General
Use Inland Ports to Ease Congestion, Business Costs—Shippers’ Council
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has urged stakeholders in the North-West Zone to fully utilise the inland dry ports for export, to ease seaport congestion and reduce the cost of doing business.
The Executive Secretary of the council, Mr Pius Ukeyima-Akutah disclosed this during a familiarisation/stakeholder interaction with the Shippers’ Association from North-West Zone in Kano.
He noted that the NSC is saddled with the responsibility of promoting and developing inland dry ports.
“We have three Inland dry ports in the zone, Kaduna, Funtua and one of the foremost is Dala inland dry port in Kano,” he said.
The executive secretary noted that with inland dry ports designated within the region as origin and destination, stakeholders need not go to seaports to export their products.
“All we want is to bring shipping services closer to the shippers, so as to improve the service delivery and grow the trade and commerce in the country.
“As a shipper, you do not have any business going all the way to the seaport before you can export your products, you can export your products from these inland dry ports.
“Our target is that these ports will be available for even neighbouring countries to do businesses,” he said.
Mr Ukeyima-Akutah added that opportunities were provided for people to develop “through the use of this critical national infrastructure for transport services to support trade and commerce business in this part of the country.
“This government is promoting export over import, because we want to float the world with Nigeria forex, especially now that we are under Africa Free Continental Trade Agreement.
“We need to encourage our businessmen who are producing in this country to know that their products would be carried to the whole of Africa for the purpose of promoting trade activities.
“Kano happens to be a major point in terms of commerce in Nigeria.
“The establishment of this critical infrastructure shows that Nigeria is looking towards enhancing trade activities with other countries,” the executive secretary said.
On her part, the NSC Director, northwest zone, Mrs Karimatu Othman, said the council recovered over N6 billion for individual and corporate shippers.
“Your expertise and competencies in analysing multi-jurisdictional legal issues will assist us in dealing with challenges of trade disputes between shippers and importers abroad based on complaints we have been receiving in recent times,” she observed.
Mrs Othman commended the NSC executive secretary for improving staff welfare and refocusing the council in discharging its mandates effectively.
Meanwhile, Mr Ukeyima-Akutah, during a familiarisation visit to Dala Inland Dry Port, said the NSC would address all constraints to ensure that the port operated as a full-fledged inland dry port and not a terminal bound.
Earlier, the Managing Director of Dala Inland Dry Port Kano, Mr Ahmad Rabiu, appealed for a fully established Customs Command to ensure every process was done within the dry port.
“Since commencement of operation, we faced challenges such as transfer of cargoes to operate effectively in the facility,” he noted.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has pledged its commitment to provide the regulatory leadership, technical coordination, and stakeholder engagement required to successfully develop and implement a robust National Action Plan on maritime decarbonization in Nigeria.
The Director General of the agency, Mr Dayo Mobereola, made this known during the National Stakeholders’ workshop on the development of a National Maritime Decarbonization Action Plan, further describing the workshop as a critical step in actualising the Federal Government’s blue economy and climate objectives.
Represented by the Executive Director, Operations, Mr Fatai Taiye Adeyemi, the NIMASA DG underscored the significance of the IMO GreenVoyage2050 Project, a technical cooperation initiative /designed to support developing countries in implementing the IMO GHG Strategy.
According to him, the National Action Plan being developed will reflect national realities, leverage existing capacities, address identified gaps, and align with broader economic and environmental priorities of the federal government.
Mr Mobereola stressed that “this transition is not merely about compliance with international obligations, it is about safeguarding our marine environment, protecting public health, strengthening the blue economy, and ensuring that our maritime industry remains competitive and future-ready”, the DG said.
Also speaking at the event was the Technical Manager of the IMO GreenVoyage2050 Project, Ms Astrid Dispert, who highlighted that the overarching objective of the initiative is to advance a coherent and globally aligned regulatory framework to accelerate maritime decarbonization.
She also emphasised that NIMASA plays a pivotal role in driving the project at the national level.
The IMO GreenVoyage2050 Project provides technical expertise and institutional support to assist countries in developing and implementing National Action Plans that promote sustainable shipping practices, encourage investment in clean technologies, and strengthen capacity for long-term emissions reduction.
Through this collaboration, the federal government is advancing deliberate steps towards maritime decarbonization, reinforcing its commitment to global climate goals and ensuring a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable future for the sector.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to comply with its digital submission process effective March 1.
The directive was contained in a circular signed by the Director-General of the Bureau, Mr Adebowale Adedokun, noting that the move was part of the bureau’s commitment to digital transformation and paperless governance.
It explained that the transition followed an earlier circular of Aug. 4, 2025, which introduced electronic submission procedures.
According to the bureau, it has successfully moved from physical filings to a dedicated e-mail service for document submissions and is now advancing to a more robust and integrated system.
The circular announced the inauguration of the BPP Digital Submission Portal, a web-based platform designed to enable MDAs submit procurement-related documents directly to the Bureau.
It stated that the automated platform would streamline the submission process, enhance transparency and ensure accelerated tracking of procurement-related documents and petitions.
“With effect from March 1, all MDAs will be required to use the portal to submit requests for ‘No Objection’ Certificates, approvals for ‘No Objection’ for special procurements, clarifications and status updates on submissions,” the bureau said.
It added that the portal would be hosted on the Bureau’s official website and would become fully operational from the effective date.
The bureau warned that physical submissions or manual hand-deliveries would no longer be prioritised and would eventually be rejected following the full transition to the digital platform.
It urged accounting officers to brief their procurement departments and ICT units on the development to ensure seamless processing of procurement activities from March 1.
It further advised MDAs to contact the Bureau via its official email for information on the onboarding process and integration into the portal.
The bureau emphasised that full compliance by all MDAs was required to ensure a smooth transition and avoid delays in the implementation of the 2026 fiscal year procurement processes.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Senate has asked President Bola Tinubu to remove the Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Mr Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, from office.
The Senate Committee on Finance, while passing a resolution in Abuja on Thursday, accused Mr Magaji, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), of failing to honour the Senate’s invitations to account for the finances of his agency.
“He refused on so many occasions to honour our invitation to appear before this committee.
“We have issues with the reconciliation of the revenue of CAC.
“Each time we invite him, he gives us excuses,” the Chairman of the committee, Mr Sani Musa, said as the committee passed the resolution.
CAC was part of a group of agencies that the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) recommended zero allocation for the year 2026, for allegedly failing to account for public funds appropriated to them.
The committee, at an investigative hearing held two weeks ago, accused CAC and some other ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of shunning invitations to respond to audit queries contained in the Auditor-General for the Federation’s annual reports for 2020, 2021 and 2022.
The PAC chairman, Mr Bamidele Salam, stated that the National Assembly should not continue to appropriate public funds to institutions that disregard accountability mechanisms, saying this will create fiscal discipline and strengthen transparency across federal institutions and conform with extant financial regulations and the oversight powers of the parliament.
“Public funds are held in trust for the Nigerian people. Any agency that fails to account for previous allocations, refuses to submit audited accounts, or ignores legislative summons cannot, in good conscience, expect fresh budgetary provisions. Accountability is not optional; it is a constitutional obligation,” he said.
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