tension built up, one of the officers attempted to jump into his vehicle with Registration Number CS 183 HQ, threatening to call for re-enforcement.

    For over 40 minutes, the smugglers continued to mobilise their members while the Customs insisted that the two seized vehicles parked in front of the Conoil Filling Station before Iyana-Ira Bus Stop would not be released to them.

    The face-off lasted for over two hours before the smugglers were dislodged.

    Investigation by The Nation revealed that the six smugglers, who specialised in using rickety vehicles for their illegal business along the porous borders, were accosted by men of the FOU near Iyana-Ira Bus Stop on the expressway.

    The operation, investigation revealed, was in futherance of the renewed war by the Comptroller of the unit, Dan Ugo, to stem smuggling in Lagos, Ogun and Ondo states.

    Large quantities of contraband goods have been seized by the unit during its operations.

    In the last few months, goods worth several billions of naira have been impounded by officers of the FOU Zone A, while several suspected smugglers have been arrested with some charged to court.

    An eye witness, Mr Bolaji Kazeem, who spoke with The Nation, blamed the persistent harassment and attacks on Customs officers on community leaders around the border areas, who, according to him, have failed to educate their people on the dangers of smuggling to the economy.

    “The officers are not on the road on their own. The job was given to them by the Federal Government to stem the cycle of criminalities around our borders and checkmate economic sabouteurs. As you can see them, they have guns that are more sophisticated than that of the Customs and they also have deadly charms,” Kazeem said.

    Another eye witness at the Conoil Filling Station, who refused to give his name, blamed the government and the smugglers for the crisis.

    He said after almost 15 years of democracy, the government has failed to provide employment for the people, a factor which has led some youths to engage in smuggling and other crimes.

    He blamed the smugglers for sabotaging the efforts of the government at revamping the economy.

    “The government is not doing enough to provide employment for the youth and that is why many of them engage in crime.

    “Sometimes, you see the smugglers carrying goods that are smelling and they still find their ways to the market. They use perfume to reduce the bad odour so that unsuspecting consumers will buy them. That is why we see many people dying after eating some smuggled items.

    “Sometimes, you also see the smugglers carrying goods without stopping for routine check and any attempt to stop them by Customs men results in fracas,” he said.

    A senior Customs officer, who spoke with The Nation on the condition of anonymity, said some of the youth in the border areas see smuggling as a means of livelihood.

    “When we arrest some of these people, they will tell you that the land belongs to them and that fayawo (smuggling) is their own crude oil. But we will continue to resist them, as far as what they are doing is against the law,” the officer said.

  • NPA’s marine unit is weak, says MD

    The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mallam Habib Abdullahi, has decried the dearth of manpower in the marine unit of the authority.

    He said he was prepared to partner with the Society of Nigerian Mariners to enhance the department’s capability.

    Abdullahi spoke when executive members of the association, led by its Chairman, Capt Cosmas Niagwan, visited him in his office in Lagos.

    Urging the group to assist in building the department to international standard, Abdullahi said he was happy to receive the delegation of master mariners, marine engineers and retired senior Navy officers.

    “I need your assistance please. I need you to come in and assist in the best way to move forward the marine division. I don’t know how you are going to do it,” he said.

    He expressed the desire to move NPA marine activities back to its old days. He challenged mariners to come forward with suggestions and action plans that would enhance the activities of NPA.

    He added that if it required appointing a consultant from the association to revitalise the agency’s marine department, he would do it.

    Earlier, Niagwan, who is also a master mariner, said the association is aimed at bringing mariners under one umbrella and that it is willing to partner with the NPA to ensure that the organisation fulfills its objectives and responds more appropriately to the needs of stakeholders.

    Also speaking, the association’s Secretary-General, Greg Ogbeifun promised that the association would work with the agency, adding that for the association to assist Abdulahi, it must understand what the managing director desires.

    “For us to come up with ideas, we will need to know what is on ground; we will like to do a bit of due diligence, but more importantly, we will like to know what is in your heart, so that we will be able to articulate a process of taking the situation from where it is to where it’s going,” he said.

  • ‘Importers, agents against Cabotage Act’s implementation’

    The implementation of the Cabotage Act is being sabotaged by agents, importers and other maritime operators, a university teacher has said.

    Mr Dipo Alaka of the Lagos State University (LASU) said the law could easily be implemented if the agency saddled with enforcing it, musters the political will to do so.

