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Tag: Rotimi Amaechi

  • Amaechi: In pursuit of desperate ambition

    Amaechi: In pursuit of desperate ambition

    Rotimi Amaechi, fork-togued, self-demystified and intemperate politician, is grandstanding and brandishing a dead weapon of warfare on the borrowed platform, the crisis-ridden African Democratic Congress (ADC).

    He has returned to the Atiku Abubakar’s faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which recently broke away from the mainsteam PDP and forcefully took over the ADC from its original members.

    The former governor is paying glowing tribute to himself for spearheading the coalition of aggrieved individuals, who have started a war of attrition against the barely two year old federal administration and heating up the polity.

    Since 2022, when his presidential ambition crumbled like a pack of cards, Amaechi has never remained the same. He has been fighting himself and perceived enemies. It is strange to him that he could find himself outside power, 24 years after. That maladjustment is typical of a pompus aspirant who failed to set realistic goals, leading to a bruised ego and  consequential resort to propaganda against a more qualified rival.

    Having crossed the bridge from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to a new company, he has a legitimate duty to throw an opposition arrow. He has money to fund a moderate rebellion. He also have the time. The mission of an antagonist is to beef up hostility, demarket those in power and lay before the audience an alternative solution.

    Politically conscious listeners naturally expect a remedy that is meaningful, logical, persuasive and reassuring.

    So far, Amaechi has not measured up as an effective campaigner, but a common jester lacking intellectual depth and masterful logic.

    Read Also: Shettima commissions FGs ultra-modern ICT hub, two state aircraft in Cross River

    Yet, he had a beautiful past as chief executive of oil-rich Rivers, where he did his best as governor, leaving behind some legacies. As Speaker on the wings of his former leader, Dr. Peter Odili, he was not allowed to go astray.

    As transportation minister, he was also up and doing, despite the constraints of the time, particularly the rail attack by bandits, which reversed the gains.

    As former chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), he has vast networks. He is a comfortable and happy politician bubbling with, not transformational ideas, but a desperate ambition.

    Today, the former governor has lost control of Rivers State. His structure is decimated.

    As a Nigerian, and a party man, he is qualified to jostle for power; to eye the highest ticket. It is his inalienable right. But, in the same vein, Nigerians, especially his party members in APC, also retain the liberty to reject his bid, which they did in a free and fair presidential primary.

    Also, Amaechi has the right to decline support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which he exercised during the 2023 electioneering. Ahead of the next poll, he also has the freedom, which he has started exercising, to team up with other few aggrieved past leaders to oppose the president and the ruling party.

    However, Nigerians also reserve the right to assess the former minister, based on his vituperation, subjective statements, unfounded claims and shallow arguments.

    Alluding to the hardship in town, Amaechi said he is broke and hungry. Many were taken aback. Until 2023, he has not been politically jobless in the last 24 years.  From being an aide of his former leader, Odili, when he was deputy governor in the Third Republic, through the House of Assembly as Speaker for eight years, to governor for eight years and minister another eight years,  he has been sustained by the public purse. He is a privileged Nigerian who can never know hunger.  Therefore, he mocked the poor and deceived other Nigerians who never asked him to declare his assets.

    How can the lavish birthday of the husband of an industrialist be reconciled with his imaginary claim that he is simultaneously poverty-striken? It may also be due to that fact that he hardly stole while in public office.

    Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike’s reaction, especially the N4 billion disclosure, are not intended here, even if the allegation has not been refuted.

    Although he has not demonstrated how he surpassed all former governors, including Asiwaju Tinubu of Lagos State, he said if elected as president, he would do better than him.

    Where that experience and skills that would confer a comparative advantage on him are coming from are unknown. Tinubu has prided himself as a financial surgeon; an accomplished accountant, treasurer of giant firm and boardroom guru. Only now is Amaechi climbing the ladder of professionalism. He is a lawyer, but he needs work hard to achieve fame in that setting to achieve almost the same status of a technocrat. For now, the gap remains wide.

    Amaechi is eyeing the Presidency, but his utterances are not presidential. But there is some merit in that limitation. He cannot give what he lacks.

