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I’ll Not Accept Another Apapa At Lekki Port, Minister Warns
The Minister of Transportation, Jaji Sambo, has said that he would not accept another Apapa at the Lekki-Epe axis by way of movement of goods in and out of the port.
He said this at the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria, MARAN 34th Anniversary and Awards with the theme: “16 years of Port Concession: The Pains And The Gains”, held in Lagos.
Sambo said: “Lekki Deep sea port, I have told them I do not want them to move goods to that port or from that port by road. There is no reason why we should have another Apapa at Lekki-Epe axis, I will not accept it. To start with, we must do barge, let us do barge operations and that would also bring a lot of jobs for people who do barges and people who fabricate barges and others in the chain. At the same time, build capacity for our people.
“I was very sad the day I went to Onne and saw containers being exposed for physical examination. I have visited the Comptroller General of Customs, CG Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) specifically to appeal to him to help in removing the scanner room because that room is an obstruction to the rail connection into the port. He told me that we were supposed to have made payment to decontaminate the place and then after some time they would come and remove the pavements, I came back to the ministry and made inquiries and was told that the ministry have made that payment long time ago.
“I will go back with evidence to show the CG that payment has been made a long time ago and there is no reason why that building should still be standing, I do not understand how and why in this age we are still moving goods through the road.
“When I was walking with the National Inland Water Ways Authority (NIWA), it used to pain me that the inland waterways transportation mode was never developed.
“Now, I found myself in the driving seat, there are two projects that are close to my heart in the ministry of transportation, the one that is supposed to serve as a hub to Marina when the ship comes into the harbour to do their shipment. The other one is channel management, there is a company with Chinese investors that are willing and have the capacity to manage this channel. I have told my people in the ministry that if I don’t have these two projects off the ground some people are going to cry. I will make examples with some people if these two projects do not take off next year.
“So, when we provide the alternatives then we can now tell the haulage people that you can no longer take petroleum products by road, you can no longer take cement by road, and our roads would even last longer. The carnage on our roads as a result of these articulated vehicles and death fatalities caused by these vehicles would be reduced.
“I am also happy to have noted that during my visit to the CG he said one of the issues they had was that they have scanners in the port but those scanners were not functioning; only a few weeks ago the minister of finance went to commission it. When next I visit, I would find out, now that the scanners have been commissioned, I hope we are going to see a lot of improvements in the clearing process.
“One of the things that I am also pursuing is the port community system, which is our surest way to making our cargo clear out of our port in a matter of hours. If smaller African countries have their port community system working why can’t our own work?
“The deep blue project is responsible for protecting Nigeria’s maritime domain but for the past year that President MuhammaduBuhari launched this project in Lagos, we have not had any cases of piracy in our maritime domain and I think that is an achievement in the sense that in the next one year or two, if we are able to convince International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and others, then our insurance cost for goods imported into Nigeria would be much lower because right now we pay war risk insurance,” Sambo said.
The Rivers State Chief judge, Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi has granted pardon to six inmates standing awaiting trial at the Port Harcourt maximum correctional center.
The six lucky inmates granted pardon on Tuesday by the state Chief Judge included Nwekeala Chizoba, Samuel Emmanuel, Aniete Kelvin, Ebube Fubara and Goddey Okpara who were on awaiting trial as murder suspects and have all spent between 10 years to seven years in the custody without a proper information filed against them in the court.
Justice Amadi during a special gaol delivery exercise last Tuesday at the Port Harcourt Maximum Correctional Centre opined that the special gaol delivery was part of activities lined up to commomerate the 2024/2025 legal year in the State and restated the commitment of the state judiciary in decongesting the correctional centre and ensuring that those inmates who are not supposed to be there are removed from the custody.
The state chief judge stressed the need for all stakeholders to work together to build a society that supports rehabilitation and gives a second chance to anyone or group of people who have fallen short of the expectation of the law and have been punished accordingly.
He stressed that the National Judicial Council(NJC) encourages judges to pay more attention to criminal matters to enable them to decongests the correctional facilities, noting that since his assumption into office, his administration has been able to reduce the number of inmates in Nigerian Correctional Centres and the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre in particular, to less than 2,000 as against the over 4,000 inmates previously in the faculty.