    “This is the time for the government to buckle-up and see to the implementation of the Cabotage law. But we need to understand the problems confronting the agency before we can say yes, maybe some individuals in government are trying to frustrate the implementation.

    “My thinking is that every ship that calls at our port should first declare arrival to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), NIMASA and the Navy. By doing so, it would become easy to implement the law,” he said.

    Alaka said the execution of the law should not be a problem. “The agency saddled with the responsibility of enforcing the law does not even need to get to the jetty to arrest a vessel; she can ask a vessel to tell her its point of loading. So, if it is offshore Lagos or offshore Cotonou, the agency can then verify if it is on the list of Cabotage registered vessels.

    “Therefore, implementation should not be a major issue. From all indications there must be a kind of conspiracy between the operators and people that grant approval for foreign vessels to come into the country.”

    He said Nigerian ship owners must be supported by the government and banks to buy sufficient vessels to adequately carry out coastal trade.

    The Coastal and Inland Shipping Act, 2003, he said, is a protectionist law enacted to create exclusive areas of operations in the coastal trade for indigenous operators.

  • Govt okays vessels for Customs patrol

    The Federal Government has approved two vessels for the Customs to tackle sea pirates.

    Sources told The Nation that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) gave approval for the vessels’ acquisition at its meeting in Abuja.

    Controller of the Western Marine Command, Apapa, Lagos, Mr Zakka Audu, said the Command would restructure as soon as the vessels arrive.

    “Our jurisdiction is purely on water and creeks. In the past, we have not been able to reach the high seas. But with the vessels approved by the Federal Government, our Command will become more effective in monitoring the high seas.

    “All the seizures we have been making so far have been in the creeks and rivers, while the smugglers bring in ships which they anchor on the high seas where we are unable to reach,’’ he said.

    He said an Assistant Comptroller-General had been assigned by the Comptroller-General of Customs to inspect facilities at the command to upgrade them.

    Audu said the command’s officers and men were being trained on the use of weapons, swimming and others.

    The Public Relations Officer Command, Mr Zakari Chado, said the command recorded six seizures valued at over N3 million last month.

    The items, he said, were abandoned by smugglers on sighting customs patrol boats.

    The seizures, he said, were made at Idiroko, Yekeme and Badagry.

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) at Seme border has arrested a couple for allegedly importing 30kg of Cannabis (Indian hemp) worth N3.2 million into the country.

    The Area Comptroller, Mr Othman Salleh, said the couple was arrested with the drug in a KIA saloon car with registration number KST 160 AG at Gbaji-Yeke checkpoint.

    The female suspect, he said, was arrested with a baby on her back; the husband was partially disabled.

    According to the customs boss, the hard drug was concealed in the engine and back seat compartments of the car.

    The suspects, the exhibits and the car, he said, had been handed over to narcotic officials at the border.

  • Institute seeks bill’s passage

    The Registrar of Certified Institute of Shipping (CIS), Dr Alex Okwuashi, has urged the Senate to reopen deliberation on the bill that seeks to charter the institute.

    Okwuashi made the appeal in Lagos last week. He said that the institute and other stakeholders are very optimistic that the Senate would not abandon the bill.

    “All efforts are being made by the institute to get the Senate to revisit the bill so that it could be passed into law. The strategic importance of maritime to the nation has made this Bill very important.

    “The CISN Bill was originally gazetted in 2011 under the chairmanship of Hon Okey Ude, the erstwhile chairman of the House Committee on Marine Transport, but was inexplicably dropped. It was slated to be chartered with the Cabotage Act in 2003 and in 2010.

    “The bill was brought up again when the House Committee on Marine Transport reiterated the need for the institute to be chartered,’’ he said.

    Okwuashi recalled that the bill was also dropped in Dec. 2010 when it was sent to the Senate for final passage because the legislative year had ended.

    He called on all stakeholders, including the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Ministry of Transport, to support the institute in its bid for professionalism.

    “It is believed that if the institute is chartered, it will help to bring sanity in the way and manner shipping is done in Nigeria,” the rector said.

    The Bill is being sponsored by the CIS, the Nigerian Institute of Shipping and other maritime stakeholders.

    “The bill is a very large industry bill and also very strategic because Nigeria is a maritime nation,’’ he said.

