By Izuchukwu Ozoemena

Since the advent of the President Tinubu administration, the Nigerian Armed Forces have achieved a lot in the fight against insurgents, bandits and other groups that are enemies of the Nigerian State.

But for security and strategic reasons, a lot of these successes cannot be made public in order not to expose to danger the gallant men and women of the Armed Forces in the forefront of this fight.

Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Matawalle disclosed this during an engagement with Hadiza Bala Usman, Special Assistant to the President on Policy and Coordination/Head of Central Result Delivery Coordination Unit (CRDCU).

Hadiza Bala Usman was at the Ministry of Defence to present the 2024 1st-3rd Quarters Performance Assessment Report on Implementation of Presidential Priorities and Ministerial Deliverables at the Ship House, Abuja.

The Minister also informed the SA to Mr. President that before now, the Nigerian airwaves were always full of news of oil theft, bunkering, piracy and all forms of kidnapping. But since they assumed office, the country has recorded low occurrence and reduced reports of those activities just as he assured Nigerians of their resolve to do more to make the society safe for all.

Matawalle assured Hadiza Bala Usman of early submission of achievement data to her office for their reviews.

In a similar development, the SA to President advised the Ministry of Defence to put out more data into the public space to avoid doubts and negative feedbacks on the successes achieved by the Armed Forces in the fight against insecurity. She added that regional tour of the troubled areas could be conducted to carry out on-the-spot interviews and first hand assessment of rescued individuals whose response will serve as raw and real data to the populace and an evidence that government is not resting on its oars.

Speaking further during the review of the Q1 – Q3 Report, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Defence, Dr. Ibrahim Abubakar Kana mni gave a detailed submission on the achievements of the Ministry and promised that the Ministry would do more to surpass previous quarter reports. He commended the Chief of Defence Staff and all Service Chiefs for their consistency and tireless efforts in making Nigeria a peaceful and safe place.

Dr. Kana tasked the Directors of the Ministry not to relax in their quest to give their best to the service of the country.

By Izuchukwu Ozoemena

As the Federal Government strives to modernize and expand outdated facilities at the Tincan and Apapa ports which were built in 1977 and 1958 respectively, plans are underway to make similar infrastructure available to other seaports across the country. This is the commitment of President Tinubu and the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, HE Adegboyega Oyetola.

Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr Abubakar Dantsoho disclosed this in Lagos, Wednesday, while commissioning the recently-built headquarters annexe of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN). The need for modern port infrastructure, he noted, is to enable Nigeria maintain and drive efficiency and increase in cargo throughput in her port system.

From records, he observed, the country’s ports receive only 2 million containers annually, a far cry from what is obtainable in neighboring countries such as Ghana and Cotonou whose population cannot be compared with Nigeria.

“Nigeria is a country of more than 200 million people in population. Now, our port capacity today, from our own records, is that we’re only bringing 2 million containers to Nigeria. It’s not a true reflection of our population.

“So, we have to do what we can to ensure that we get more containers in a genuine way into Nigeria. We can’t say that they are getting more containers in Lome, Cotonou and Ghana but Nigeria is getting less. It doesn’t make sense at all.”

He implored all stakeholders including the MWUN to work harder to ensure that more containers are generated especially through exports as that is the only way to be more productive. It will ensure more youth employment and global recognition for Nigeria. This remains a major challenge.

He assured that the government is committed to improving these ports and building new ones.
“It’s not possible for us to grow and participate more in international trade by depending on very old ports. So, we need new infrastructures,” he stated.

“We need new ports. We are going to expand the Tin Can and Apapa the way it is. It’s going to be improved. “That is the commitment of Mr. President and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy. In the not-so-distant future, you will see new events towards improving infrastructure in Apapa and Tincan. “Nigeria cannot be behind Cotonou or Ghana and other countries. It’s a very important challenge for us, but it should not be a challenge that only the federal government will face. It’s something that we are all stakeholders must give our best to ensure that Nigeria takes her proper position globally. ”
He called on maritime workers and other stakeholders to deepen their operations and processes through improved technology as this is the only way to position Nigeria to compete with other countries in the region and beyond.

Commending the MWUN leadership for the rapid transformation, Dantsoho pledged that the NPA is ever willing to offer support.

“I want to appreciate the leadership of my brother (MWUN PG). We look forward to cooperating with you because our objective, again, is to ensure that our own staff and officers, their welfare is number one, which will make them more productive. We are not going to play with that because we have had experience that when you motivate workers, you make them happy; you give them what it requires to be productive, they will be productive.” However, he called for more revenue so as to meet the demands of workers.

In his welcome remarks, MWUN President-General, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, thanked Dr Dantsoho for making time to honour the Union with his presence, the first of its kind by any Managing Director of the NPA. No doubt,Comrade Adeyanju stated, the guesture demonstrates a workers-friendly disposition.

Describing the MWUN as an organised and reformed professional labour union, Adeyanju said: “We are no longer regarded as touts. We have been transformed to a standard. That era of thuggery, era of banging table, era of shutting down the port operation have been stopped under my command, ” he told the NPA MD.

By Izuchukwu Ozoemena

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been commended for the decisive action to ensure prompt payment of military salary increase with three months arrears. He has also received accolades for the release of funds for the payment of pension and other entitlements owed retired military personnel.

Dr. Bello Mohammed Matawalle, Minister of State, Defence, made the commendation while confirming that alerts regarding the three-month salary increase for military personnel have begun to be received.

The Minister commended President Tinubu for his unwavering commitment to the welfare of both serving and retired military personnel, emphasizing that the payment of pension arrears owed retirees will continue to receive critical attention. This initiative reflects the President’s dedication to enhance the living standards of those who have served the nation, he disclosed.

As stated in a statement released Thursday by Henshaw Ogubuike, the image maker of the Defence Ministry, the Minister acknowledged the efforts and support of the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, who has been very committed in the actualization of these payments.

Dr. Matawalle urged the Nigerian military to remain steadfast in their duties, reassuring them that President Tinubu is fully committed to boosting their morale and providing the necessary support to combat insecurity in Nigeria.

“Despite initial setbacks, be rest assured that Mr. President will do everything within his power to uplift our military forces as they confront the challenges of insecurity,” he affirmed.

Highlighting the significant contributions of the Nigerian military in combating insurgency, terrorism, and other forms of criminality, the Minister reiterated the vital role these brave men and women play in ensuring the nation’s security.

He assured the officers and personnel of the Nigerian Armed forces of President Tinubu’s unwavering resolve to eradicate insecurity in Nigeria, bolstered by the readiness and resilience of the military.