General
FG Gives Conditions for Sustainable Port Development
By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal government has revealed its position to discourage unsolicited port development proposals that are not based on viable projects and future developments contained in the infrastructure development plan of the government under the National Transport Policy and programmes of agencies under the sector.
This is coming as the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) embarks on the process of developing a port development master plan that would set out the policy on port infrastructure development to match the current and future economic expectations/national goals and objectives.
The Minister of Transportation, Mr Mu’azu Jaji, in his presentation titled How To Streamline The Qualification Process To Encourage The Construction Of New Ports By States For A Sustainable Nigerian Blue Economy at the recent Niger Delta Blue Economy Investment Forum confirmed that the government had received unsolicited proposals some of which were initiated by state governments including the Lekki Port which was prior to the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission Act, 2005.
He said, “Unsolicited proposals from state governments must undergo the required due diligence and procedures for constructing new ports. There is no shortcut to the process. Federal agencies also need to reduce the red-tape bureaucracies to make the process easy and seamless, observing the tenets of the ease-of-doing-Business, in order to attract Foreign Direct Investments.”
He noted that over the years, it had been observed that the bane of port development in Nigeria had been the absence of a Port Master Plan, which explained the number of unviable ports as well as urban encroachment to the port environment.
“A good example is the Lagos Ports with the attendant congestion along the port corridors. This development comes with its concomitant negative consequences on port efficiency and at a cost. This must be guarded against in future developments,” he said.
“Port development must be preceded by rigorous studies to determine both technical and economic viability. This is the only way by which we can move on the path of a sustainable Blue Economy,” he added.
The port development masterplan by the NPA was conceived to identify the gaps in infrastructure capacity; make projections on needed growth to address the capacity deficiency; and plan future development to ensure that port development is spaced out in time and over locations to ensure in time development, technology is up to date, avoid overcapacity that could result in unviable ports as in (Delta cluster of ports in the 1970s), ensure competition, and achieve economic growth, among other policy objectives.
The Minister acknowledged the legal framework governing the operation of ports in the country as in the Exclusive Legislative List contained in Part 1 of the Second Schedule of the 1999 Constitution such that all Nigerian Ports are Federal Ports with no provision for private ownership of ports in Nigeria, however, with the enactment of the ICRC Act, 2005, a window has been opened for the participation of the private sector in port development through Public-Private Partnerships arrangement.
While no private ownership of the port is currently contemplated by the country’s laws, current port development processes involve submitting a proposal for development (solicited or unsolicited), developing an outline business case and the final business case containing technical and financial details and obtaining all necessary approvals to proceed, granting of a concession for port development and operations by the Federal Government; and executing a concession agreement containing details of the concessions – performance parameters, financial provisions, technical standards, concession period (which takes into account the recoupment period, construction period and actual port operations period, reversionary rights and other relevant provisions).
Mr Jaji believed that the emergence of the PPP processes had further streamlined the qualification process for private participants in the blue economy.
“This was an enabler that made it possible for the state governments to be major promoters in the emergence of Deep Sea Ports in Nigeria. Every port has both the waterfront and the backup land area, which is within the legislation of the federal government, while the latter is within that of the state since the Certificate of Occupancy is being given by the state government,” he stated.
The Minister also acknowledged that the Blue Economy concept had developed as a sound paradigm for the comprehensive and sustainable management of marine and coastal areas and their natural resources.
He said, “Considering that Blue Economy includes activities such as fishing which involves the use of vessels/crafts that call at waterfront terminals or jetties, there is also a framework for licensing facilities in this category. This could be through the grant of jetty licenses or the designation of existing terminals as fishing terminals.
“One such process which is ongoing is for the designation of KLT I in Lagos as a fishing terminal with the hope that others will follow across the country. It needs to be stated that fishing terminals are ports used for vessel calls, just like any other facility. The involvement of NPA in this situation is the provision of the facility while the fishing activity is regulated under a different sector.
“Coherent and optimized co-existence of all sectors of activity is needed while preserving the quality of ecosystems, goods, and services in the long term.
“The Port plays a pivotal role in the development of the Blue Economy as the interface between maritime and terrestrial space.”
While acknowledging that Ports are the epicentre of many aspects of the Blue Economy, including:, tourism and leisure, fishing, aquaculture, offshore renewable energy, marine conservation, coastal protection, shipbuilding, oil, and gas, he said any call for streamlining the qualifications process for the development of new ports in a Blue Economy would be factually inaccurate with the assumption that there was hitherto no uniform standards for the qualification of new port developers.
Rather, he said the emergence of a Blue Economy would only introduce another layer or layers of qualification for new ports and facilities.
“The aspect of the Blue Economy recently introduced only added another layer or layers of qualification that had not been in existence since issues relating to the environment and its impacts on port development is a relatively recent phenomenon,” he said.
“The requirement for Environmental and Social Impact and Assessment studies in capital projects, including port infrastructure, is a relatively new concept in these climes.
“It is simply required as a major qualification that the developers of new ports MUST show how such developments will impact all aspects of the ocean, including diversity, environmental protection, commerce, the lives of members of the host communities, and the improvement of the economic prosperity of the country through the oceans,” he noted.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The bill seeking to establish state police in Nigeria was on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, passed by the Senate during a plenary presided over by the Senate President, Mr Godswill Akpabio.
