Thursday 31 October 2013

Unease As MWUN Deadline To NPA Over Alleged Unpaid Salary Expires

There was palpable fear in the ports yesterday as the deadline that was given by the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) to the Nigerian Ports Authourity (NPA) over alleged non-payment of salaries to some of its members expired.
The union had protested the non-payment of salaries for about eight months to tally clerks and on-board security, who are all its members.
At the protest which held last Friday at the dockworkers’ branch secretariat in the Kirikiri area of Apapa in Lagos, the union reminded NPA of a tripartite agreement that was reached between it, the NPA and the National Association of Stevedoring Contractors in which NPA reportedly promised to pay the outstanding salaries in October.

Wednesday 30 October 2013

Port Activities Drop As Banks Deny Importers Loan

Contrary to the high level of importation and increase in port activities that usually characterize the end of every year, maritime stakeholders have complained that there is a different story this year as cargo traffic at the ports in Lagos is reducing by the day.
The stakeholders who spoke with Shipping Position Daily correspondent in Lagos on Monday hinged the drop in port activities to the refusal of the banks to grant loan facilities to importers.
Also, freight forwarders who spoke to our correspondent also cried out that the situation has led to them losing some of their importers who are now finding a new haven at the Port Harcourt port, as well as diverting their activities to land borders.

Anxiety As Customs Set To Reintroduce PAAR Today


After suspending its novel Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) for almost 10 months, the Nigeria Customs Service is set to re-introduce the concept today.
Sources confirmed to our correspondent yesterday that ahead of the re-launch, the Nigeria Customs Service has sent  circulars to select stakeholders intimating them of its plan to commence the use of PAAR again.
However, Shipping Position Daily learnt that the PAAR will run side-by-side with the existing system of Risk Assessment Report (RAR) which is currently being issued by the three destination inspection agents
The Customs had first introduced the PAAR late in 2012, in anticipation of the end of the contract of the inspection agents and the process being taken over by service.
But it was forced to suspend it following the extension of the inspection agents’ contract by the Federal Government.

Tuesday 29 October 2013

Again, FG Outlaws Midstream Discharge Of Oil and Gas Cargoes

 The Federal Government has again outlawed midstream discharge of oil and gas cargoe, especially at the Onne Oil and Gas Free Trade Zone.
This directive was given last weekend by President Goodluck Jonathan at  the closing ceremony of a two-day oil and gas investment forum in Onne, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
President Jonathan, who was represented by the Senate President, David Mark, gave assurance of continuous support for an investment drive in the oil and gas sector and positive returns on investments..
``To this end, I am calling on all relevant industries to ensure that all oil and gas related cargo are discharged only at the designated terminals,” he said.

Monday 28 October 2013

Anxiety As MWUN Threatens To Shut Ports Over Alleged Unpaid Salaries Of Dockworkers

• Gives October 30 Deadline For Payment Or Disruption of Port Operations
• Says:  Don’t Treat Us Like ASUU
 
The relative peace that the nations’ ports are enjoying may be short-lived following the threat last week by the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) to cripple activities in all the nation’s ports, unless the Nigerian Ports Authourity (NPA) pays outstanding salary arrears to tally clerks and on-board security men, who are members of the union.
Scores of aggrieved members of the union who were led by their President General; Comrade Tony Nted Emmanuel carried various anti-NPA placards, chanted anti- NPA songs and protested at the union’s dockworkers branch secretariat at the Kirikiri area of Apapa last Friday.

Friday 25 October 2013

FG To Forward Bill On Law Against Maritime Piracy To National Assembly



Apparently worried by the rising menace of  sea robbery and piracy within the nation’s maritime domain, the federal government has commenced moves to forward  a bill to the National Assembly that will specifically address maritime piracy-related issues .
This was made known in Lagos yesterday by the Senior Special Adviser on Maritime Affairs to the President, Mr. Leke Oyewole while highlighting some of the challenges within the nation's territorial waters.
Speaking at a one day conference on "Preventing Terrorism and Insurgency In The Nigerian Maritime Domain", put together by the Maritime Correspondents' Organisation Of Nigeria (MARCON) ,Oyewole acknowledged  that absence  of laws against sea piracy in Nigeria is sending a wrong signal to the international community, but gave assurances that the government is ready to address such menace.