  • NIMASA to train youth

    The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has concluded arrangement to train some youth from the Southeast. Their counterparts from the Southsouth had enjoyed the priviledge.

    Speaking with The Nation in his office last week, NIMASA’s Director-General, Mr Patrick Akpobolokemi said there are many job opportunities in the maritime sector, but unfortunately they are not open to Nigerians because they lack the necessary training.

    NIMASA, he said, is set to reverse the trend.

    Akpobolokemi said NIMASA has received an approval from the National Assembly to train Nigerian youths into becoming competent and qualified seafarers in various universities across the world, so as to fill in the existing knowledge gap in the maritime sector.

    He bemoaned a situation where the sector is dominated by foreigners who man Nigerian vessels at the expense of unemployed but highly enterprising nationals.

    Akpobolokemi told The Nation that the seafarers’ training programme, which is targeted at complimenting the Niger-Delta Amnesty programme of the Federal Government, will also be beneficial to many youths from the South-Eastern region.

    The NIMASA boss also assured the Ohaneze that his administration will protect the interest of the Igbos in the agency. He also solicited for the cooperation of Igbo people in sanitising the Nigerian waterways, improving maritime security and creating friendly business environment for private sector investors in the maritime industry.

    According to him, the training of Nigerian youths including Igbos will enable indigenous ship owners to raise the bar in the maritime industry, by ensuring that shipping business including trade within the nation’s coastal area is dominated and taken over by Nigerians.

  • Abandoned logs block waterways, say boat operators

    Boat operators have raised the alarm over an upsurge in abandoned logs on the Lagos waterways.

    They said the waterways have become unsafe for them with the logs blocking their routes.

    The logs, said to be abandoned by timber dealers, are depleting fish stock and causing boat mishap, it was learnt.

    Scores are said to have died from such accidents.

    President, Association of Tourist Boat Operators and Water Transporters of Nigeria (ATBOWATON) Mr Ganiyu Balogun said the logs and water hyacinth were hindering their operations.

    “This area of transportation has been experiencing a lot of hindrances occasioned by some natural and man-made factors.

    “These factors are water hyacinth and abandoned logs by timber dealers along the water channels.

    “This had several times resulted in boat mishaps which also caused loss of lives and valuables,” he said.

    Balogun said the logs are hampering members of the association from operating.

    He called on the government to address the problems, saying: “If something is not done by the regulatory bodies of state and local governments, this could put us out of operation. It can also have adverse effect on the nation’s economy.’’

    Water transportation, he said, is an aspect of the economy that could not be neglected by any responsible government as it could generate employment.

    A boat operator, Mr Felix Udoma, said logs, wayward barges, boats and small fishing vessels should be pulled out of waters when they pose a danger to people or to the environment.

    Udoma , called for a new law with severe penalties for anybody who intentionally sinks a boat.

    “We have had several cases where the owners intentionally abandoned the logs but they are not as well reported for documented because law enforcement agents chose not to pursue the issue.

    “The toxic danger from spills starts immediately after a boat sinks, and the threat remains long afterwards. A boat can be sitting underwater for many years and suddenly you get a ‘burp’ of oil. It could take weeks, months, even years, and then all of a sudden you have an environmental problem,” he said.

  • Agency stopped from collecting ports fee as Customs kicks

    Agency stopped from collecting ports fee as Customs kicks

    The Federal Government has barred the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) from collecting transaction fees at the ports.

    The order followed a protest letter by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Alhaji Dikko Abdullah Inde, to the Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar.

    The government gave CRFFN the green-light to collect the fees about two months ago.

    In the September 25 letter, signed by T. A. Musa, on Inde’s behalf, the Customs chief said: “The service is of the opinion that the charges will no doubt cause delays in the clearance of goods at the port, thereby, leading to port congestion. Its implementation will also increase the cost of doing business with its attendant implication on the cost of goods and services.”

    The Nation learnt that the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) also sent a similar letter to the minister.

    Confirming the suspension of the approval, CRFFN accused the Customs of seeking to continue to benefit from what it called freight forwarders’ ignorance.

    Chairman of its Governing Council Alhaji Hakeem Olanrewaju, accused Customs of sponsoring the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) to kick against the collection of the fees which the CRFFN intended to use to train and professionalise freight forwarders.

