General

FG Pays 19% of $500m Chinese Loan

Published

6 years ago

03/08/2020

By Adedapo Adesanya

The federal government has paid 19.2 per cent, amounting to $96 million, of the $500 million loan it collected from China for the construction of rail projects.

This disclosure was made by the Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, in a statement on Saturday, where he disclosed that the country will pay up the remaining balance within the stipulated period of 20 years.

He said China was the only country giving out loans with a low-interest rate of 2.8 per cent, noting that no country in the world would give out a loan without a guarantee to pay back such loans.

He said, “The trade agreement between Nigeria and China, the ministry of transportation does not take loan, everything about loan is directed to the Ministry of Finance, so, I couldn’t have signed any loan because I don’t take loan.

“What I signed is what is called a commercial contract, which is contract between the Federal Government and CCECC as a contractor, the contract between Nigeria and China is usually signed by the ministry of finance.

“Whether is the ministry of finance that signed it or the ministry of transportation, the issue is that nobody will give you loan free of charge.

“There must be an agreement and such agreement must contain some terms, that doesn’t mean that you are signing away the sovereignty of the country, no country will sign out its sovereignty.

“What clause 8 says is, I expect you to pay according to those terms we have agreed, if you don’t pay, don’t throw your immunity on me when I come to collect back the guarantee that was put forward, that is all.

“We are paying the loans. In the same National Assembly sitting, they were told that of the $500 million loan, we have paid $96 million dollars already, Nigeria is already paying.

“And the $500 million was not taken by us, it was taken by President Goodluck Jonathan in his term and that clause was there.

“Nigeria has the capacity to payback for the period of 20 years at 2.8 per cent, which country will give you that loan? Secondly, these loans are not given to us, they are paid directly to the contractors.

“Once they sign that the job has been done, they pay the contractors and that has never happened before and these projects are in place. Are they trying to rubbish the fact that there is a railway from Abuja-Kaduna?

“There is no loan in Nigeria, either internal or external, that is not approved by the National Assembly, none.

“Chinese government will not even give you a loan without approval by the National Assembly because if they give you a loan without the approval from NASS that is no loan,” Mr Amaechi explained.

The minister further said the government needed the loans to boost infrastructure in the country.

According to him, the sovereign guarantee and sovereign immunity clause raised by the NASS is a term used to ensure that loans collected are paid back.

The minister said in the case of a default, only the assets constructed with such a loan would be taken back.

He said: “What you do is you give a sovereign guarantee and that guarantee is the immunity clause they are talking about.

“When we say, I give you a sovereign guarantee and we get immunity clause, the immunity clause is that, if tomorrow I am not able to pay and you come to collect the items we have agreed upon, that these are the items that am putting down as guarantee, I can waive my immunity and say no you can’t touch it am sovereign country.

“So, they are saying, if you are not able to pay, don’t stop us from taking back those items that will make us recover our funds. So, is China our father that will give us money for free?

“It is a standard clause in every agreement whether is America we signed it with, whether is Britain, any country would want to know that they can recover their money.

“Anybody that is saying he doesn’t know what a sovereign guarantee or immunity is, too bad for the person, because it simply means in trade that I am not giving you this loan free of charge.

“Just like you go to the bank to collect a loan, the moment you don’t pay they go after your assets you put down, that is all about the clause, the Chinese can never come and take over Aso rock and become President or Minister.

” And if the assets you put down become depreciated then you negotiate which assets they can go after. Chinese will never take over what was not constructed with the loan.”

Mr Amaechi noted that it would be unconstitutional to take a loan not approved by the NASS, but for confidentiality in government, he would have published the clauses generating the dust.

The minister while asking the reason for the investigation by the NASS added that they were aware of all the loans.

He said, “The Chinese is just asking us to show them the evidence that we will payback, which is the immunity clause. If we don’t pay, they can take back their assets.”

On the Zambia experience, where the country could not meet up with its loan agreement, the minister said that the Chinese government will never take over infrastructure that was not constructed from the money taken.

He also acknowledged that the finance ministry in a payment plan had started paying back some of the loans collected.

He said the payment plan was the responsibility of the ministry of finance, and the Ministry of transportation was supposed to implement the contract.

“They are meeting the requirements, at any point in time that we need to pay, we’ll pay $1.6 billion was taken to fix Lagos to Ibadan, we are asking for $5.3 billion to fix from Ibadan to Kano.

“$3.2 billion to fix Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, then Lagos to Calabar which is about $11.1 billion, if those things were done when we had money, the infrastructure will be here today? The answer is no,” Mr Amaechi added.

The minister, however, called on the National Assembly and Nigerians to appreciate government effort in providing infrastructure in the country.