Thursday 24 October 2013

CRFFN Is Not Expected To Represent Nigeria In FIATA ----- NAGAFF Founder

 The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has faulted the continued representation of Nigeria  at the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA)   by the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN)
 The founder  of NAGAFF;  Dr. Boniface Aniebonam who spoke about the position of the association was reacting to the recent approval  granted by the world body of freight forwarders to  CRFFN to award Higher Diploma in Supply Chain Management .
 Dr Aniebonam said that the CRFFN is not expected to represent Nigeria at the FIATA
 He made this known while fielding questions from the media on Tuesday at the MMS Women of Fortune Hall of Fame which held in Lagos, even as he argued that the approval is not most important thing for Nigerian freight forwarders.

FEC Approves N58.6bn For Ship Building Facilities, Dockyard In Delta

• Another N274.9 Million For The Consultancy Services For The Dredging Of Escravos

The Federal Executive Council yesterday approved N58.6 billion contracts for the construction of ship building facilities and dockyard in Delta state.
The Minister of Transport, Alhaji Idris Umar, disclosed this to State House correspondents after the council meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, at the State House.
Umar said the contract was approved to end the huge capital flight in the procurement of ships by Nigerians from outside the country.

WHY WON'T JONATHAN GOVT KILL MAN, ORON?


Every time there is an opportunity, they appeal for 'help' for Nigerian's first nautical school; the Maritime Academy of Nigeria in Oron; Akwa Ibom state. 

As ministers sing for help, the DGs of NIMASA also sing. Early this week, at the same institution (MAN, Oron), while addressing  maritime journalists, the same sing song was that: "the private sector should help the academy".

Importers Of New Vehicles May Pay 25%More On Tariff By 2014

• NAC Says, No Ban On Importation of Tokunbo Vehicles

 Even as the nation awaits the implementation of government’s new policy on automobiles, strong indication has emerged to the effect that importers of new vehicles may pay at least 25 per cent more on tariff.
This indication was given by the Director-General, National Automotive Council, Mr. Aminu Jalal, who maintained that the new policy was meant to discourage the importation of fully built unit vehicles.
The move, according to him, is part of measures to develop the Nigerian automotive industry.
He however said that dealers could still clear imported vehicles at the old rates until February 28, 2014, provided “they can prove that they had opened a Letter of Credit for the vehicles before October 3, 2013.”

Wednesday 23 October 2013

NIMASA DG Calls On Private Sector Over MAN Oron

• Says Govt Alone Cant Fund The Institution

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has called on the organized private sector to partner the agency in ensuring that the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) in Oron Akwa Ibom State is upgraded as a foremost capacity building outfit in the maritime sector.
The Director General of NIMASA, Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi made the call at the opening ceremony of a one week Capacity Building Programme put together by the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN) in Akwa Ibom State.
Akpobolokemi who was represented by the Deputy Director, Public Relations of the agency;  Mr. Isichei Osamgbi said that there is need for the private sector to key into the development of MAN Oron.
"We enjoin the private sector to come into MAN, Oron to complement the efforts of the Federal Government because government cannot do it all alone", he appealed.

MWUN Charges NIMASA To Halt Foreign Investors From Hijack Of Seafarers Job


The Seamen and NIWA Branch of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) in Rivers State has tasked  the Nigerian Maritime Administartoion and Safety Agency ( NIMASA) as  the apex regulatory agency in the nation’s maritime industry  to stop foreigners from allegedly sneaking into the country and hijacking jobs meant for Nigerian seafarers.
The chairman of the branch; Comrade Jonah Jumbo  gave this challenge in  Port Harcourt, Rivers state  last week at a parley with maritime journalists, where he frowned at the increasing rate at which foreigners like Palestinians, Indonesians Indians etc enter Nigeria and take over jobs meant for Nigerians.
“I stand against this practice, because it is bad. These foreign nationals hiding under wavers come here and take our jobs. This is not acceptable”, Comrade Jumbo said, even as he assured that the union will not stop fighting the trend.

