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Nigeria Inadequately Grooming Younger Generation’s Takeover of Maritime Industry- Williams

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Nigeria Inadequately Grooming Younger Generation's Takeover of Maritime Industry- Williams

The Ocean Ambassadors Foundation (OAF) on Wednesday highlighted that Nigeria was not doing enough, in grooming the younger generation, towards taking over the maritime industry and the 2030 blue economy.

Mrs Violet Williams, President, Ocean Ambassadors Foundation, said this at the Fourth Educators and Maritime Stakeholders Lecture and Awards organised by the OAF on Wednesday in Lagos

The lecture had as a theme:” Gender Balancing, Right Timing and Blue Economy, the Future of Nigeria.”

The blue economy is the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihood, and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystem.

Williams specifically noted that while the younger generation expected to take over in 2030 were largely unprepared, with many of them yet to know the difference between what brown waters entails, talk more of blue water Atlantic.

According to Williams, if the nation invests in these children, three things will be eliminated: social menace, fear of putting food on the table; and the notion that they will not be able to excel or re-write the rich maritime heritage hugely untapped, in the country.

“If you look at the map of Africa, it’s like a horn, you have Lagos outside the Atlantic, inside is inland waterway, untapped and unrivalled. We don’t have any encumbrances but we are not there.

“If you go to all these other nations, they are preparing their children. South Africa has a robust Blue Economy ministry just like Madagascar but in Nigeria, we are not interested.

“So, we just decided that with or without government, let us start the sensitisation.

“We need the support right from the local government because they are the nearest to the grassroots and that is what we are doing, it is a bottom-top arrangement,” she said.

Williams noted that the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LASUBEB) and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) had done a sensitisation programme to educate pupils in the state.

“The vision of this initiative is to catch them young, a bottom-top approach in readiness to 2030 blue economy.

“We devised this initiative whereby we promote maritime qualities that are untapped in Nigeria, especially for the girl-child.

“Just like every other career, the girls are just not there, they are trickling in and that is why we decided that the girl-child must be a voice to be heard,” she said.

Mrs Ngozi Oyewole, Vice Chairperson, Commonwealth Business Women Network Nigeria, in her lecture, noted that lack of reliable data was a major issue affecting Blue Economy in the country.

She pointed out that it was time for policymakers to understand the concept of the Blue Economy and embrace it as done in other parts of the world.

“Nigeria has what it takes to operationalise the blue economy and make it work for enhanced economic growth.

“It is evident that the absence of a strategic maritime economic blueprint, flawed institutional framework, maritime insecurity, as well as withheld Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) is the bane of the maritime economy.

“We have to adopt changes required to foster a blue economy and be more inclusive in our strategy where women will provide the shock absorbers the global population needs to survive,” she said.

Also, Mr Emmanuel Jime, the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’Council (NSC), pledged to support the foundation’s initiatives which contributed to the growth of the industry.

Jime represented by Mr Moses Abere, Deputy Director at NSC, said that the programme was an opportunity for children to learn some of the dynamics in the industry.

An award recipient, Mrs Margaret Orakwusi, the Chief Executive Officer, Morbod Group, noted that there was a need to encourage women not to rely on the sentiment of being a woman and expect things to be done for them.

According to Orakwusi, certain businesses are capital intensive and there is no woman, or male gender in her field, fish trawling because they are talking about heavy investment.

“Bravery has no gender, there are certain aspects you cannot lower standard because someone is a woman and we are not talking about managerial position here.

“There is nothing that stops a woman, if a man is buying vessels, getting loan, structuring his investment, she too can do so. It’s only when she is denied of her entitlement that I can come in,” she said.

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NAGAFF Vows to Stop Kwankwaso from Taking Over NNPP

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NNPP inaugurates 2023 Presidential Campaign Council, Aniebonam remains BoT Chairman

…Votes N150m take off professional fees for lawyers to begin litigation warfare!

Members of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) will vehemently resist the taking over of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) by the group noted to be loyal to Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

It would be recalled that the NNPP was originally founded by the National Association of Government-Approved Freight Forwarders NAGAFF, largely to provide a credible platform for maritime industry stakeholders to make a national impact within the nation’s political space.

It. would also be recalled that the former Governor of Kano, Senator Kwankwaso latched on the NNPP, after his effort to run as the flag bearer of another political party was dimmed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who emerged as the PDP presidential candidate.

NNPP inaugurates 2023 Presidential Campaign Council, Aniebonam remains BoT Chairman

Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso

Presently, a statement issued by the NNPP National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Clement Iwegbuna, lamented that what started as a child’s play is becoming a reality with the body language and actions of Senator Kwankwaso to highjack NNPP from the original owners, the members of  NAGAFF.