    Amaechi tried to be honest when he said that he would not reverse the removal of subsidy,.if he becomes president. But he not being an economist, he merely said he would put the savings in the pockets of Nigerians. The question is how? No economic model supports this approach to public spending. There is neither clarification nor elaboration. Would he distribute money to every Nigerian on the street? Instead of appealing to governors to utilise the increased revenue from the Federation Account judiciously, be is babbling.

    Amaechi’s first assignment after winning the presidency is to tackle graft. He hopes to end corruption in one day; a fantansy or folly that should never be displayed by even a neonate. Again, the question is: how?

    The former governor said he would cancel the Lagos- Calabar highway contract, order contractors out of site and only concentrate on the East-West road. Is it not another way of compounding the problem of abandoned projects?

    Amaechi was silent on the Badagry-Sokoto highway and other super highways being constructed by the Tinubu administration. Would they not be threatened when he assumes control?

    What would he do about the high interest rate, high exchange rate to rebound the economy? Amaechi said he would rely on advice from his economic team. He has no clue, no idea, no insight. He is dry.

  • Tinubu hails Amaechi’s service to nation at 60

    Tinubu hails Amaechi’s service to nation at 60

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has extended warm birthday felicitations to former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, as he marked his 60th birthday on Tuesday, May 27.

    In a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu praised Amaechi’s unwavering dedication to public service, describing him as a prominent political figure whose contributions have left an indelible mark on the governance of Rivers State and Nigeria at large.

    “President Bola Tinubu rejoices with Mr. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, a prominent politician and former Minister of Transportation, on his 60th birthday on May 27,” the statement reads.

    Reflecting on Amaechi’s storied political career, Tinubu noted the former Minister’s notable achievements as Rivers Speaker and his two-term tenure as Governor. 

    Read Also: Tinubu fulfills pledge as GEIL completes Ogoni oil terminal

    He particularly acknowledged Amaechi’s leadership role as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, a position from which he coordinated intergovernmental relations and policy harmonization across the 36 states.

    The President also lauded Amaechi’s service at the federal level, where he served as Minister of Transportation under President Muhammadu Buhari for eight years. 

    During his tenure, Amaechi spearheaded major infrastructural projects, including the revival of Nigeria’s rail transport system and modernization of key transport corridors.

    Tinubu prayed for long life, good health, and continued success for the former minister, expressing confidence in Amaechi’s enduring relevance in the nation’s political landscape.

    “President Tinubu prays for more years and God’s grace for the former minister and wishes him well in his political career,” the statement concluded.

    Amaechi, who has been a central figure in Nigeria’s political scene for over two decades, is regarded as one of the nation’s most influential South-South leaders. 

    He is a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and was a key figure in the coalition that brought the party to power in 2015.

  • Our Amaechi, our El-Rufai and ‘ganusi’

    Our Amaechi, our El-Rufai and ‘ganusi’

    Once upon a time—a time not so far away—in the grand Federal Republic of Nigeria, two noble statesmen, Sir Rotimi Amaechi and Quantity Surveyor Nasir El-Rufai, played prominent roles in government. Ameachi was Minister of Transportation for eight years. El-Rufai was Kaduna State governor. Also for eight years. Before then, he was Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Amaechi had been governor and House of Assembly Speaker. Not in just any state, but Rivers, one of Nigeria’s wealthiest states. He was Speaker for eight years. And governor for eight years, too.

    As Minister of Transportation, Amaechi was entrusted with a sacred mission: to deliver the people from the tyranny of broken locomotives and more. Under Ameachi, Nigeria had the best transportation facilities in the whole of Africa. No. It is actually in the whole world.

    What he did with the rail system is enough reason for the gates of heaven to be flung open for him. Such a stunning performance. Thanks to him every hamlet in Nigeria was linked by train, and not just any kind of trains, but the types even China, the United States and the United Kingdom are yet to see.

    Under his watch, Nigerians were able to have access to buses run on compressed gas. Traffic disappeared on our roads and everything about transportation went smoothly and many were looking forward to him becoming the president and making the dollar and Naira to be at par.

    With a golden mandate from the sovereign of the land, he delivered an era of transportation transformation, armed with ribbons for groundbreaking ceremonies and an unshakable belief in the power of Chinese loans.

    Under his stewardship, the nation’s railway system experienced a miraculous resurrection. All ancient iron tracks, long abandoned to the gods of rust and neglect, were suddenly adorned with gleaming locomotives that whistled their arrival like heralds of prosperity. True, some of these locomotives were already past their prime, having served diligently in lands far, far away—but who dared complain when progress had finally arrived?