Tuesday 22 October 2013

PORT CONGESTION: NNPC Denies Stopping Fuel Importation

The management of NNPC has said that it has not stopped importation of petroleum products as reported by a section of  the local and international media.
This was contained in a statement issued in Abuja last weekend  by NNPC’s  acting Group General Manager (Public Affairs), Ms Tumini Gree
A section of the media had reported that NNPC had stopped petrol importation due to glut and challenges at the various ports.
The NNPC statement said  petrol supply in the system was in line with the approved quota for the national demand to ensure “seamless supply especially in the last quarter of the year.”
“The NNPC as supplier of  last resort has responsibility for maintaining a robust strategic reserve with additional reasonable buffer in line with the nation’s energy supply policy,’’ it said.

ANLCA Urges Terminal Operators To Ease Burden Of Clearing Cargoes

The Apapa Chapter of the Association of Nigeria Licenced Customs Agents (ANLCA) has appealed to terminal operators to ease the burden of clearing cargoes at Lagos ports.
The chapter Chairman, Mr Olumide Fakanlu, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) last week in Lagos.
Fakanlu alleged that some operators were taking up to five days to clear a container.
“The situation is worse at the Tin-Can Island Container Terminal (TICT) where a container takes up to seven days to be cleared in most cases.“The delay in the positioning of a container has taken toll on the business of clearing agents.
“Besides, the charge for clearing a container differs among the operators.

MV Seaman Guard Ohio: US sailor held in India 'attempts suicide'


Indian personnel stand on the deck of the Seaman Guard Ohio at a dock in Tuticorin on October 18, 2013 The ship is owned by a private US-based security firm and registered in Sierra Leone
               
The chief engineer of a US-owned ship detained in India has attempted to take his own life while in jail, police say.

Monday 21 October 2013

SHOCKING: French Firm Dominates Nigeria’s Cabotage Trade

 Even as Nigerian firms complain of neglect in the implementation of the Cabotage Act and specifically about alleged abuse of the all-important waiver clause, investigations have shown that a major beneficiary of the waiver is a firm called Bourbon Interoil Nigeria; which has its origin in France.
Shipping Position Daily learnt that the company currently has an application before the Minister of Transport; Senator Idris Umar, seeking waiver for 50 of its vessels that are currently engaged in coastal trade in Nigeria.
The company had applied to the minister in 2011 for the ships to continue to enjoy waiver and also continue to fly foreign flags on Nigerian waters.

IMB Says Piracy At Sea Falls To Lowest Level In Seven Years

• Says Pirate attacks off Nigerian coast up by  a third
 
The International Chamber of Commerce’s International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has revealed that piracy on the world’s seas is at its lowest third-quarter level since 2006, but warns of the threat of continuing violent attacks off the East and West coasts of Africa.
The latest IMB Piracy Report which was published last weekend shows 188 piracy incidents in the first nine months of 2013, down from 233 for the same period last year. Hostage-taking has also fallen markedly, with 266 people taken hostage this year, compared with 458 in the first three quarters of 2012.
On Nigeria, the report added that attacks off Nigeria's coast have jumped by a third this year with ships passing through West Africa's Gulf of Guinea, a major commodities hub, increasingly under threat from gangs wanting to snatch cargoes and crews.

Friday 18 October 2013

We Will Go Back To The Bush: Vehicle Importers Threaten Customs

Even though they claimed to have  been in compliance with all extant Custom  regulations  guiding vehicle importation , importers of vehicles under the aegis of United Berger Motor Dealers have threatened to abandon the seaports and borders and embrace smuggling.
The threat is coming as a result of alleged unfriendly policies of government on vehicle importation and what they referred to as delays occasioned by activities officers of the Nigeria Custom Service at the Tin Can, PTML and Apapa ports; all in Lagos.
The operators lamented that it takes at least one week to clear imported vehicles from the port, unlike what obtains in the Cotonou and Lome port in Benin Republic and Togo respectively where, according to them, it is done in 24hours.
Speaking with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos yesterday, an importer and Chairman, Mesau Concept Dealers Forum, a division under the United Berger Motor Dealers, Mr. Raymond Ezenwaka acknowledged that going through the bush by importers will deny the government of accruable revenue.

