The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NSC

  • Insurgency: Jonathan stops ethnic registration, ‘deportation’

    Insurgency: Jonathan stops ethnic registration, ‘deportation’

    The National Security Council (NSC) meeting, presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday stopped the registration and “deportation” of non-indigenes across the country.

    Some states had begun the registration of residents to enable them identify visitors and check Boko Haram deadly activities.

    Addressing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the Director-General of State Security Service (SSS), Ita Ekpeyong, explained that such exercises were more dangerous than Boko Haram activities.

    The SSS chief, who in company of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Abubakar, said Nigerians are free to settle anywhere they like.

    He said another NCS meeting will be held next week to discuss the development.

    Ekpeyong said: “The IGP has told you what was discussed at the meeting: the fight against Boko Haram, the government’s efforts to rescue the Chibok schoolgirls and the issue of ‘deportation’, registration of Nigerians in some states. We regard this as even more potent than Boko Haram.

    “The council discussed in detail the issue of registration of Nigerians in any part of the country, being subjected to registration, being subjected to deportation, being taken away from one part of the country to the other.

    “The council discussed the reaction by some groups in Kano State and other parts of the country. It observed that this threat was more potent than Boko Haram and could disintegrate the country.

    “We take this very seriously: for some people to deport other people; for some people to take other people from one place to the other; for the registration of indigenes. No matter where they are, they are free to settle anywhere they like.

    “The council resolved that the issue of registration of Nigerians anywhere in the country and ‘deportation’ should stop forthwith. To emphasise the importance the President attached to this, that is why he asked the IGP and I to address the press. This must stop forthwith.”

    The SSS director-general said security operatives had been directed not to be involved in the registration of Nigerians who are resident outside their states or in banishing people from their state of residency.

    Ekpeyong said: “If the police, the SSS are found to be involved, they will be severely dealt with.”

    The SSS chief also warned youths to desist from fomenting trouble over the matter because the government was taking steps over the matter.

    He said: “The government is doing everything possible to stem this from getting out of control. As a matter of fact, to show the urgency, the NCS meeting will be held anytime next week to discuss this issues.”

    On the fight against terrorism, Ekpeyong said: “The fight against Boko Haram is ongoing. We kept saying that the fight against Boko Haram is like the footballer. You know when the Germans played the Argentines, it was only just one goal they scored that everyone is remembering. The other goals that were stopped, nobody will remember them.

    “There are several things the government is doing. There are several attacks government has stopped. But nobody will remember those ones because we don’t tell you. But several things are going on.

    “On the Chibok schoolgirls, the government is making efforts (to rescue them). We know where they are, but we don’t want to endanger their lives. That is the truth. We want to take it gradually and release them at the appropriate time. We know where they are you can go to bed with that.”

     

  • Oyo govt worried over Container Depot’s ‘neglect’

    Oyo govt worried over Container Depot’s ‘neglect’

    The Oyo State Government has cried out over the neglect of the Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Ibadan, the capital, urging the Nigeria Shippers’ Council (NSC) to ensure its smooth take-off.

    Speaking during a visit to NSC the management in Lagos, the Secretary to the State Government, Lekan Ali said they are not happy that the Ibadan ICD project has been abandoned for too long.

    He said the resuscitation of moribund infrastructure and the establishment of a viable transport network through collaborative efforts with the Shippers’Council will make the ICDs in Ibadan and other parts of the country functional and promote business.

    He identified the absence of a functional rail line connecting the ICDs as one of the major factors impeding the smooth take-off of the project.

    “One thing that is very germane is the issue of the rail which is about 1.5 kilometres from Eremu from where you could have the connection and we have written a long while that the Ministry of Transport should please consider through the Nigeria Railway Corporation the possibility of linking the dry port by rail so that when goods come into the country, they can be transported by rail.

    “We believe this is the time we want to get to that level of industrialisation. To check unemployment and move in many investors as much as possible,” Ali said.

    Replying, the NSC boss, Mr Hassan Bello, said the idea of dry ports was conceived to decongest the port and boost the nation’s economy.

    He however said the delay in the take off of the Ibadan dry port was due to the fact that the Council does not have the legal frame work to establish the dry ports as ports of origin and ports of destination so that cargo can be consigned to the ports.