In a swift move, the president of NAGAFF, leading the pack of resourceful young freight forwarders said the original are poised to match money for money and contact for contact to retrieve NNPP from the people tagged ungrateful.

The statement revealed that the sum of N150,000,000 has been contributed as a take-off professional fee for the lawyers to take on the serial litigations upcoming.

NAGAFF accused Kwankwaso of court abuse with the institution of a court case involving INEC at Kano State High Court. “And so what does it take someone who held the position of minister of defence and member of the national assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to know that it is out of jurisdiction to do so.

NNPP is a national party and INEC is a federal commission. “Let Nigerians be told that there is a new order in Nigeria judiciary at the moment. If Senator Kwankwaso likes let him, Elder Buba Galadima and all of them who are the former members of the National Working Committee led by Alhaji Abbah Kawu who was alleged not to be able to write a statement at the state police command, Abuja when he reported a case against Mr Phillip Oyana the Zonal Secretary North Central of New Nigeria Peoples Party.

“Our young, vibrant and informed lawyers shall meet him and his cohorts in court. Once again we hold no malice against any person. All members of NNPP and NAGAFF are children of God and always ready to show love to all manner of people who may come our way,” the statement further said.

The statement directed and appealed to all members of NAGAFF and NNPP to keep the peace of the society and be law abiding and respectful to the constitution of Nigeria.

“Regret to note that Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso had avoidably prided himself to have brought NNPP to relevance and recognition. Tell the American marine that trash for the fact that Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso forgot to note that NNPP is as old as People’s Democratic Party of Nigeria spanning over 24 years in existence. He joined less than 2yrs ago.

“We consider Senator Kwankwaso as someone who is avoidably arrogant and proud for no good reasons. This is because NNPP provided him the opportunity to contest the Presidency of Nigeria 2023 with great men like the current president of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (PDP) and Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party

“Let it be on record that if NNPP were not winning elections for the period under review it would have been deregistered like the one he facilitated which was called Alliance National Party. As a matter of fact, the current headquarters of NNPP in Abuja is the same office used by the defunct Alliance National  Party whose chairman was one Moshood.

“We also know that the current executive Gov of Kano Alhaji Abbah Kabir who was shortchanged in the previous elections took advantage of us as children of God to be protected and today those evil men could not stop him from becoming the Gov of Kano State.

“Therefore senator RABIU MUSA Kwankwaso should be taught the principles of humility and gratefulness to people who have been nice to him.

“In all of these, he may wish to distance himself from elder Buba Galadima if he wants to make headway in politics. The former President, Gen. Buhari did realise and distanced himself to combine with Asiwaju B. A. Tinubu, the grand master to become the President of Nigeria.,” advised.

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NAMTOP: LASTMA Urges Maritime Truck Drivers To Tackle Breakdowns

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More Trouble for Sanwo-Olu: Election Tribunal orders substituted service over Petition

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has urged the Nexus Association of Maritime Truck Operators (NAMTOP) to acquire private tow trucks to tackle breakdowns swiftly.

The General Manager, LASTMA, Mr Olalekan Bakare-Oki, said this when NAMTOP officials paid the agency’s management a courtesy visit on Tuesday in Lagos.

Bakare-Oki said the aim was to foster synergy and cooperation between the two agencies.

The LASTMA GM, represented by the Director of Logistics and Engineering, Mr Jubril Oshodi, assured the association of a harmonious relationship.

“This will enable the association to liaise with all zonal heads to ensure swift evacuation of trucks whenever breakdowns occur,” he said.

The LASTMA boss said his tenure would centre on repositioning and reorganising the agency for professional service delivery to the motoring public with empathy.

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Reps. Summon Minister, Perm.Sec. Over $300m Antimalarial Funds

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Following perceived hanky panky, the House of Representatives Committee on Malaria, HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis has summoned the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof.Mohammed Pate, over alleged misappropriation of 300 million dollars anti-malaria funds.

“The Committee has resolved that the Permanent Secretary be arrested if she failed to honour the summons, having failed to appear three times”, Rep. Amobi Ogah, the Chairman of the Committee who read the resolutions in Abuja on Tuesday, stressed.

Ogah expressed displeasure over the absence of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry at the resumed sitting of the committee on Tuesday.

“Malaria is now an epidemic in Nigeria. The government has always wanted to help the people but most times the civil servants are our problem.

“This money has been made available since 2021. We have been inviting the Permanent Secretary. This is the third time we are inviting her to come and explain to us what has happened.

“Have they used the money? If they have not used the money, where is the money? It is a matter of simple explanation. But they have been running away, calling all manner of people to talk to us,” he said

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