Thursday 17 October 2013

CVFF: How Six Lucky Indigenous Firms Will Share N21 Billion Loan

The six lucky beneficiaries of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) are to share
N21.288billion based on the types of ships that they propose to acquire.

Shipping Position Daily    had reported exclusively on Monday that the companies are based in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Calabar and that they are currently being subjected to further screening by appropriate government agencies.
The companies are:  Starzs Investment Company, Aquashield Oil and Marine Services Limited and UTM Dredging Limited, Zomay Marine & Logistics Limited and SeaBulk Offshore Operating Nigeria Limited and  Nkrah Investment.
The highest request of N5.482billion was made by  Calabar based Nkrah Investment,  followed by Port Harcourt based Aquashiled Oil and Marine Services Limited which sought for N3.874billion.
The third highest request came from sea bulk Off-shore Operating Nigeria Limited: N4billon, and Stazs Investment Company; N3.566billion. Others are:  and N3.44billion requested by Zomay marine and logistics limited and UTM dredging which wanted N960million

CRFFN Says, 48-Hour Cargo Clearance Not Possible Without ICT

The Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) has said that the proposed 48-hour port clearance in Nigeria could only be achieved by the use of information and communication technology.
The Registrar of the council, Sir Mike Jukwe, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja last weekend that the 48-hour cargo clearance in the nation’s seaports is yet to be achieved.
According to him, ``the infrastructure itself in the port has improved; I think what we need to improve on really is the system.``The system in the sense that all over the country people are moving from paper documentation to electronics.
``The new technology improved the time factor in the way we do things; in Singapore for instance, you can clear your cargo within 24 hours no matter the volume.

Wednesday 16 October 2013

Arctic Sunrise Captain Refused Bail In Russ




Amsterdam, 14 October 2013 – The captain of the Greenpeace International ship Arctic Sunrise and one other activist have been refused bail in Russia
American Peter Willcox appeared this morning before a court in Murmansk. He was the captain of the Arctic Sunrise when it was seized last month by armed men from the Russian security forces. He was also the captain of the Rainbow Warrior in 1985 when it was bombed by the French secret service, killing Greenpeace photographer Fernando Pereira.
Another Greenpeace International activist refused bail today (Monday) was Camila Speziale, who has joint Argentinian and Italian citizenship. The bail hearings for Italian Cristian D’Alessandro and David Haussmann from New Zealand are expected to be resolved later today.
Commenting on the latest developments Peter Willcox’s wife Maggie Willcox said:
“Most people try to do at least something for the greater good, sometimes occasionally, sometimes for sustained periods. Rarely do people devote their entire life trying to make the world a better place. Peter is one of those rare people. He is a hero not a pirate. I appeal to the common sense and conscience of the Russian authorities to let my husband and the rest of the people from the Arctic Sunrise come home.”
Following the seizure of his ship last month, Willcox refused a demand made under armed guard by Russian authorities to sail the Arctic Sunrise toward the Russian port city of Murmansk. Instead the ship was towed. In a 1993 Hollywood film about the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior, the role of Peter Willcox was played by Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight – father of Angelina Jolie.
Speaking in court today Camila Speziale, 21, from Argentina said today:
“I’m innocent and I do not understand what I’m accused of. I don’t have anything against your country. Russia and Argentina have good relations. But now I’m arrested for something I haven’t done. I really want to come back to my country and continue working and studying. I’m considered to be dangerous for society, but how it can be so? The whole world is demanding my release. Gracias.”
Camila was wearing a t-shirt that her parents have sent her, on which are printed the hands and names of the Speziale family.
In a letter published on Sunday, Swiss activist Marco Weber said although he was being held alone in a cell, and had little or no contact with the outside world, apart from weekly visits by his lawyer and the Swiss consul, he had no regrets. “I faced the danger and the risk, which brought me here in this prison, because I’m convinced that we have the power to bring change.” (Link to full letter below.)
In a letter to his family, Kieron Bryan, 29, a freelance film-maker from London, said he was well, apart from the “horrible uncertainty and anxiety”. In the letter, also published on Sunday, he said:
“The food is basic or grim but I’ll not starve… Lack of communication has been really tough – I just hope my lawyer can get messages to you.”
Today the Russian Presidential Human Rights Council is expected to submit an appeal to the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, Yuri Chaika, regarding the arrest of the 30. The head of the Human Rights Council Mikhail Fedotov stated last week that charges of piracy against the Greenpeace International crew, activists and two freelance journalists were groundless and unlawful. Now the other members of the Council have supported the initiative to appeal to the Prosecutor.