    He said: “I was so shocked at the management of the Nigeria Customs which was the first organisation we visited when we started and asked for their collaboration on training. I believe the Nigeria Customs does not want us to grow, they still want to benefit from our ignorance which we want to stop, we want to do freight forwarding as it is being done in the whole world”.

    According to him, the Customs has been issuing licences to clearing agents over the years, but it has not been making any effort to train them.

    “This is why they call most of our people touts, but we don’t want to be touts anymore, we want to be of international best practices because 70 per cent of our jobs have been taken over by foreigners,” Olanrewaju said.

    But ANLCA president Alhaji Olayiwola Shittu, denied the allegation that the association is being used by Customs to scuttle the CRFFN deal.

    Shittu said members of the CRFFN Governing Council are occupying offices illegally, adding that their tenure expired on August 14.

    According to Shittu, members of the Governing Council had allegedly extended their tenure for another six months. He said any decision taken by the Governing Council after the said expiration of their tenure is null and void.

    He said: “It is statutory in the Act which established the Council that all elected members have a four year tenure. For this reason the tenure of the elected members of the Council has since expired on August 14, 2012. We are also aware that the Registrar, Mr Mike Jukwe has informed the Minister of Transport in writing in that regard. It is also a fact that the Council members have extended their tenure without the support of members of the Freight Forwarders Consultative Council Forum and the general congress of the registered members. Let us at this time make it clear that our Council administration is in breach by the activities of our Council members.”

    He alleged that CRFFN accredited the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders Nigeria (AREFFN), National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA) and the National Association of Air Freight Forwarders and Consolidators (NAFFAC), so that they can vote for it on critical issues.

    The accreditation of AREFFN, NCMDLCA and NAFFAC, he said was illegal since the meeting where they were accredited was held after the expiration of the tenure of the Governing Council.

    But a member of the CRFFN Governing Board and National President of the Institute of Freight Forwarding of Nigeria (IFFN), Dr. Zeb Ikokide, said the tenure of the members of the Governing Council has not expired.

    Ikokide said the council members’ tenure would expire next month.

  • Maritime: In the grip of foreigners

    Maritime: In the grip of foreigners

    Those with a eye for business spot a lucrative trade when they see one. With their trained eyes, they have since identified maritime business as a money spinning venture. But there is a problem. Nigerians do not have the financial muscle to invest in it. They don’t also have the required personnel.

    Worried by the dearth of indigenous seafarers, stakeholders are concerned that Nigeria’s maritime trade is largely in the hands of foreigners. This can be seen in the volume of petroleum products transported by foreign vessels.

    Aside the ownership structure of most ocean liners, which is foreign dominated, mariners who are in the employ of the vessels, are of foreign stock. The ships are either manned by Philippines, Malaysians or Indians, leaving the few local hands in the lurch.

    Stakeholders have also pointed out that foreign seafarers engaged in the nation’s coastal trade earn between $1.5 and $2billion annually. To redress this, they said the government needs to create a conducive environment and partner private operators on ship building or acquisition for training to develop a robust pool of seafarers to replenish ageing seafarers and reposition the sector.

    Liquidation of NNSL

    Since the dissolution of the defunct Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL), investigation revealed that there has been a major gap in the training of seafarers in the last 15 to 18 years.

    The Managing Director, Badmus Shipping, Chief Fola Badmus said since the liquidation of the NNSL in 1995, the maritime industry has suffered a generational vacuum in the area of manpower training, making succession in the sector a herculean task. The vacuum created due to lack of training vessels, he argued, has created opportunity for foreigners to exploit the nation’s waters, leaving little or no job for Nigerians.

    Available data from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and safety Agency (NIMASA), showed that seafarers from Malaysia, the Philippines and India, who work on Nigerian waters, take home between $1.5 billion to $2 billion annually because of lack of certified indigenous manpower.

    The agency’s data also revealed that of the nation’s population of over 160 million, only 1,388 officers and ratings are registered; Ghana has 1,879 officers and 7,000 ratings.
    Badmus said the curriculum of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, the only institute in the country for seafarers, is not designed to award internationally-recognised certificates. Similarly, because of the dearth of employment, graduates of the academy, he said, end up on the streets doing unrelated jobs.