    “It has not been easy for several reasons chief of which is the argument or gap in the legal frame work. These ports are supposed to be designated and gazetted as port of destination and port of origin. This has been going on because we have been steadfast in pushing and promoting the idea of dry ports. We have been pushing for this to be done. The Minister of Transport set up a committee and the committee has made some recommendation and the Minister has forwarded it to Mr  President.

    “But all pressure is now there and your Governor and other Governors who show concern on this should come together so that this designation would be done,” he said.

  • Lawyers urge govt on Shippers’ Council’s funding

    Lawyers urge govt on Shippers’ Council’s funding

    LAWYERS have urged the Federal Government to prioritise the funding and provision of legal teeth to the  Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC).

    A  former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Mrs. Mfon Usoro identified funding as a critical to the NSC’s survival, urging the government to address the issue for the ports’economic regulator.

    She said NSC needs to be armed with powers of the law to execute its statutory functions. She called on President Goodluck Jonathan and the transport minister to pursue the passage of the bills as soon as possible so that the Council can succeed.

    Also, the President of the Nigerian Maritime Law Association, Mr. Louis Mbanefo (SAN) and other  legal experts called on President  Goodluck Jonathan and the Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar, to pursue the issue of legal backing for the NSC as an important instrument for it to  play its role well.

    The stakeholders said the passage of the Ports & Harbours and the National Transport Commission (NTC) Bills as important for the ports industry, as well as to aid the NSC operations as the ports regulator.

    He identified the need for law for the NSC, adding that it should have been the first thing. He said the government to expedite action on the issue.

    Another maritime lawyer, Mr Chidi Ilogu (SAN), however, said the council can operate as a Regulator with its current law, adding that the need for urgent passage of the necessary bills for the regulator to operate cannot be over-emphasised.

    Its Board Chairman, Lt Gen. Salihu Ibrahim and Executive Secretary, Mr Hassan Bello, had during the meeting with stakeholders assured that the Council will not disappoint operators, including providers and consumers of shipping services in the discharge of its duties.

  • NSC to ease cargo clearance at ports

    The Nigerian Shippers’ Council says it will concentrate its efforts on ensuring that the clearance procedure at the nation’s sea port is made faster, even as it vowed that the agency would cut unreasonable charges in the system, because the ports are in competition with other neighboring ports.

    Its Executive Secretary Mr. Hassan Bello also said he was determined to make the ports attractive for business and accused maritime stakeholders of being impatient over its new regulatory role, even as he said the Council would not be blackmailed or rushed in its efforts to bring harmony and sanity into the port operation.

    Bello who said those  criticising  the Council of not living up to expectations in its newly assigned regulatory role at the port intended to blackmail  the council to abdicate its responsibility.

    He said that the Council will end arbitrary charges at the port when all stakeholders do what they are expected to do.

    “The Shippers’ Council will be accused all the time by stakeholders, if we are not accused then we are not doing our work. We have to be accused, abused everyday, but what we want is harmony, representation in Nigerian economy through the ports and nobody is going to rush us to do what we are not expected to do.

    “We are going to take a scientific approach, it is not a beauty contest or a popularity contest, but by the time there is harmonisation in the port,  I am sure everyone will see it, regulation is not ‘ABC’ that you recite for people to get impressed, it has to be scientific so that we can make the ports attractive for business,” he said.

    Bello said the council, as a commercial regulator is supposed to be allowed to study the situation in the industry for not less than three years for it to be properly grounded.

    He said he was happy that the council  has what it takes in terms of experience and past dealings to regulate the industry well,  and insisted that it will not carry out its regulatory on the pages of newspapers.

    “We are going to consult and have the buy-ins of the stakeholders before we do everything, even now we have started the regulation and regulation is consultation, transparency, unbiased and these are part of what we have embarked on” he said.

  • Fed Govt loses N16b yearly to ports’ congestion

    Fed Govt loses N16b yearly to ports’ congestion

    The Federal Government loses $16 billion yearly in the maritime sector  as a result of unfriendly policies which hinder  the smooth clearance of cargo from the ports, a maritime expert has said.

    A consultant with Trident Plc,  Mr. Michael Ivenso, said the high level of physical inspection of goods at the ports has led to huge revenue losses to the Federal Government.