    The people watched in awe as grand promises flew faster than the Abuja-Kaduna train, though sometimes they too were derailed by unfortunate “banditry” and occasional fuel shortages. “Fear not,” the Minister declared, “for we shall install security cameras!” And when it was revealed that the cameras had no means of storage, he comforted the people with reassurances of future plans and unbreakable determination.

    Don’t mind Hadiza Bala Usman, Amaechi did wonders at the ports. He killed corruption before corruption could kill the ports. He was so wonderful that his records would never be broken, records so sparkling that America, China, the United Kingdom and the rest of the developed world are still studying. Universities such as Harvard and Oxford have case studies on him about how best to run a country’s transportation sector. Because of his feat, he now needs no visa or passport to travel anywhere. He is like the King of England.

    As his tenure drew to a close, the noble minister stood tall, surveying the legacy of a transportation revolution. The trains no longer broke down, ticketing systems no longer suspect, and the nation’s ports moved at the speed of a lightning.

    And so, even about two years after Sir Rotimi bid farewell to his post, the people raise their voices—not in complaint, but in gratitude for the lessons learnt: that governance is about vision, speeches are more powerful than speedometers and, sometimes, the journey matters more than the destination.

    How can I forget Amaechi’s time as governor in Rivers? Olusegun Obasanjo as President didn’t want Amaechi as Peter Odili’s successor so he declared that his victory at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had a k-leg and his way of correcting the k-leg was to give this victory to his relative, Sir Celestine Omehia. But, because power knows no blood, Amaechi fought all the way to the Supreme Court and an unprecedented judgment made him governor. Well, that is not important. What is important is what he did as governor: He gave Rivers a metro rail system that looks rusty but is the pride of the entire universe. I will not elaborate, but encourage you to visit Rivers and see for yourself.

    Enough of Amaechi. Let’s turn to his colleague in the ever-dramatic theatre of Nigerian politics, the diminutive giant—Nasir El-Rufai, a man of grand visions and even grander controversies, a technocrat-turned-politician, the ultimate disruptor, a master of reforms (or, depending on whom you ask, a master of controlled demolition).

    El-Rufai’s career reads like a well-scripted Nollywood film—full of plot twists, expulsions, demolitions, and the occasional tweets that sent the political class into a frenzy. As Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, he saw Abuja as a canvas and wielded the bulldozer like an artist, sweeping away “illegal” structures with the grace of a wrecking ball. The city had to be sanitised, and who better to do it than a man unbothered by the cries of displaced citizens? Progress, after all, requires sacrifice—especially when it’s not yours to make.

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    Then came Kaduna, a state that had known its fair share of trouble but had not, until his arrival, experienced the full might of “reform.” As governor, he fancied himself an enlightened ruler, an intellectual with a vision too advanced for the common folk. Civil servants became casualties of efficiency, traditional rulers lost their thrones in the name of restructuring, and anyone who questioned his policies found themselves on the wrong side of governance.

    Security? A mere inconvenience. Bandits roamed freely, making Kaduna the Wild West of Nigeria, but El-Rufai’s government had bigger priorities—like ensuring that teachers could pass primary school exams, even if it meant firing thousands of them in one fell swoop. A minor sacrifice for the greater good, surely?

    Ever the Twitter warrior, El-Rufai was never one to shy away from verbal duels. He wielded 280 characters like a swordsman, striking down critics with sarcasm sharper than a herder’s machete. He had a particular distaste for “big men” who opposed him, often reminding them of his own “integrity”—a term he defined with creative flexibility.

    As his tenure ended, whispers filled the air about his next move. Would he return as a minister? Would he finally settle his long-running feud with the Nigerian Senate, which once declared him “unconfirmable”? Or would he retreat into the shadows, content with his legacy as the man who governed with an iron fist and a tweet?

    One thing remains certain—El-Rufai’s name will not fade into oblivion. Love him or loathe him, he is a force of nature, a paradox of intellect and controversy, a man who could build with one hand and (mischief makers claim) demolish with the other. The bulldozer may have parked, but the echoes of its destruction will linger for years to come.

