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‎By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
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‎Nigeria’s Trade and Investment Minister, Dr  Jumoke Adewole has described forty years in the life of any establishment as a  generational milestone.  In a sector as capital-intensive and technically demanding as marine and offshore logistics, she added, it is even more significant.
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‎Oduwole stated this in Port Harcourt, Friday, while personally delivering a goodwill message at the 40th anniversary event of the STATZS Investments Company Ltd.
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‎She commended Engr Greg Ogbeifun, the STARZS Founder and the STARZS Group, for standing tenaciously against all operational odds to clock 40 years in active business and still counting.
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‎”Today, we are not simply celebrating longevity. We are recognizing sustainability in institution building. From an entrepreneurial vision in 1986, STARZS has grown to operate a fleet of 11 offshore support vessels, employed more than 200 professionals and executed over 35 offshore marine contracts since 2010.”
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‎Those figures, she explained, represent Nigerian assets, Nigerian enterprise and Nigerian jobs. They prove that Nigerian firms can build technical capability and competing contracts sectors.
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The Minister (right) in a warm embrace with Ms Iro Ogbeifun, the SICL MD/CEO (left).

‎”I am extremely pleased to witness what Engr Greg Ogbeifun has built, and I must say I am particularly proud to see Engr Ogbeifun’s star mentee of mine of many, many years, and a serial entrepreneur in her own right (Ms Iroghama Ogbeifun) leading the institution into its second generation.
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‎”The 40 for 40 initiative, supporting 40 beneficiaries with maritime education and skills opportunity, is also a fitting reminder that enduring institutions do not only build businesses, they build people. So when you have a father like this, you build people, build generations. This milestone comes as an important moment for African children.”
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‎Mrs Oduwole announced that in addition to Nigeria serving as co-champion for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Protocol on Digital Trade, she recently assumed the chair of the AfCFTA Council of Ministers responsible for Trade.
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‎”Our focus is clear. The implementation must translate into practical opportunities for businesses that service over 1.4 billion Africans. That is why Nigeria has developed dedicated AfCFTA logistic solutions to lower the cost of reaching African markets. Through our expanded Rwanda Air Corridor, with Uganda Air and Rwanda Air, air cargo rates that ranged from 3 to 10 USD per kilogram on commercial routes have been brought to under 2 dollars per kilogram. So the air cargo corridor goes to 13 southern and eastern African countries. This is what trade must deliver: lower costs and real routes to market.
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‎The Minister made it clear that for the avoidance of doubt, the real opportunity for trading across the continent obviously lies in the maritime sector, an area the STARZS Group is already making waves!
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‎”As intra-African trade grows”, she explained, “so will demand for stronger coastal shipping, more efficient regional corridors, and logistic systems capable of moving goods competitively across the continent. A company with four decades of maritime experience is already positioning deliberately for that future. I’m aware of some discussions on the West African Corridor.”
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‎”I’m aware of interests from Angola and other southern African regions. And I know it’s just a matter of time before that vision presents itself fully. This also speaks directly to our mandate at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and to the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu to expand productive capability, deepen local value chains, and create the conditions for Nigerian enterprises to scale across Africa and beyond.
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‎”In this regard, the wider STARZS ecosystem to work towards expanded additional shipping capability, including a 9,000-ton lifting capacity, is significant. Nigeria needs more investment that retains value locally, develops specialized skills, and reduces dependence on services sourced outside our economy. So, as STARZS enters its fifth decade, my charge is simple: build with greater skill and continental ambition, invest deeper in technology and talent. And apply 40 years of Nigerian maritime experience to the opportunities now emerging across an increasingly integrated African market.”
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‎By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
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‎Comptroller Oshoba of the Apapa Customs Command has said that the latest seizures highlights the Command’s unwavering vigilance and preparedness to intercept prohibited items, particularly illicit drugs that endanger public health, safety and national security. He emphasized that the action aligns with the zero-tolerance directive of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr. Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR against all forms of illicit trade in the nation’s ports.
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‎The CAC reaffirms the Command’s resolve to facilitate legitimate trade while rigorously enforcing the law against the importation of prohibited and restricted goods even as he commended officers of the Command for their diligence and professionalism in carrying out the examination.

‎The Comptroller was unveiling Twenty-Six Billion, Five Hundred and Sixty- Nine Million, Eight Hundred and Forty-Seven Thousand,Seven Hundred and Seventy-One Naira (₦26,569,847,771) only worth of Cannabis Indica weighing 4,143.5 kilograms confiscated during a routine examination in collaboration with the personnel of the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Command’s Enforcement Unit.
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‎Relying on credible intelligence together with the NDLEA, the Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba had directed that the 1×40ft container number FANU1933352, be subjected to thorough examination which resulted in the discovery on Friday, 10 July 2026.
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‎The container was found to contain Three (3) used vehicles- Red Nissan Micra (2015 model) Black Toyota Corolla S (2019 model) and Gray Toyota Corolla (2015 model) A thorough search of the container led to the discovery of 162 bags containing a total of 8,287 parcels of Cannabis Indica. Each parcel weighs 500 grams.
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‎A breakdown of the seizure shows that Four (4) bags were found concealed inside the Red Nissan Micra (2015 model). The remaining 158 bags were recovered from the floor of the container and in the spaces between the 3 vehicles. No illicit substances were found in the Black Toyota Corolla S (2019 model) or the Gray Toyota Corolla (2015 model).