Monday 14 October 2013

Belgium detains Somali pirate kingpin




Belgium has arrested a suspected Somali pirate leader believed to have earned millions of dollars in ransom payments over years of operating off the East African coast, media reported on Monday.
Mohamed Abdi Hassan, known as ``Afweyne’’ or Big Mouth, was detained when he arrived at Brussels Airport on Saturday, the De Standard newspaper said on Monday.
Federal prosecutors said they would hold a news conference on Monday afternoon regarding two people picked up at the airport on Saturday and suspected of involvement in the hijacking of the Belgian ship ``Pompeii’’ in 2009.
They declined to say whether one of the suspects was Hassan.
He is suspected of having commanded gangs which gained a fortune in ransom payments from merchant ships and yachts which they seized over more than a decade of piracy.
He said in January he had put his pirate days behind him and retired. UN experts have accused a former Somalian president of shielding him by issuing him a diplomatic passport.
In 2011, Somali piracy in the busy shipping lanes of the Gulf of Aden and the northwestern Indian Ocean netted 160 million dollars, and cost the world economy some seven billion dollars, according to the American, One Earth Future Foundation.
But risks from pirate operations decreased following a step-up in patrolling by an international coalition of warships and greater use of private security guards on merchant ships.
Pirate groups have moved the focus of kidnappings to onshore, such as taking foreign tourists and aid workers hostage in northern Kenya and Somalia. (Reuters/NAN)







FG Names Beneficiaries of Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund


 
• Port Harcourt-Based Companies Top List
• Why And How ISAN Members Lost Out

After months of high powered, behind-the-scene lobbying, the Federal Government has finally unveiled the identities of the six lucky beneficiaries of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund CVFF.
Even though not officially unveiled by the Ministry of Transport, Shipping Position Daily confirmed last week that the elite list is made up of three Port Harcourt-based marine companies, two from Lagos and one from Calabar.
The would-be beneficiaries that are based in Port Harcourt are: Starzs Investment Company, Aquashield Oil and Marine Services Limited and UTM Dredging Limited. The two companies which made the list from Lagos are: Zomay Marine & Logistics Limited and SeaBulk Offshore Operating Nigeria Limited. The only Calabar based company on the list is Nkrah Investment.
Shipping Position Daily however confirmed last week that the companies were still being screened by relevant security agencies to ascertain their suitability for the loan facilities.

Another Oil Tanker Sinks At Lagos Anchorage

• Operators Allege Insecurity At  Anchorage   
Four months after Shipping Position Daily exclusively reported that an ill-fated oil tanker; MT Vanin ran aground at the Lagos anchor mouth offshore, another oil tanker, MT Victory 1 has gone aground at the Lagos anchorage following reports of a turbulent wind occasioned by recent  rain fall in Lagos.
Downstream operators in the oil and gas sector have equally alleged that there has been an upsurge in attacks on oil vessels at the anchorage. According to them, sea robbers board the vessels on assumption that there is product on board.
A source told Shipping Position Daily last week that the ill fated vessel, MT Victory 1 had been drifting for several hours during which it was sending Save-Our-Soul (SOS) messages to the relevant authorities, but it was unable to get help from any of them. Officers of the Nigerian Navy were also reported to have been contacted, but they allegedly could also not act.