    Some troublemakers claim that Amaechi and El-Rufai have been critical of the Bola Tinubu administration due to their lack of access to “ganusi”. Maybe. Maybe not.

    My final take: Because of their pedigrees, our Amaechi and El-Rufai are over-qualified to give lectures on leadership, not to commoners but to global players in the First World. They are the quintessential leaders, Nigeria’s jewels on the mountain top, fountains of knowledge, citadels of capacity and capability, and our iroko and obeche.

  • Poverty has made me remain in politics since 1987, says Amaechi

    Poverty has made me remain in politics since 1987, says Amaechi

    A former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi has disclosed that his involvement in the political system had been shaped by poverty and necessity.

    Amaechi made this remark at the National Conference on Strengthening Democracy in Nigeria held earlier this week, aimed at discussing pathways to good governance and political integrity in Nigeria.

    He declared that Nigerian politicians are in power to steal, kill, and retain power.

    Amaechi said: “None of you here seated can defend the votes. If you have complained, complain, Nigerians have been clapping for you,” he said.

    “The only way Ibrahim Shekarau became governor was because people lined up.

    “It happened in Ghana before the election of the last president. Two days, a lot of us were called to intervene. But why did they do that? The people were ready to die.

    “You are talking and abusing everybody. Nobody has power and will give it to you — not even me. If you want a pastor as president, go and get one.

    Read Also: Internal party democracy key to credible elections – INEC chairman

    “The politician is there in Nigeria to steal, maim, and kill to remain in power. If you think Tinubu will give it to you, you are wasting your time.

    “Unfortunately for me, poverty has made me part of the political system since I left university in 1987, and I’ve been part of the process till today,” he noted.

    Amaechi added that his years in the political arena, particularly the All Progressives Congress, have made him a key figure that cannot be “wished away.

    “You can’t wish me away in the formation of APC; you certainly can wish me away. You can’t wish me away in how APC won election, you can’t.

    “But the truth is that if some of us did not stick out our necks to say PDP, Goodluck, we want to die with you. When they saw that we were ready to die, they gave up power,” he said.

  • Northern group slams Ameachi for allegedly inciting Nigerians against Tinubu

    Northern group slams Ameachi for allegedly inciting Nigerians against Tinubu

    The Northern Alternative Forum (NAF), a prominent socio-cultural group in Northern Nigeria, has demanded investigation of former Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, over his recent statement, saying that it is capable of inciting insurrection.

    In an interview with ABN TV, the former Rivers Governor had questioned why Nigerians are not more vocal in their outrage, pointing to rising costs and the inability of many to afford basic necessities such as fuel, adding that he is angry that the citizens are not protesting enough.

    But in a statement by its National Chairman, Mallam Gidado Ibrahim, NAF described Amaechi’s statement as “treasonable,” accusing him of trying to whip up sentiment against the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. 

    Ibrahim questioned Amaechi’s moral authority to criticise the current administration, citing alleged mismanagement of funds, highhandedness and ineptitude during his time as Minister of Transportation.

    “Amaechi’s statement that expresses surprise at the prevailing calm despite increasing hardship amounts to whipping sentiment against the government with the hope of causing insurrection. In fact, it’s treasonable,” the statement noted.

    Ibrahim also criticised Amaechi’s handling of the Ministry of Transportation, alleging that he arbitrarily dissolved the boards of Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) and NIMASA to cover his tracks. 

    Read Also: We don’t know the party Ameachi belongs to – APC

    The forum further called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other  agencies to investigate Amaechi’s tenure as Minister of Transportation to ensure that those who soil their hands in any dirty deals are brought to book.

    “For Rotimi Amaechi to speak on matters of governance is like a hyena seeking to treat others of diarrhea, while its tail is full of feces. Has he cleared himself of the N96 billion fraud from Rivers State money levelled against? Has he cleared himself of all his alleged malfeasance at the Ministry of Transportation?” Ibrahim asked.

    The NAF chairman praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for tackling subsidy issues that Amaechi failed to address during his time as Transportation Minister.

    Ibrahim continued: “Why are we still battling with fuel subsidy? It’s because the last administration failed to take the bull by the horns. That’s what President Tinubu has summoned the courage to do. Why these tantrums?

    “We at NAF know why Ameachi is incensed with Tinubu’s administration. He wanted to be President. He had banked on the support of some powerful elements in the last government to facilitate his clinching the APC presidential  ticket. 