    He lamented that the dependence on trucks to move goods out of the ports should be addressed.

    He spoke at an event titled: “48 hour cargo clearance target at Nigerian Ports” organised by the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) in Lagos.

    He said: “If you don’t fix the transport system, the port will continue to remain a storage area. Nigeria loses $16billion annually for not doing what it ought to do at the port.”

    Ivenso identified some of the challenges to include shuffling of papers back and forth by Customs, the manual handling of documents and lack of infrastructures to attract the kind of investors the government desires.

    The Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Kayode Opeifa, said maritime traffic constitutes the biggest headache for the state.

    “Congestion in Lagos alone costs $1billion every year. Out of this, maritime traffic causes over 70 percent.

    “Tin Can Port alone is 1.65 TEU container units, while at Lekki corridor, we have got 2.7TEU, which will be a challenge eventually.”

    Opeifa said the state government has resolved to look for an alternative means of transportation which is the rail and water

    According to him, the government is developing an alternative route for the movement of people and cargo within the state. The use of badges, he said, would play an important role in the system.

    Opeifa said: “How many trailers will evacuate a shipload and how many badges will evacuate a shipload? What will be the cost and benefit to the economy?

    “We have put all these in consideration and seriously speaking, we can do it. If there are countries that clear goods within six hours, why can’t we do it in 48 hours? I enjoin   all concerned to kindly allow this to happen.”

    According to him, cargoes are being diverted to Benin Republic as a result of the waiting time of vessels in Nigeria.

     

  • Shippers’ Council to promote business at ports

    The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) is taking steps to make the ports attractive for business, its Executive Secretary, Alhaji Hassan Bello, has said.

    The council would be independent in the discharge of its duties a as ports economic regulator, he said.

    Bello, who spoke after a sensitisation programme organised by the council on its new role as economic regulator of the ports, said it would not take sides with any of the interested parties, including importers, exporters and agents.

    “We will synergise with all operators with a view to creating a balance and an enabling environment for the interest of the various stakeholders in the maritime sector.

    “This assignment is a re-affirmation of what we have been doing, trying to see that there is balance in the industry. We have always been an umpire trying to see that the needed balance, necessary for efficiency is maintained. We are going to work with everybody that matters in the sector,” he added.

    He said the council would require the cooperation of stakeholders to to fulfill its new mandate.

    “We need the partnership of stakeholders, their understanding and trust to move the industry forward,” he added.

  • NSC targets N20.5m revenue generation for 2014

    NSC targets N20.5m revenue generation for 2014

    • As House Committee showers encomiums on Elegbeleye

    The National Sports Commission (NSC) is targeting revenue generation of N20.5 million at the end of the 2014 fiscal year.

    The Commission had visited the House of Representatives Committee on Sports to defend its budget for the 2014 but NSC Director-General Gbenga Elegbeleye was asked to take a bow after he was eulogised by the Committee.

    Elegbeleye had told the House Committee on Sports that the targeted fund would come from the use of main-bowls, car parks, staff canteens, handball courts, shops and kiosks, swimming pools and the use of open spaces.

    The document submitted by the NSC revealed that while the ministry raked in N12.225 million revenue in 2013 from the same sources, it has an 82.7 per cent projection in 2014.

    Also, against the insistence of the upper chambers of the Senate, the members of the Committee unanimously told the NSC D-G to take a bow as a former member of the committee.

    The Committee members showered encomium on Hon. Elegbeleye describing his appointment by President Goodluck Jonathan as a round peg in a round hole, just as they attributed the successes recorded in sports to his contribution.

    First to speak after the D-G had finished presenting the annual appropriation for the Commission, a member from Imo State, Alphonus Gerald Ilonta, had moved a motion for the committee to simply ask the DG, ‘not to take a bow but to walk away’.

    “Interestingly, this is the first time we are meeting with Hon. Elegbeleye since his appointment by Mr President. The achievements recorded in sports since his assumption of office are indications that he is the right person for the job.

    “He has distinguished himself and we should be proud of him. In view of this, I want to move a motion for this committee to tell the D-G not to take a bow but to walk away. I want to base my motion on the fact that having been on this side previously, he knows what to do and how to do it to take Nigerian sports to the next level,” Ilonta said.

