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ONLY PROFESSIONALS MUST HEAD MARITIME PARASTATALS, says Kwankwaso.

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Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso
By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
Appointing politicians and non-maritime professionals to head maritime agencies constitutes a major hindrance to maritime development in Nigeria. This trend, the  New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) says, will be reversed as part of major reforms being envisaged if the party wins the 2023 presidential election.
NNPP presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso made the pledge in Lagos, Tuesday, while speaking at a townhall meeting organized by the Prime Maritime Project (PMP). The PMP agenda is to extract commitment from presidential hopefuls of political parties on their programmes to revive the ailing maritime sector which stakeholders say has suffered neglect.
Kwankwaso who described the persistent appointment of non-professionals to hold key leadership positions in the sector as unacceptable promised that if elected president, only maritime professionals will be in-charge of the sector.
He noted that the existing port infrastructure originally designed in the 50s for a population of less than 50 million people with less than 2 million cargo throughput now cater for over 200 million people in 2022. He criticized the present level of chaos and confusion in the ports system and described it as unacceptable.
Lamenting that so many things have gone wrong in the nation’s maritime domain, he opined that with his experience as a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, former Governor, former Minister of Defense and  Senator, avails him some basic understanding of the sector and its challenges.
Speaking about indigenous shipping, Kwankwaso recalled with nostalgia  the days of the Nigeria National Shipping Line (NNSL) and the honour it brought to Nigeria.
“I can still remember the days of the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) with its beautiful ships flying Nigeria’s flag across the globe. Why did it die? What has become of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF)? Why has it not been disbursed to beneficiaries? From my little knowledge of the sector, a lot of questions are begging for answers!”
“It is also my desire to see that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other regulatory agencies must be made to perform efficiently and effectively. The observed high level corruption in the system has to be tackled to improve the productivity at the ports.”
In his presentation, Chairman of the occasion, Otunba Kunle Folarin lamented that previous presidents had promised a lot for the maritime sector but in each case, failed to deliver.
Folarin who is also the Chairman, Ports Consultative Council (PCC) re-echoed calls for the establishment of a seperate Ministry of Maritime Affairs. According to him, this is the only way to frontally  address numerous challenges confronting the sector. These include implementation of the Cabotage regime, non-disbursement of the Cabotage Vessel Finance Fund (CVFF), appointment of non-maritime professionals to the headship of maritime agencies, forex difficulty for shippers, poor incentives for indigenous operators, among others.
“We need a new maritime agenda and more attention from the Presidency on this sector which has potentials to exceed the conservative N7trillion projection when you take cognisance of using water for dams, irrigation, drinkable water, among others,” Otunba Folarin noted.
He called for a total port reform which encourages more indigenous participation, better greenfield development projects, free trade zones that allow for economic growth and a review of the current landlord model of port operations.
Also speaking, Founder of NNPP, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam charged maritime sector operators to fully identify with and support Senator Kwankwaso in 2023 to enable him prioritize and realize the noble dreams stakeholders have for the maritime sector.
The NNPP Founder, who also doubles as the Founder and Forwarder-General, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), argued that it is now time to change Nigeria’s governance approach and halt the rampaging systems collapse stagnating national development.
“The frustrations and hardship is too much. It’s time to change to a new order. Kwankwaso is a presidential candidate who doesn’t have any baggage and what isn’t available in other parties is a chairman who is from maritime. I will compel Kwankwaso to listen and expedite maritime issues,” Aniebonam pledged.
Maritime stakeholders who graced the summit included freight forwarders, clearing agents, shippers, master mariners and members of the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN).
On behalf of PMP, a group of veteran maritime journalists who organized the summit, Elder Asu Beks reminded Nigerians and political parties that the maritime sector stands to mobilize about 15 million votes to support any presidential candidate who presents a convincing blueprint to save the ailing maritime sector.
The summit,  he explained, is the first in a series of town hall meetings being packaged by PMP to rub minds with the presidential candidates of the 18 political parties on the need to undertake a social contract with critical maritime stakeholders before the 2023 elections. He applauded the NNPP for being the first to embrace the idea.
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Politics

ANTI-PARTY ACTIVITIES: NNPP Suspends Kwankwaso, Appoints New NWC

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By Izuchukwu Ozoemena

 

 

 

 

Following alleged anti-party activities, the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP), Tuesday, suspended its presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso. The party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) also dissolved its National Working Committee (NWC) and appointed a new one.

 

The suspension of Kwankwaso was part of resolutions after a crucial General Assembly in Lagos, Monday and Tuesday.

Kwankwaso was accused of short-changing the party, NNPP, by unilaterally entering into collaboration with presidential aspirants of opposition parties in the 2023 presidential election without authorization.

 

The opposition parties are the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Congress (APC), and Labour Party (LP).

 

According to the resolutions whose adoption was moved by Hon. Adeyemi Olusoja, Ogun State’s Yewa South Local Government Chairman and seconded by Mr. Abdullahi Nasamy, NNPP Kwara State Secretary, Kwankwaso has ceased to be recognized as a national leader of the party following his suspension.

