General
NIMASA Eyes Acquisition of 28 Vessels from $700m Cabotage Fund
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) is targeting the acquisition of 28 vessels with a total of $700 million through the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF).
This was disclosed by the Minister of State for Transportation, Mr Ademola Adegoroye, while speaking at the maiden annual lecture of the Institute of Maritime Studies at the University of Lagos (UNILAG).
He said that the government would do everything possible to make it easier for ship owners to acquire more ships with a view to growing the Blue Economy initiative.
Mr Adegoroye also said that the ministry is working hard to ensure that the CVFF is disbursed before the end of the current administration.
He expressed faith in the incoming administration of Mr Bola Ahmed Tinubu, adding that if the fund is not disbursed, the All Progressive Congress (APC) government will disburse the fund as the government will continue the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari.
He also noted that another top priority in the Blue Economy agenda is the underexplored fishing sub-sector.
“The fisheries sub-sector is another area the government is working very to create jobs for our people and make water transport easier for Nigerians.
“Absolutely, that is what every responsible government would do but I can assure you that Government will do everything to make it easier for Ship owners to get more ships so that we can continue to grow our Blue economy. It makes sense for every responsible government to do that, once it gets too expensive, it becomes a problem even for our economy.
“We are hoping and praying that we disbursed the Fund before the end of the current administration, we have a short time, we have barely eight weeks, but I know they are working day and night to achieve this. It is possible good if not, the government is a continuum. It is a policy of the government, and nobody can do anything about it,” he stated.
On his part, the Director General of NIMASA, Mr Bashir Jamoh, said the agency already has a total of $350 million as its contributions to the fund while the Primary Lending Institutions (PLIs) and local ship owners that want to benefit from the fund will contribute 35 per cent and 15 per cent respectively so as to acquire the targeted number of vessels.
Mr Jamoh also said that from his calculations, a total of $700 million is expected to be expended on the acquisition adding that the loan will be given at a single-digit rate.
According to the agency boss, the number of jobs that will be created by the time the entire acquisition is completed, cannot be over00p emphasized.
“Besides using the Blue Economy to drive local shipping growth, the initiative will also awaken the nation’s dying marine insurance sub-sector.
“The Blue Economy initiative is everybody’s business as the benefits will also be for everybody. The ocean is a way of life, we need to exploit it in a sustainable manner for our economic benefits,” he said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria is eyeing stronger diplomatic and strategic ties when it comes to sustainable development as it participates in the 2026 edition of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW).
President Bola Tinubu arrived in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Sunday. His plane landed at the Presidential Wing of Zayed International Airport at exactly 11:30 pm local time.
He was received by Sheikh Shakhboot Nahyan Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; the UAE Ambassador to Nigeria, Salem Saeed Al-Shamsi; Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar; and members of the Nigerian diplomatic mission in Abu Dhabi.
Several other ministers, including the Minister of Budget and Planning, Mr Atiku Bagudu; the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs Jumoke Oduwole; and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mr Mohammed Mohammed, welcomed President Tinubu at his hotel.
President Tinubu arrived in Abu Dhabi from Europe, where he spent part of his end-of-year break, engaging in fruitful discussions with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and French President Emmanuel Macron, according to a statement by the presidency.
The 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, with the theme The Nexus of Next, All Systems Go, is a global platform that brings together world leaders, policymakers, investors, and experts to advance dialogue and action on sustainable development, climate action, energy transition, and inclusive economic growth.
This visit further reinforces the strong diplomatic and economic ties between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), while positioning Nigeria as an active contributor to global conversations on sustainable development.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to account for about N55.9 billion earmarked for the purchase of some materials for the 2019 general elections has forced the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) to file a lawsuit against the commission.
In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/38/2026 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, SERAP asked the court for an order of mandamus to compel INEC to disclose the names of all contractors paid the sum of money.
It was claimed that the N55.9 billion was meant for the purchase of smart card readers, ballot papers, result sheets and other election materials for the 2019 general elections, which produced the late Mr Muhammadu Buhari as President for a second term in office.
SERAP is relying on the latest annual report published by the Auditor-General on September 9, 2025, to ask for the use of the funds, which is said to be missing or diverted.
The organisation argued that the electoral umpire “must operate without corruption if the commission is to ensure free and fair elections in the country and uphold Nigerians’ right to participation.”
“INEC cannot ensure impartial administration of future elections if these allegations are not satisfactorily addressed, perpetrators including the contractors involved are not prosecuted and the proceeds of corruption are not fully recovered,” a part of the statement issued by the group stated.
“INEC cannot properly carry out its constitutional and statutory responsibilities to conduct free and fair elections in the country if it continues to fail to uphold the basic principles of transparency, accountability and the rule of law.
“These allegations also constitute abuse of public office and show the urgent need by INEC to commit to transparency, accountability, clean governance and the rule of law,” it further declared.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Ministry of Finance has directed all shipping companies and airlines operating in Nigeria to submit their manifests through the Single Window Project (SWP) as part of efforts to strengthen cargo tracking and transparency.
The submission of shipping manifests before the change of policy was handled exclusively by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for onward cargo processing and port clearance.
However, following a memo from late last year signed by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, all shipping firms and airlines were directed to integrate with the National Single Window platform to ensure seamless Manifests submission.
“I would like to bring to your attention that His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu inaugurated the National Single Window (NSW) Project on the 16th of April 2024.
The NSW Project aims to streamline and automate import and export processes at Nigeria’s entry & exit ports, with the dual goals of enhancing trade facilitation and increasing government revenue.
“By integrating the operations of multiple government agencies involved in trade processes on one platform, the NSW platform will ensure faster clearance of goods and services, improve operational efficiencies at the imports and significantly reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks.
“Key components of the Single Window as defined by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and World Customs Organisation (WCO) include: (a) a single-entry point i.e. traders, shipping lines, airlines and other stakeholders should submit all required import and export documentation through a single-entry point on a centralized digital platform, and (b) single submission i.e. all documentation should only be submitted once and data only entered once.
“As a result, the NSW Platform will be the single-entry point of submission for all Sea and Air Manifests. Therefore, all shipping lines and airlines are therefore directed to integrate with the NSW Platform to ensure seamless Manifests submission,” parts of the memo read.
The Comptroller-General of the NCS, the chairman of the Nigerian Revenue Service (NRS), the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) were copied in the memo.
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