    “Unfortunately, politics don’t work on sentiment. The man who deserved and sincerely worked for it got it. This vituperation is a pent-up anger from his failed political ambition.”

    NAF maintained that any reform without initial temporal or initial pains is not sincere,  and only a daydream. 

    “Every genuine reform comes with initial discomforts. It’s like a pregnant woman. After the nine-months pain, her baby arrives, and she forgets all the pains. This is my advice to Nigerians: disregard failed politicians, who are looking for where to vent their frustrations. 

    “Instead, focus on your support for Tinubu’s administration and its lofty reform agenda. For in due time, we shall all reap the good fruits,” Ibrahim further appealed to Nigerians.

  • Amaechi’s new romance

    Amaechi’s new romance

    Rotimi Amaechi is an angry man. He is a not ashamed to show it. The last time he showed that kind of public indiscretion for a perceived wrong was when he “wept” to news men in the open that the former managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Hadisa Bala Usman did not give him cake or flower.
    Many people wanted to know what was the connection between cake or flower as gift with her performance of her job. Why was he so particular? Was it just because he was a supervising minister? Hardball still needs some form of clarity as to why he wanted flower and what place it had in policy or in the passage of goods through our ports.
    But be that as it may, the former transport minister and governor of Rivers State is at it again. This time his anger is against his fellow citizens and youths especially. He is calling for uprising. He certainly was not happy that the last EndGovernance campaign did not go far enough, in spite of the bloodshed, the destruction of institutions of value and paralysis of activity.
    He should tell us exactly why he is angry.
    He said, “The people should be angry. There should be protests against anybody but against the politicians, that “we won’t vote.” That is what people should be saying. The rate of hunger now…if people like us cannot afford diesel, you can imagine what is happening to those who do not have children like us.”

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    He needs to explain a few things. Is he angry with politicians, because he is one of them? Or is he angry with democracy? If he is angry with politicians, and he says they are stealing the people’s money, then he should provide evidence of those who are stealing. But if he cannot make that distinction, then he is saying politicians steal money. We know it is not today that politicians have been accused of stealing money. So, if we follow his logic, then he is opening himself for indictment. As an APC chieftain noted, Amaechi has been a politician most of his adult life, for over two decades and he has gone the whole gamut as two-terms as lawmaker culminating as speaker; he was governor for two terms and he was minister for two terms. The math adds it up to 24 years. So, does it mean he was stealing money then? Is it not disingenuous for him to say he cannot afford fuel? Who is he lying to?
    Two, he said the object of the protests should be that they wont vote. That is not just a protest against politicians, it is a call to anarchy. Yet, he calls himself a democrat. Amaechi was nowhere to be found when many men and women were fighting the military. He was a mere personal assistant in a hospital and he came to “chop” when the food left the kitchen. So, he does not know how democracy is cooked. Hence, he can say they should say they wont vote. It was fine when he was winning elections, but after he lost the primaries, the man does not believe in polls anymore. He has now joined Sowore and company because he lost. The former minister is acting like a bad student and he probably needs to listen more in class to his law professors in Abuja about rule of law and democracy. Or else he will repeat the class.
    When he is not looking for flowers and cakes, he is turning his love to anti-democratic romance.

  • APC to Amaechi: your call for protests irresponsible

    APC to Amaechi: your call for protests irresponsible

    Immediate past Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, yesterday drew the ire of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for allegedly inciting anarchy in the country.

    The APC branded the former Rivers State governor as irresponsible and unpatriotic.

    Amaechi  had ,in an interview earlier in the week,said he was disappointed in Nigerians for not taking to the streets to protest the economic situation in the country.

    But reacting to the development yesterday,the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka,labelled Amaechi’s utterances as  “insensitive, god-awful and unpatriotic, coming from one of Nigeria’s longest serving and highest ranking political freeloaders – a two-term Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, a two-term Governor, and a two-term Minister of Transport.”

    He said: “For almost all of his adult life, Amaechi, has been a leechy dependant on state resources, a voracious beneficiary of official patronage, and a leading participant in the generational devastation of our country’s economy. Attempting to hoodwink Nigerians into his web of false empathy and incitement to violence is hypocritical, provocative and dangerous.”