 

 

NNPP’s BOT, however, reversed the suspension of the dismissal of national officers as well as the disolution of state chapters by the National Working Committee (NWC) announced days earlier.

 

The communique recalled that a clique of individuals in the system had unilaterally amended the NNPP Constitution without due process and authorization of the General Assembly, thus, infringing upon the party’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and violating the inalienable rights of the National Working Committee, NWC.

 

“BOT decided that material evidence in the public sector affirm that Senator Kwankwaso was involved in anti-party activities in various meetings, suggested political discussions with President Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi without authorization from the board. This has earned him 6 months suspension pending the outcome of investigations by the Disciplinary Committee.”

 

“About 8 states Chapters of the old NNPP were unceremoniously dissolved by the incompetent NWC. The letters of reinstatement of the suspended executive Chairmen of the various states issued by the Chairman of BOT in accordance with the Board’s inherent powers to call to order stands valid.”

 

“The BoT Chairman, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam resigned and a new BoT Chairman, Dr. Chief Tope Aluko was elected with Engr Babayo Muhammed Abdulahi as new BOT Secretary, while High Chief Tony Obioha was elected as BoT spokesperson.”

 

“BOT members take strong exception to Buba Galadima parading of himself as BOT Secretary. This conduct is in violation of the composition of the members of the BOT in accordance with our Constitution.”

 

“The NWC was declared incompetent due to attrition and failure of the members to follow the constitution and due process in filling the vacant positions. The NWC can no longer perform its role and is no longer relevant in the eyes of the law,” the communique stated.

 

Meanwhile, the BoT appointed and inaugurated new national officers headed by Dr. Agbo Major as acting National Chairman and Comrade Ogini Olaposi as acting National Secretary.

 

“Constitutionally, the nomenclature, ‘national leader’ is not in existence for a failed Presidential candidate. So, the Board moved that Engr. Rabiu Kwankwaso can no longer be referenced an National Leader. Ditto for state leaders”.

 

“The purported suspension of the Founder was a flagrant gross violation of the NNPP constitution such that it is tantamount to recklessness and irresponsibility on the part of the incompetent NWC.”

 

“Our Abuja office remains Plot 511, Herbert Marcaulay Way, Suite A1 to A3, Willian’s Plaza, Zone 4, Wuse, Abuja.”

 

“The BOT insisted that the avoidable violation of MOU between NNPP on the one part and Kwankwasla, TNM and NAGAFF on the other has no other choice than to withdraw from the partnership. It is therefore to state clearly that the MOU have been rendered invalid,” the communique read.

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Politics

2023 ELECTIONS:CILT Hosts Seminar on Logistics & Electoral Process

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Mrs Mfon Usoro

 

 

 

By Izuchukwu Ozoemena

 

 

 

In the countdown to the 2023 general elections, the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport (CILT), Lagos State Branch, recently organized a virtual seminar on Logistics & Electoral Process to sensitize and create needed awareness not only among her members but other Nigerians.

 

In his opening remarks, the Lagos Branch Chairman, Mr Bashir Ambi Mohammed, FCILT, tasked members to embrace the knowledge-sharing  and other benefits on electoral matters they stood to gain.

 

He reminded them of the critical roles logistics plays not only during elections but to the overall national development.

 

In her keynote address, President and Chairperson of the Council of CILT-Nigeria, Barr (Mrs)Mfon Usoro, FCILT, commended the branch and stated that the topic is appropriate on the issue at hand not only in Nigeria but across the globe.

 

Usoro who was the special guest stated that the essence of the topic is to achieve credible elections in Nigeria while eliciting maximum participation of the electorate. She stressed the need to articulate key discussions and resolutions at the seminar and forward same to INEC  as contributions of logistics experts in Nigeria.

 

Delivering his paper, the guest lecturer, Dr. Benedict Ayantoyinbo, CMILT, stated that credible elections cannot be possible without effective and efficient logistics.

 

Ayantoyinbo, Associate Professor, Department of Transport Management, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomosho, discussed logistics, electoral process, inbound and outbound logistics.

 

The university don also dwelt on the Bimodal Voter’s Accreditation System (BVAS), Pre-election logistics, post – election process, logistics systems of INEC and  the CBN. He also discussed the transportation of INEC materials, the comparative increase in INEC’s budget, challenges of the electoral process, ad-hoc staff, problems of voting in rural areas and the need to deploy more security agencies and other facilities in the rural areas as well.

 

Ayantoyinbo called for the use of the electronic processing and assessment system in other aspects of national development apart from adopting same to ensure efficient and effective logistics system during elections.

 

On her part, the moderator of the seminar, Mrs Margaret Ogbonna, FCILT, ensured that the question and answer session was properly managed.

 

The seminar recorded an impressive attendance of members across all the modes of Logistics and Transport in the country.

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