  • Alli urges sustained grassroots talent hunt

    Alli urges sustained grassroots talent hunt

    A former Commonwealth Long Jump Champion, Yusuf Alli, on Tuesday advocated a sustained grassroots sports development programme to nurture budding talents.

    Alli told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that there was the need to go back to the drawing board to scout for potential world class talents through schools’ sports. He said schools’ sports would launch Nigeria back into success in track and field events.

    “Usain Bolt featured in schools’ sports, likewise I; when I went to the Moscow Olympics, I was still a student. If we can get students to show more interest in athletics, we can produce world class talents.

    “Through such a gradual programme, the incidence of age cheating in sports will be reduced; we need to get them young,’’ he said.

    He stressed the need for mentoring of athletes from early stages to encourage them to make a career in sports.

    “Nigeria has the same terrain and structure like Jamaica; so, I see no reason why we cannot produce more world beaters.

    Alli, however, praised the National Sports Commission(NSC) for efforts in sports development.

  • Ghana, Benin arrive as competition begins today

    By Akeem Lawal

     

    Ghana, Benin Republic Wheelchair Basketball national teams have arrived for the 3rd edition of the Sir Victor Ochei International Wheelchair Basketball Championship which gets underway today at the Indoor Sports hall of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

    The teams joined eighteen others from all over the country to make twenty teams fighting for the five million naira (N5m) price money at stake.

    The president, Wheelchair Basketball Federation of Nigeria, Bukola Olopade disclosed that Togo and two other wheelchair basketball teams from Togo and Ghana are having immigration issues at the boarder but that the federation through the National Sports Commission (NSC) are handling the matter. He assured that they will join their counterpart latest today before their first game in the afternoon. He also disclosed that the South African team are expected to arrive today for the championship.

    While speaking with SportingLife on the championship been sponsored by the Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly, the WBFN technical director Obrien Tamuno, having assured of the readiness of the technical officials said he expects stiff competition from the participating teams noting that the championship would be used to select players for the senior national and under-23 teams, ahead of the international championship later in the year.

    He said: “We are ready and want to assure the participating teams that the officials are ready and that there will be fair officiating during the matches because we have taken them through seminars and clinics in order to be abreast of modern day rules guiding the game.”

     

  • Council warns against collection of illegal dues

    The Nigeria Shippers’ Council (NSC) has warned terminal operators against collection of unlawful dues at the ports, assuring clearing agents of its support in recovering all unlawful money collected from them by terminal operators if they could provide evidence.

    The council said it assisted clearing agents in the recovering of N25.88 million allegedly collected unlawfully by some terminal operators.

    Its Public Relations Officer, Mr Ignatius Nweke, said the council embarked on the recovery of the funds following complaints by the freight forwarders.

    He said the complaints were centred on delays caused by physical examination of cargoes by Customs, vandalism of cargoes, fraudulent cargo clearance, delay in accepting returned empty containers, cargo loss, and unjustifiable excessive demurrage.

    Others, he said, were issues on shipping charges, delays in the positioning of cargoes and additional charges in foreign exchange.

    He said between January and June, last year, N16.94 million was recovered on account of 43 complaints by the freight forwarders, while N8. 88 million was recovered on 93 complaints brought before it between July to December same year.

    Nweke said the council resolved 36 complaints by port operators between January and June and 75 complaints from July to December last year, adding that 29 complaints made during the year were yet to be resolved.

    He, however, blamed freight forwarders for most of their travails in the hands of providers of shipping services, saying lack of professionalism among them was negatively affecting their operations.

    He said many freight forwarders lacked the requisite skills to operate professionally.

    “Nobody feels happy that an operator is suffering. If you have a proof that you have been over-charged or treated unlawfully, inform the NSC,’’ he said.

    He said allegations by freight forwarders over alleged increase in tariff, excess charges and extortion were without justification and evidence.

    Nweke said all formal complaints against terminal operators to the council had received documented response.

    “In June 2013, we received a petition from Wali Waziri and Sons Ltd in Apapa against APM Terminal on poor handling of cargoes, resulting in excess demurrage and, by November, the matter was settled.