    Morka wondered why Amaechi  could not now afford to  ‘to buy diesel’,  barely two years after  over 24 years in power as Speaker, Governor and Minister  if  truly “ those in power  ‘steal money’ as  Amaechi mischievously alleged.”

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    Continuing, he said: “The only real anger that Amaechi and his fellow tribesmen of naysayers of the likes of Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, must feel is that they are not in the saddle of government today. But that was a decision made by Nigeria’s ultimate political authority – the electorate.

    “Nigerians are highly perceptive, discerning, demure, and mindful that economic discomforts associated with the administration’s inevitable reforms are transient and will pale into insignificance in comparison to the enduring transformative dividends which are already beginning to manifest. Nigerians will not be cajoled into taking back through street violence what they handed to the administration through the ballot, as Amaechi and his partisan tribesmen would wish.

    “It is nauseating to think that these naysayer tribesmen who did absolutely nothing to improve the economy or living conditions for Nigerians while they were in office, now pontificate, endlessly, about what and how things should be done but didn’t and couldn’t do while in power.

    “It’s as though they only regain their senses and discover their talents for governance when they are out of power. A tribe of naysayers, is what they are, who never see any good, only gloom, filled with bile and disdain for the determined strides of APC-administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to transform our country’s economy for the benefit of present and future generations of Nigerians.

    “One would expect Amaechi to keep busy trying to solve the crippling crisis in Rivers state that he once governed. Instead, he has chosen to stoke anarchy on a national scale. Weaponising protest and exploiting citizen’s economic discomfort for selfish political objective, as these partisan tribesmen are doing, is irresponsible and decidedly unpatriotic.”

    The APC urged Nigerians to  “dismiss the call to anarchy by Amaechi and his partisan tribesmen and to remain patient and continue to support President Tinubu’s bold effort to transform our country’s economy once and for all.”

    Amaechi in the interview had said,among other things: “I’m angry with the citizens. I have said it several times. You can see a group of people stealing your money, impoverishing you, you cannot buy fuel and anything.

    “The people should be angry. There should be protests. Not even protests against anybody but against the politicians that ‘we won’t vote’.

    “That is what people should be saying. The rate of hunger now… if people like us cannot afford diesel, you can imagine what is happening to those who do not have children like us.”

  • Fed Govt gives Cross River Bakassi Deep Seaport’s OBC

    THE Federal Government has issued Outline Business Case (OBC) certificate for the Bakassi Deep Seaport Project being undertaken by the Cross River State Government.

    The certificate was presented on Monday by Minister for Transportation Rotimi Amaechi to  Governor Ben Ayade in Abuja.

    Amaechi said with the OBC, the state would move on to the next step of action.

    He said: “What they (Cross River) have got right now is the OBC. We will take the next move to verify all the necessary instruments that we need and then proceed back to the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission for the FBC before we go to the cabinet for approval.

    “But the most important thing is that we are speeding it up so as to enable those states who want to invest in seaports and others to go ahead and do so.”

    On whether the Federal Government was partnering Cross River State in the deep seaport, Amaechi said, “We will get to that. We will sit down with the Cross River State Government and their major partners and see how much NPA would want to invest. We will contact NPA and see what it can do.”

    Read Also: Cross River slams Falana over trial of journalist

    Ayade said the certificate would enable the state move faster with the implementation of the seaport.

    ”The certificate is an Outline Business Case. It shows that there is a full densification commitment of the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Transportation to say yes we have come to recognise and accept that Cross River State Government should go ahead with the Full Business Case towards the construction of a deep seaport.

    “And the emphasis on the deep seaport is agro-industrial, not exclusively, but to show that the core target is to do an agro-industrial transformation of Nigeria. It will be the major leading port in that respect but will have other industrial parks,” he said

    He said the issuance of the OBC by the Federal Government through its Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission was the fastest ever recorded in Nigeria.

    On when actual construction would commence at the seaport, Ayade said, “Work started there more than six months ago when we got the EIA approval which allowed us the legal right to get access to the ocean.

    “But right now with this OBC certificate, we are going to be dealing directly with the concessionaires towards arriving at the specific location, data and commencement of actual work plans. But that can only come with the FBC.”

  • Amaechi, Saraki interact with maritime stakeholders

    The Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, on Thursday said that the Minister of State for Transportation, Sen. Gbemisola Saraki would personally be in charge of all maritime agencies.