    Expressing dissatisfaction, former National President of Master Mariners, Adewale Ishola, said in the 70s, there was yearly intake of cadets for training in institutions in the United Kingdom, Canada, Egypt and Singapore, adding that there was also a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to train Nigeria’s Deck Officers and Marine Engineers at the regional academy in Ghana, which, according to him, is no longer obtainable.

    He pointed out that even before the creation of the then National Maritime Authority, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) was training cadets through the Ministry of Transport, as well as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). He said some of them graduated with Masters and as first class engineers, but regretted that there were no jobs for them, adding that most of them had to look elsewhere for jobs.

    The former Master Mariner said because there were not enough hands to fill the vacancies in oil and gas, foreigners were brought in for some jobs. He said the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) was only training cadets to suit its needs, adding that the country is in need of seamen who can handle all types of cargoes.
    He said there was the urgent need for government to bring on a new set of skilled hands to take over from those expected to retire soon.

    Of the 5,000 seafarers in the country, less than 1,000 are Nigerians, the remaining, he said, are foreigners.  He said over 250,000 vacancies exist for seafarers but Nigerians lack the capacity to fill them.

    The dominance of the sector by foreigners, he said, is among the challenges facing NIMASA. The agency told The Nation, it is working to ensure that Nigerians take their rightful positions in the international maritime business.

    Partnership to build vessels

    The Managing Director, Shipping and Logistic Training, Gbolahan Adesegun, said there are no vessels fully-equipped for cadet training, urging the government to take the issue of acquisition of vessels through private initiative seriously.

    The campaign for more seafarers, he said would become more effective if there is partnership with shipyards to develop their capacities to build ships locally for the Nigerian industry, otherwise, NIMASA will be working on a platform that is fragile, unrealistic and not cost effective.

    Adesegun said reasonable progress can only be made by strengthening the local ship capacity building initiative to ensure seafarers are developed to satisfy the needs of the industry.

    Gains from seafarers

    Secretary General of the Indigenous Ship owners Association of Nigeria (ISAN) Niyi Labinjo said Philippines, with a population of over 80 million, has maximised the benefits of developing its maritime labour sector. It supplies over 30 per cent or 300,000 of the 1.2 million world seafarers.

    From this, he said, Philippines earns over $5 billion for its economy from repatriated income.
    He said Filipino seafarers dominate the maritime labour market because of the concerted national efforts in that direction. They are among the country’s eight to 10 million migrant workers scattered across the world, whose remittances, as acknowledged even by the government, have helped buoy the economy.

    Every year, Filipino workers overseas, send home over $15 billion or 10 per cent of the Philippine’s gross domestic product (GDP). The GDP is the total value of goods and services produced by the country in a year.

    In some economies, Filipino sailors constitute more than 55 per cent of the maritime personnel.  Labinjo said seafarers’ development is a strategic programme of the Philippine government because of the tremendous earnings from maritime manpower export. He urged the government to emulate that country.

    Poor implementation of Cabotage Act

    According to ship owners, poor implementation of the Coastal and Inland Shipping Act (Cabotage), aimed at creating jobs for indigenous ship owners, has resulted in low involvement of indigenous firms in shipping business. They argued that the nation was losing huge revenue to capital flight.

    A major problem affecting the implementation of the Act, they said, is the dearth of manpower, brought about by training facilities and personnel. According to the ship owners, this is why the nation cannot successfully implement Cabotage as the law requires that all indigenous vessels be manned by Nigerians.

    Lack of training vessels

    Despite the country having a training academy in Oron, the gap in seafarers development remains worrisome.

    Graduates from Oron find it difficult to compete with their counterparts elsewhere. Stakeholders attribute this defect to lack of technical structure, ranging from lack of training vessels to other platforms required for the practical training of cadets from MAN, Oron.

    The General Manager, Public Affairs, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Chief Michael Ajayi, said a feasible plan of funding for the academy is needed so as to churn out seafarers that can stand international competition.

    With globalisation, increased trade and maritime transport, there’s the need for at least 50,000 new maritime officers in the next five years, Ajayi said, adding that seafaring is a specialised endeavour which demands provision of key resources which cannot be compromised if the demand of the global maritime market is to be met.
    The implication of this is the deplorable state of training facilities at Oron, which has suffered neglect in terms of resources for quality maritime education.

    He said the poor state of affairs at the academy demanded that emphasis be placed on resources to ensure the highest standard of training.
    Ajayi, said it is expedient to establish more academies, adding that efforts should be made to improve the academy to boost manpower development.
    Ajayi said there is need for training if the nation wished to meet the maritime personnel needs, adding that the major challenge after training is completing the stipulated sea time.