Mr Amaechi noted that the Itakpe/Warri rail project in the South-South, which was abandoned for 34 years by successive governments was fully rehabilitated by the present administration without seeking for loan.

General

Mastering SEO: Proven Methods to Grow Your Online Presence

Published

2 days ago

12/03/2026

Dipo Olowookere

Search Engine Optimization isn’t what it used to be.

Gone are the days of stuffing keywords, buying random backlinks, and expecting overnight rankings. Today, SEO is a sophisticated blend of technical precision, content authority, brand positioning, and strategic digital PR.

At RiseGrower.com, we’re launching with one mission:

To help brands grow through ethical, scalable, authority-driven SEO.

This isn’t just another SEO agency. This is the next evolution of ranking strategy.

🌍 SEO in 2026: What Has Changed?

Search engines—especially Google—have become dramatically smarter.

Modern ranking systems analyze:

Topical authority
Content depth and expertise
User engagement signals
Link quality (not quantity)
Brand credibility
Search intent satisfaction

SEO today is no longer about “gaming the algorithm.” It’s about becoming the most trusted answer in your industry.

That’s where RiseGrower comes in.

🚀 What RiseGrower.com Is Built For

We specialize in performance-focused SEO strategies designed to:

Increase organic traffic
Improve high-intent keyword rankings
Strengthen domain authority
Build sustainable backlink profiles
Turn search visibility into revenue

Our approach combines:

Advanced technical SEO audits
Strategic content architecture
Authority guest posting campaigns
White-hat link acquisition
On-page optimization
Data-driven reporting

We don’t chase vanity metrics. We build growth systems.

🧠 Our Philosophy: Authority Wins

Search engines reward expertise and trust.

That’s why our strategy centers around three pillars:

1️⃣ Topical Authority

We help brands dominate entire keyword clusters—not just single keywords.

2️⃣ Editorial Authority

Through high-quality guest posting on real industry publications, we build contextual backlinks that move rankings safely and effectively.

3️⃣ Technical Excellence

From crawl optimization to structured data, we ensure search engines fully understand and prioritize your content.

🔥 Why Most SEO Strategies Fail

Many businesses struggle with SEO because:

They focus only on backlinks without strategy
They publish content without search intent research
They ignore technical site health
They chase short-term wins instead of long-term growth

SEO is not a trick.

It’s a system.

RiseGrower builds systems.

📊 Our Approach Is Data-Driven

Every campaign starts with:

Competitive analysis
Keyword gap research
Link profile audit
SERP intent mapping

We analyze what’s ranking—and why.

Then we engineer a strategy that outperforms it.

🏢 Who We Work With

RiseGrower is built for ambitious brands:

SaaS companies
eCommerce brands
Agencies
Startups
Enterprise businesses
Niche industry leaders

If your goal is sustainable organic growth, you’re in the right place.

⚖️ White-Hat SEO Only

We believe in:

Real editorial placements
Ethical outreach
Genuine authority building
Search engine compliance

We do not use:

Private Blog Networks (PBNs)
Spammy link schemes
Automated backlink tools
Manipulative ranking shortcuts

Long-term growth requires integrity.

📈 The Rise of Performance-Based SEO

The future of SEO isn’t “deliverables.”

It’s measurable outcomes.

At RiseGrower, we align our strategy with:

Ranking milestones
Traffic growth targets
Lead generation goals
Revenue impact

Because rankings are only valuable if they drive business growth.

🌟 What Makes RiseGrower Different?

We blend:

SEO strategy
Digital PR
Authority guest posting
Content intelligence
Conversion-focused thinking

We don’t just improve rankings.

We build market leaders.

🔮 The Future of Search

AI-generated content is flooding the internet. Competition is rising daily.

Search engines will increasingly reward:

Authentic expertise
Brand mentions
Trusted backlinks
Valuable long-form content
Real-world credibility

The brands that invest in authority now will dominate tomorrow.

RiseGrower was created for that future.

🚀 Launching Soon

RiseGrower.com is preparing to launch with a clear promise:

Growth through strategic SEO authority.

If you’re ready to:

Outrank competitors
Scale organic traffic
Build long-term visibility
Turn search into revenue

We’re ready to grow with you.