    Amaechi made this known in Lagos at the 3rd Maritime Stakeholders’ Interactive Forum he hosted along with Saraki.

    He said that while Saraki was taking care of the maritime agencies, he would be focusing on the railway sector.

    Amaechi decried the delay in the take-off of the 195 million dollars maritime security contract awarded to an Israeli firm, HSLI.

    He said that the contractor had been coming up with excuses for the delay.

    `This is not good enough because we are losing man hours, human beings and business to insecurity on our waters,” he said.

    On the railways,  Amaechi said that government had approved 5.3 billion dollars for the construction of rail from Ibadan to Kano and was working towards connecting the rail to the sea port between December and January next year.

    He also said that there would be a collaboration between the Nigerian Ports Authority and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) to achieve efficiency, while more vessels would be bought.

    On security, he said that they would be working with the army, navy and other security agencies.

    He said that 10 per cent of issues on the waterways had to do with recklessness.

    The minister noted that in 2016, the President gave approval for single window, as Nigeria was the only country in West Africa without one.

    Amaechi said that before the end of 2020, the country would get a single window.

    He said it was a facility that allowed parties involved in trade and transport to lodge standardized information and documents with a single entry point to fulfill all import, export, and transit-related regulatory requirements.

    Saraki, on her part, promised to work on issues associated with cadets having sea-time in Nigeria.

    According to her, having chaired the Senate Committee on Marine Transport for four years, she has .an idea of what to do, but will take her time because of new issues like insecurity.

    “We are going to look at the issues of cadets not getting sea-time. We are also going to look at the issues of ship registry and cargo tracking note.

    “We want to know how many jobs the maritime sector will create,” she said.

    Read Also: Amaechi, Abe renew face-off over Rivers APC congresses

    Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) Hassan Bello said that by the  end of  October,  35 per cent of the costs in the sector would be reduced.

    He appealed to the Seaport Terminal Operators of Nigeria (STOAN) to also come on board to make the sector more competitive.

    “We are actually competing with the cost and demurrage, and 35 per cent of the cost will be removed by next month, that is with the shipping lines,” he said.

    According to him, there is the need to make the ports attractive, and government needs to improve on the infrastructure, while the private sector also play their part.

    He lauded the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) for creating a truck transit park which  had reduced the freight rate in the sector.

    He said that in Apapa for instance, with the intervention of NPA by creating the truck park, things are a little bit easier now.

    “Before, truck from Apapa to Lagos was about N800, 000, but now it is a bit cheaper,” he said.

    Some stakeholders at the event requested for an intergrated transport system to help unlock the maritime potential in Nigeria.

    According to them, the manufacturing sector is dependant on maritime transportation and presently, majority of cargo destined for Nigeria go to other countries port.

    “If the country is regarded as the port of choice in discharging cargo, it will create opportunities for the maritime industry, for there will be more work.

    “Cost is driving shippers out of the ports, government need to create conducive automophere, sustain the reduced cost of the port, monitor excesses of government agencies especially with their charges.

    They also called for gender mainstreaming —  as a policy in the ministry and parastatals — where women would be given equal opportunities as regard projects, as their male counterparts in the industry.

    NAN

  • Expert urges Fed Govt to ensure innovative transport system

    THE founder of National Association of Approved Freight Forwarders (NAAFF), Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, has urged the Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, to ensure creativity, innovation and digital thinking in shaping transportation policies and actions.

    Aniebonam said this at the 25th convocation, matriculation and 35th anniversary of the Institute of Transport and Management Technology in Badagry, Lagos.

    The event, tagged: Transport Sector’s Contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Nigeria: Problems and Prospect, was attended by over 100 graduates from different academic programmes.

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    Awards were given to outstanding persons in the Transportation sector.

    The freight forwarder stressed that a paradigm shift in innovative solutions to transportation problems and the need for increased contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Nigeria were imperative.

    “Integrated and coordinated multi-modal transportation are keys for sustainable transportation. Seamless inter-modality is a key vision for transportation mobility. Translating this vision into reality require standardised systems, coordinated and integrated different modes,” he said.

    Aniebonam noted that for transport to contribute more to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), genuine policy commitment, tremendous and sustained efforts would have to be invested in the sector.