According to him, “as they release the deserving inmates, they affirm their commitment to justice, compassion and rule of law but that they must not forget the fundamental principles of justice delivery system which is truth and fairness, integrity and equality before the law.”
I encourage you all the released inmates to return to your families and become better citizens. You must not engage in action that will return you all back to prison. Let me say that while the judges show empathy to you all, it does not absolved individuals from being held accountable for actions against individuals, corporate organisations and state which the law frowns at, ”he stated
The Chief Judge thereafter stood down the exercise to enable the DPP to intervene to case files following the fact that majority of the persons listed to benefit from the exercise are facing murder charges and adjourned to a date that will come before December.
Earlier in his goodwill message, the outgoing state Comptroller of Nigerian Correctional Centre, Port Harcourt, Felix Lawrence, who was recently promoted to the rank of Assistant Controller General, commended the state judiciary led by Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi for their continuous effort aimed at ensuring justice and decongesting the facilities.
Other activities lined up for the event included special church service at St Paul’s Cathedral , Anglican Communion, Rebisi Port Harcourt, inspection of guard of honour by the state Chief Judge mounted by officers of the Nigerian police and a special court session held at the ceremonial court hall.
By: AkujobiAmadi
The Director General of Rivers State Bureau on Public Procurement (RBoPP), Dr. Ine Briggs, has explained that the Sir Siminalayi Fubara administration plans to enforce transparency in governance through public procurement.
Speaking at a one-day Public Procurement Enlightenment workshop organised in collaboration with the State Local Government Service Commission for newly elected chairmen, vice chairmen, secretaries and leaders of legislative assemblies, Dr. Briggs said it is key for grassroot development.
She stated that the Sir. Fubara administration plans to reduce wastage and at same time infuse efficiency in public expenditure.
The RSoPP DG said the local government political office holders remain key drivers in the new vision hence the workshop is to arm them with knowledge on how to execute projects in tandem with needs of the people.
“ Your role in the prudent management of public resources is, therefore, not just administrative it’s the cornerstone of delivering the dividends of democracy. Every procurement decision you make must reflect a commitment to fairness, transparency and accountability” Dr. Briggs submitted.
One of the key goals of the administration she further reminded the participants was to use their offices to foster economic growth through public procurement.
She warned that the law establishing the agency empowers it to penalise defaulters, but that what is more important is voluntary compliance to the laws.
In addition to that, she said urged the local government council leaders that champion the practice and implementation of public procurement law.
On his part, Acting Chairman of Local Government Service Commission, Pastor GoodLife Ben Iduoku averred that the aim of the workshop is to arm key stakeholders in the local government system to generate new ideas, innovation and strategies in tandem with government policies and programmes.
The workshop dealt on various topics on procurement planning, methods, Understanding Bid Process, including types of Construction Contracts and law.
Some participants were awarded excellence and meritorious awards as part of the programme.
By: Kevin Nengia
The 19th anniversary of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Rivers State Chapter, recently ended in Port Harcourt in grand style, with participants from various schools including proprietors, the academia, civil society groups and top government functionaries charting the way forward for educational improvement.
The 19th NAPPS anniversary christened, ‘Innovation and Adaptation: Transforming Challenges Into Opportunities’ was held at Casoni Hotels, Port Harcourt.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Rivers State Chapter of the association, Dr. Jaja Adafe Sunday expressed gratitude to the members and executives for their untiring efforts towards the achievements of the body.
He sought the intervention of government on the lingering crisis on the economy as it is affecting the running of schools.
He decried high cost of things including fuel and raw materials which has adversely affected the running of schools and payment of teachers.
Dr. Sunday hinted that the current economic situation in the nation is biting hard on the operations of schools, saying inflation, removal of fuel subsidy, fuel scarcity, poor electricity supply, tariffs and lack of government grants are some of the challenges faced by schools, and urged the members to brace up to the challenges, as it is the panacea to building a brighter future.
Guest speakers from the health sector and the academia thrilled the gathering on the essence of basic education which they said is the key to national development.
Former Dean of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Professor Azuru and the Chief Medical Director of Meridian Hospitals, Dr. Odo Iyke were some notable guest speakers who delivered lectures at the occasion.
Some distinguished proprietors also got special recognitions and awards.
The 19th anniversary cake was cut by the Rivers State NAPPS Chairman with representatives of the state government assisting.