General

Globy Platform: B2B Marketplace and Its Logistics Calculator

Published

2 days ago

12/03/2026

Dipo Olowookere

Wholesale marketplaces were created so that business owners could find profitable offers and make deals on B2B platforms worldwide. In addition to buyers and sellers, there are traders, distributors, logisticians, and other professionals on such platforms. Let’s take a closer look at these professions. Traders purchase goods in order to resell them at a higher price; speculation is allowed on B2B marketplaces and is a legal instrument. Distributors are the official representatives of the manufacturer, meaning you can purchase original products at the lowest price. Most often, goods are purchased in China and then transported by sea to European countries or North America. We suggest you try the Globy Platform, where the most reputable Asian distributors are registered. Logisticians can also register on Globy. They provide services for the transportation of goods by sea. The following are the advantages of Globy, which are mentioned most often:

quick registration on the portal;
website with simple navigation and management;
excellent choice of reliable suppliers;
most relevant products in the catalog;
free registration;
no commission.

Some B2B platforms process payments, but Globy allows participants to make money payments outside the platform using one of the secure methods. In addition, Globy does not charge a commission when concluding a purchase deal. To start working on the platform, you need to register in accelerated mode or fill out a form with your company’s details. You can be sure that your banking details, personal, and contact information are protected. Third parties can only see the information that you leave open. When registering, do not forget to enter your company’s contact information (messenger, phone, email) so that new partners can contact you. You can pay attention to the fact that the Globy catalog contains items without specifying a price, but the product profile contains the vendor’s contacts. You can contact the seller to discuss the deal details, determining the price of the product.

Logistics Tool on Globy

There is often a situation when the supplier does not provide transportation services and the buyer has to search for a carrier on their own. In fact, this problem is solved simply. Globy has a special tool that helps you quickly find a charterer. You would open the freight calculator and fill in all the fields in the suggested form. You would specify the sending and destination port, and don’t forget to specify the dates and choose the container size. If you want to place containers in an optimal way, then use the load calculator, which is also available for free on the official website. You can use these tools only after registration. You can log in quickly if you have a Google account or a LinkedIn profile. After entering the data, the freight calculator will process your request and provide a list of prices. You can select a suitable line and contact the charterer to discuss the details of the contract. It is recommended to choose a sea delivery with a minimum number of intermediate stops, in which case the cargo will arrive at the destination port faster.

Receiving Cargo at the Destination Port

Buyers should remember that you can check the cargo when it arrives at the port. If the rules of transportation were violated, there was a long delay, or the goods were damaged, you can refuse the cargo, explaining the reason. You can discuss a price reduction with the supplier if the product has lost its proper appearance or the packaging is damaged. You can evaluate the cargo yourself or with the help of third-party experts. It is best to carefully check the documentation when receiving the goods at the port. All documents must be executed in accordance with international law. You can register on Globy today, find the goods you need, and use the logistics tools for free. More than fifty-five thousand users have already been registered on the platform, which indicates the high authority of Globy. If you have any questions, you can ask them in the Help Center on Globy website.

General

MSC, Nigerdock Seal 45-Year Port Concession Deal for Snake Island Terminal

Published

2 days ago

12/03/2026

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

Shipping giant, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), has signed a 45-year concession agreement with Nigerian maritime company, Nigerdock, to develop, operate ‌and maintain a new container terminal at Snake Island Port in Lagos.

A statement by MSC on Thursday noted that the new container terminal would be completed by 2028 with a 910-meter quay, six Ship-to-Shore (STS) cranes, two ship berths, three barge berths, and up to 18 meters of draft.

The dedicated MSC terminal would be part of the company’s announced $1 billion investment in infrastructure ⁠and logistics in Nigeria.

“We are thrilled to take this step forward in our partnership with MSC to develop a world-class container terminal within Snake Island Port.

“This gives the world’s leading shipping line a home in Nigeria and brings significant foreign direct investment into the country to accelerate growth in the maritime and logistics industry,” it said.

Global shipping companies are pushing to secure long-term footholds in emerging markets as supply chains are reconfigured worldwide.

MSC said the terminal, to be built by ITB Nigeria and DEME Group, is expected to be ‌ready ⁠by 2028.

It will occupy 30 hectares (74 acres) and feature a 910-metre (3,000 ft) quay capable of handling ship‑to‑shore cranes and mobile harbour cranes, serving both deep-sea vessels ⁠and barges.

MSC President, Mr Diego Aponte, said: “Completing this key phase in the development of Snake Island Container Terminal with Nigerdock and our trusted partners demonstrates MSC Group’s commitment to providing excellent service to our customers in Nigeria and throughout Africa.

“The new terminal will open up opportunities, enhance efficiency, and elevate Snake Island Port as a major global shipping centre.

“Together with our Group’s other long-term investments in Nigeria, it will generate many local jobs and significantly increase economic revenue and resilience.”

Snake Island Port is an 85-hectare facility operated ⁠by Nigerdock, a maritime and logistics company, and comprises three terminals serving the Lagos port complex.