    He said significant steps be taken to expand the capacity of the Oron Academy and provide navigational and seamanship training. The academy, he said, is in need of attention and much remained to be done to enable it deliver vital services to the industry.

    Job prospects

    The President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Alhaji Olayiwola Shittu, said jobs abound on board vessels for cooks, carpenters, marine engineers, seamen and others with good remuneration.
    He said there are enormous opportunities in the maritime sector, adding that the country needs more seafarers to maximise benefits of the sector.
    Interest in maritime, he said would augur well for the industry.

    NIMASA’s role

    NIMASA Director-General Mr Patrick Akpobolokemi said about 50,000 seafaring jobs would be created for Nigerians.
    To address the matter, he said, over 75 persons have been sent abroad for seafaring training under collaborative arrangement between the Federal Government and those countries.

    NIMASA set up the training programme as a strategic intervention designed to address the short-medium term manpower requirements of the sector to create a large pool of seafarers in the next few years.

    The generational gap in the sector requires intervention because the seafarers’ pool had further depleted because of low life expectancy, death and expanded manning requirements, pointing out that the programme would reposition the economy by building a strong transport sector, especially through shipping because of its critical nature to the economy.

    Akpobolokemi said there was need to develop manpower and the country’s capacity, noting that Nigeria needs at least 50,000 seafarers to man vessels operating on Cabotage.

    “The first batch of cadets is now onboard undergoing sea-time training. The initiative was a wake up call towards meeting the demand of the global shortage of seafarers. Nigeria decided to take a bold step with the intention to work towards meeting the demand as well as wealth creation, by training more Nigerian youths and supporting their gainful employment in line with Mr. President’s transformation agenda.

    “You see, even if you restrict yourself to the Nigerian coastal trade or the cabotage, we have over 50,000 jobs and because of lack of capacity, most of these jobs are being taken by foreigners. NIMASA has started the development of seafaring. We have started the National Seafarers’ Development, where each state is to participate by putting 25 seafarers per annum. NIMASA pays 40 per cent of the cost of their training, while the states that send them pay the remaining 60 per cent.

    “Because we realise that one of the problems we have is seafarers’ training institute, the agency is at the moment exploiting areas where partnership will be made with seafarers institutions to develop. So far, we have only one, MAN, Oron, which is not capable of providing all our personal needs, so, we are training overseas.
    “Also, the University of Lagos, Niger Delta University and the University of Technology, Minna, will have seafarers training programmes. A substantial amount of money has been voted for that purpose in those institutions,” he said.

  • Suspected stolen tokunbo vehicles flood market

    Hundreds of used vehicles, popularly known as tokunbo, believed to have been stolen abroad, have found their way into the country, according to security reports.

    A syndicate, which specialised in the importation of such vehicles from the United States (US), has been smashed by the American police, it was learnt.

    A top security official said most members of the syndicate were from the Middle East and Lebanon, adding that they have collaborators among importers and auto traders in West Africa.

    Our investigation, showed that there are ships which freight stolen cargoes to West Africa. Majority of the cargoes berth at the ports of some neighbouring countries.

    On arrival at those ports, they are cleared and sold to Nigerian traders, who offload them on buyers in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt.

    A used car trader in Lagos, Mr Frances Okuwdili, said some traders buy from those in Cotonou and sell to buyers in the country.

    Okuwdili denied the allegation by American security and judges that stolen vehicles are shipped to Tin Can Port, Lagos.

    He alleged that dealers in stolen vehicles operate from other ports in the sub-region.

    A senior Customs officer at Tin-Can Port, said people whose cars were stolen abroad know their vehicles are in Nigeria. He said the cars enter through the porous borders.

    He said: “I can tell you that majority of those stolen vehicles are not shipped directly to Lagos ports as some people are claiming.They first ship the vehicles to ports in neighbouring countries. From there, the vehicles are taken by road through bush paths to the Nigerian market.

    “One of the ports in our neighbouring countries handles between 80 and 90 per cent of stolen imported vehicles, while Lome Port of Togo and the Tin Can port in Lagos receive about five per cent each. But, the Americans believe such vehicles come in through Tin Can Island Port; that is not true.”