Gulf Of Guinea Lost $100 Million To Pirate Attacks Since 2010- Report

Pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea have increasingly targeted international cargo tankers, with roughly $100 million (74 million euros) in product stolen since 2010, a risk analysis group said Thursday, revealing new details about regional unrest.
The nature of maritime crime off Nigeria, Togo and Benin has sparked debate in recent months, with some prominent organisations calling it an emerging piracy hub where attacks are on the rise.
But the Denmark-based Risk Intelligence challenged that claim, telling AFP that while the nature of the targets has changed, the number of attacks has actually gone down since an amnesty deal was struck in 2009 with rebels in Nigeria's oil-producing south.
"It has been declining since amnesty was imposed," said Dirk Steffen, head of maritime security at Risk Intelligence, which closely tracks the region.

NPA Retirees Shut Down Rivers Port Over Non-Payment of Benefits

Some retirees of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) last week shut down port activities at the Rivers Port in Port Harcourt for several hours, over alleged non-payment of their retirement benefits.
An eye witness recounted to Shipping Position Daily correspondent in Port Harcourt that no fewer than 2,000 former NPA staff stormed the premises and barricaded the main entrance of the Port Harcourt port. Motorists could not also have access to the port as the as the retirees also took to the roads.
Apart from these, the protesting retirees prevented tanker drivers from gaining access into the port to lift petroleum products, while clearing agents were denied access to customs offices.
The protesting retirees lamented that their families are being made to face untold hardship as a result of the non-payment of the money owed them by the NPA. They called on the management of NPA to take urgent steps to pay all outstanding payment allegedly owed them.

Friday 11 October 2013

Coast Guards, Navy Patrols, Ships Rescue 500 Migrants In Lampedusa Shipwreck





Over 500 migrants were rescued on Friday near the Italian coast, a week after a tragic shipwreck off the island of Lampedusa claimed hundreds of lives.
The Italian Coast Guard said passing cargo ships and a navy patrol boat were involved in the salvage operations, which were launched hours after a group of 210 people launched a distress signal from two rubber dinghies located in Libyan territorial waters.
The rescued migrants - 503 in total - were being escorted to the Sicilian towns of Porto Empedocle, Trapani and Syracuse.
In Lampedusa, Italy's southernmost territory and a primary entry point for undocumented migrants, officials found the 312th victim of the Oct. 3 shipwreck that had sailed off from Libya with an estimated 500 would-be refugees from Eritrea.
There were 155 survivors from the accident, the worst in recent European history.
On Thursday, rescuers said there were no more victims inside the sunken vessels, but searches were continuing for bodies floating at sea. (dpa/NAN)

FG Approves $3.5m Contract For NPA

The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved contract for the construction and delivery of 100 channel marking Buoys for the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). The contract is worth $3.5 million.
There was also an approval for land reclamation of some swamps.
Minister of Transport, Senator Umar Idris who disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the weekly meeting of FEC explained that,  “Today I brought a memo to council, seeking approval on contract and council approved a contract for the construction, delivery and commissioning of 100 number R class, MDPE channel marking buoys for the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in favour of Messrs Marina Energy Limited in the sum of $3.5 million inclusive of all taxes with a completion period of 25 months”

Nigerian Maritime, Oil and Gas Investors Make Ten Richest Africa People List

• Dangote  Adenuga, Folorunsho Make  Top 5.

Nigerian multi-investor and owner of a terminal in Lagos port, Chief Executive Office of the Dangote Group; Alhaji Aliko Dangote has emerged the richest African for the year 2013 with $20.2billion investment, Ventures magazine has said.
Aliko Dangote, 56 is now Africa’s richest man and he started building his fortune three decades ago after taking a business loan from his maternal uncle to begin trading in commodities such as flour, sugar, rice and cement.
He  also owns Greenview Development Nigeria Limited(GDNL) in Apapa port.
In the early 2000s, he started producing these items himself. His Dangote Group is now the largest manufacturing conglomerate in West Africa and owns sugar refineries, salt processing facilities, a beverage manufacturer and a string of cement plants across Africa.