The piece of legislation was passed today after more than two-thirds of the lawmakers in the red chamber of the National Assembly voted in support via a manual voting process involving the raising of hands.
Before the passage at the plenary, the chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the Constitution, Mr Barau Jibrin, presented the panel’s report to his colleagues.
According to him, the bill will transform policing in the country and boost security, as it allows the sub-nationals to create their own policing system.
The bill provides for the Federal Police Service to be headed by the Inspector-General of Police, while the State Police Service will be led by a Commissioner of Police, who will be appointed by the governor of the state, subject to confirmation by the state’s House of Assembly.
To prevent the misuse of state police against political opponents or critics, ensuring that any action taken against such individuals or groups complies with due process and existing laws, the bill prohibits the Commissioner of Police of a state from arresting, detaining, investigating, or deploying force against any critic of the state governor, except in accordance with the law.
After the clauses of the bill were considered at the Committee of the Whole, the bill was passed and will be transmitted to the President for assent into law.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Daystar Power Group has expanded its renewable energy partnership with Nestlé in West Africa, commissioning solar power systems with a combined capacity of 6.884 megawatts across four manufacturing facilities in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Senegal.
According to a statement, the deployments bring the total installed capacity across Nestlé’s sites to 6,884 kWp, nearly 7 megawatts, making it one of the largest commercial and industrial solar partnerships in the region.
The four sites, two in Abidjan, one in Tema, and one in Dakar, are all fully operational, with each system designed around the specific grid and operational profile of its location.
“Nearly 7 megawatts across four Nestlé facilities is a number we are proud of, but what it represents matters more than the figure itself. It means that one of the world’s most demanding manufacturers has tested our model, trusted it, and come back. Our job now is to keep earning that, across every market where industry needs energy it can count on,” Mr Yischai Beinisch, CEO, Daystar Power Group said in a statement.
The partnership began with a single commissioning and expanded to span three countries and four facilities. In Côte d’Ivoire, Daystar Power has delivered 3,447 kWp across two Abidjan sites. In Ghana, a 2,547 kWp system powers Nestlé’s Tema factory. In Senegal, an 890 kWp installation operates at the Dakar facility.
The company said each system is sized and configured to deliver measurable environmental and social impact, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions and improved energy resilience. The design is tailored to the operational and grid conditions at each location, ensuring reliable, clean energy access while supporting local development and aligning with Nestlé’s publicly stated net-zero commitments.
Adding his input, Mr Samer Chedid, CEO, Nestlé Central and West Africa Region, said the investment reflects its commitment to building a business that not only grows but does so responsibly.
“By advancing solar energy projects in Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Senegal, we are embedding sustainability into our growth, reinforcing our role as a force for good, creating long-term value for communities, and ensuring that our footprint actively contributes to a cleaner, more resilient future,” he said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Federal Ministry of Defence have agreed to deepen collaboration on the protection of critical oil and gas infrastructure through a new non-kinetic security framework designed to curb threats, strengthen community relations and sustain rising output.
The initiative comes as Nigeria recorded crude oil production of nearly 1.8 million barrels per day, one of the highest production levels in recent years, amid intensified efforts to combat crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and other security challenges across the Niger Delta.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by a delegation from the Ministry of Defence to the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja, the chief executive of NUPRC, Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, said the country’s recent production gains were directly linked to coordinated interventions involving security agencies and industry stakeholders.
“Today, we are benefiting from those efforts. Last month, we recorded production of nearly 1.8 million barrels per day throughout the month,” Mrs Eyesan said.
She noted that sustained investments in security operations, technology deployment and human capacity development had significantly improved production stability and operational efficiency in the upstream petroleum sector.
According to her, maintaining and expanding the gains has become critical as Nigeria seeks to increase crude oil output, attract fresh investments and maximise revenue generation from the petroleum industry.
“As we look to the future, we desire to grow production and must have assurances that security threats can be effectively managed. We can only achieve this through stronger collaboration with security agencies and industry stakeholders,” she stated.
Mrs Eyesan stressed that safeguarding oil and gas assets remains central to Nigeria’s energy security strategy and economic growth objectives, noting that production assurance has become a key requirement for investors considering new upstream projects.
She disclosed that the Commission was exploring wider deployment of advanced technologies, including drone surveillance systems, to improve monitoring of the country’s vast oil and gas infrastructure network and detect threats before they escalate into operational disruptions.
The NUPRC boss further revealed that the Commission would work closely with operators to refine and implement a new security framework, while providing leadership in stakeholder engagement and governance structures needed to ensure long-term sustainability.
The Minister of Defence, Mr Christopher Gwabin Musa, said the Ministry was introducing a non-kinetic security intervention model aimed at addressing the underlying causes of insecurity in oil-producing communities.
Rather than relying solely on military operations, he explained that the strategy would focus on community engagement, youth empowerment and social inclusion programmes to build lasting peace around critical energy infrastructure.
“One of the best ways to engage youths in oil-producing areas is through sports-based interventions,” Mr Musa stated.
He explained that the initiative would utilise sports development programmes to channel youthful energy into productive activities, reduce vulnerability to criminal networks and strengthen community ownership of critical national assets.
The Defence Minister, who was represented by one of his aides, added that the intervention would also include structured programmes for persons living with disabilities, creating broader opportunities for participation and economic inclusion in host communities.
According to him, the initiative aligns with the Host Community Development provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and is expected to strengthen relationships between operators and host communities while promoting sustainable development.
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