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‎According to a release by Chief Superintendent of Customs Isah Sulaiman, the Command’s image maker, the CAC said:
‎”This seizure once again demonstrates our untiring commitment in ensuring that only lawful trade thrives in Apapa Port. As we intensify investigation into the matter, I want to reiterate that this command has made the port a no go area for any thing forbidden by our laws.
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‎”Let me use this opportunity to rebuild the confidence of our compliant traders and assure them once again that they would always enjoy the many trade facilitation incentives emplaced by the Comptroller General of Customs”, he concluded.
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‎Comptroller Oshoba ordered the seizure of the 1×40ft container in accordance with the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 and extant laws.
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‎The crew of Falcon Watch Online was in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to cover the 40th anniversary celebration of excellence, resilience and impactful contributions to Nigeria’s maritime industry hosted by Starzs Investments Company Ltd. In this report, we bring you the first part of our coverage of the Maritime Symposium which peaked the 7-day event.
‎Izuchukwu Ozoemena reports.
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‎More than anything else, the analogy of the mustard seed aptly captures the story surrounding the establishment and growth of STARZS Investments Company Limited (SICL), Nigeria’s foremost shipping-owning and marine logistics conglomerate, which marked her 40th anniversary in a grand style last week.
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‎In 1986, a Shell-trained young marine engineer, Engr Greg Ogbeifun, in the shipping parlance, chose open waters instead of safe harbours. He began, not with a fleet, but with a single consultancy practice at a time when indigenous participation in offshore marine logistics was almost non-existent and foreign conlomerates controlled nearly every vessel moving through Nigerian waters. That was the safe harbour most professionals would have stayed in. Engr Ogbeifun did not. And for the singular purpose of that drive, vision and commitment, it was said, his establishment blossomed leading to a grand 40th anniversary celebration in 2026.
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‎Addressing the rich assemblage of who-is- who in Nigeria’s marine sector, policy makers and oil and gas moguls at the Maritime Symposium in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, SICL Managing Director/CEO, Ms Iroghama Ogbeifun amplified this scenario of personal doggedness and unwavering vision when she recalled that forty years ago, one man’s vision set sail, and today that vision has become an institution, and “tomorrow, together we chart the course for the next generation of African maritime excellence.”
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‎”Today is more than a celebration of a company reaching a remarkable milestone. Forty years, we will be beings, like they say. It is a celebration of vision, of resilience, of innovation, and the enduring power of purpose.”
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‎”Forty years ago, STARZS began with a bold, very, very bold aspiration to build a world-class indigenous maritime economy that would contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s offshore energy industry. Four decades later, we stand on the shoulders of that vision, grateful for how far we have come and inspired by the possibilities that lie ahead. This occasion is particularly meaningful to me.
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‎She explained that as a managing director and a representative of the second generation of leadership, she does not need to be constantly reminded that true leadership is not merely about inheriting an institution. It is about honoring a legacy while courageously preparing it for the future. With her crew, she said, it has become a privilege to build upon foundations laid through years of sacrifice, integrity, and professionalism, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.
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‎”Our responsibility is not only to preserve what has been built, but to strengthen it, modernize it, and position it for another 40 years of impact. The maritime industry is evolving rapidly. There’s digital transformation, decarbonization, local content development advancement, AI, energy transition, and of course regional integration.
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‎These are all redefining the future of shipping and offshore logistics. These changes present both challenges and extraordinary opportunities for Nigerian companies. That’s why today is so important.
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‎”Today’s symposium provides an opportunity for meaningful dialogue amongst policymakers, industry leaders, regulators, and the private sector. Together we can explore practical solutions that will strengthen Nigeria’s maritime competitiveness, deepen indigenous participation, and begin to develop the next generation of maritime professionals. We want to see more companies like STARZS emerge where second generation leadership takes charge.”
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‎Ms Iroghama Ogbeifun explained that the day’s event was carefully designed not only as a celebration of the present attainments of SICL but as a platform to discuss what to do to build a globally competitive maritime ecosystem.
‎” How do we strengthen indigenous participation while remaining internationally competitive? How do we accelerate innovation without compromising safety? How do we prepare our workforce for the technologies that will define the future? How do we ensure that the blue economy becomes a catalyst for sustainable national prosperity? These are conversations that matter not just to Starzs but to our industry and also to the future of Nigeria.”
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‎”So, as we celebrate our past, we must also ask ourselves an important question. What legacy are we building for the generations that will come after us? I believe our greatest achievement will not simply be the vessels we own, the contracts we execute, and the milestones that we celebrate.”
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‎It will be the institutions that we strengthen, the people that we develop, the standards that we uphold, and the opportunities we create for future generations of Nigerians.”
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‎She lavishly thanked Starzs’ clients and partners for their trust over the past 40 years. She appreciated regulators and government institutions for creating an enabling environment that functions to support indigenous participation and industry growth.
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‎Not left out were the company’s  employees who, according to her, are at the heart of the organization, cherishing their dedication, professionalism and resilience.
‎She pledged an unwavering commitment to the pursuit and achievement of the founder’s legacy which remains the overriding inspiration.
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