FG Targets 3bn Dollars From Non-Oil Exports


The Federal Government has said  that it was working toward increasing the annual country's non-oil export revenue to three billion dollars.
The Acting Executive Director, Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr Aliyu Lawal, said this in Abuja when he spoke with newsmen on the solo-exhibition of made-in-Nigeria products in Lome, Togo.
Lawal, who put the value of the non-oil exports for the 2012 at 2.56 billion dollars, expressed concern over the loss of revenue in the subsector through the informal export.
He also put the value of non-oil exports to the West African Region at 312.5 million dollars, noting that NEPC would put in place mechanism to ensure its increase by 20 per cent.
The executive director said the exhibition in Lome was attended by 67 Nigerian manufacturing companies to boost the non-oil export and showcase the Nigerian products in West Africa.
``Prior to the solo-exhibition in Lome, the current level of export was well below Nigeria’s potential within the West Africa sub-region.

Thursday 10 October 2013

How Explosion Rocked Petroleum Adulteration Outfit In Apapa - Eyewitness Accounts

Add captioThe dingy compound used for petroleum transfer which caught fire
in Lagos on Tuesday.
Disaster struck at a densely populated area around Coconut Bus-Stop in Olodi Apapa Lagos on Tuesday night, when a dingy compound which is housing Bestway Oil and Gas Limited allegedly used for adulteration of petroleum products was razed by fire in the middle of an illegal operation.
Eye witnesses narrated to Shipping Position Daily yesterday that the fire started around 9.pm on Tuesday when a Total Petroleum truck drove in after loading diesel from a depot around Ibru (tank farm) complex. According to them, it was transferring diesel into another truck when the pipe pulled off and diesel splashed on the plug of the truck.
Even though no life was lost, the fire claimed five petroleum trucks and one private car. It also affected the two buildings adjoining the compound.
Sources told our correspondent that, were it not for the timely intervention of fire fighters, the fire would have completely razed down the other buildings close by.

FG’s New Automobile Policy Gets A Boost: Nissan, Stallion Sign Nigeria Assembly Deal

The Federal Government’s recently-mooted new policy of revitalizing the nation’s automobile sector has received a boost.
The positive sign came from Renault-Nissan Alliance and West African conglomerate, Stallion Group, which have signed a preliminary agreement to start vehicle assembly in Nigeria.
The duo have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which will result in Stallion – already Nissan’s exclusive distributor in Nigeria increasing capacity at its existing plant, that is, VON Automobile Limited in Lagos.
The statement said that the plan may potentially create a major Nissan manufacturing hub for Africa.
It said that the memorandum of understanding would see Stallion, which was Nissan's exclusive distributor in the country, increase capacity at its existing plant in Lagos.

Kenya Seizes Ivory Smuggled In Seed Sacks Destined For Turkey

Kenyan officials have seized more than 1,600 pieces of illegal ivory in the past week weighing almost five tonnes and hidden inside sesame seed sacks destined for Turkey, wildlife officials said.
Poaching has surged across sub-Saharan Africa, where armed criminal gangs are slaughtering elephants to feed Asia's demand for ivory and rhinos horns which are ground into powder for use in Asian medicines.

Wednesday 9 October 2013

NO TO BAN ON TOKUNBOH VEHICLES , YES TO REVITALISATION OF AUTO INDUSTRY




I have listened to many comments and read many arguments for and against importation of used vehicles and the new policy of the Federal Government of Nigeria which favours resuscitation of the country's automobile sector.

All the arguments are reasonable.

I also do think that if the plan of the government is to scale down our preference for fairly-used vehicles, then it’s not going to work. Nigerians will smuggle those vehicles into the various automobile markets across the country, perhaps starting from Lagos.

Before the policy takes-off, I think the government should get its power sector up and running first. The automobile sector will need a lot of power. After power stabilises,  then the  policy on restriction can begin.

If the cost of assembling a 'Nigerian car' is competitive, then it would cost less to buy them. It follows then that many Nigerians who have been forced to think a brand new car is beyond their reach, will now start going for it, and by implication, the demand for  imported used vehicles will drop.

Don't you think so?