Author: tdpel

By Ephraims Sheyin

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on Thursday affirmed the designation of the Lilypond Container Terminal in Ijora, Lagos as a specialised processing and handling facility for the exportation of the country’s locally made finished agricultural goods.

A statement by Ibrahim Nasiru, NPA’s General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications, quoted the Managing Director, Mr Mohammed Bello-Koko, as explaining that the move would ease the bureaucratic and logistical bottlenecks faced by exporters, thereby promoting better access of the country’s non-oil exports into international markets.

It said that the NPA helmsman made the pronouncement at the NPA’s Special Day celebration at the ongoing 43rd Kaduna International Trade Fair.

According to him, the Lilypond Terminal will offer exporters a one-stop space to carry out their transactions at a reduced cost and time, thereby increasing their profit margin and competitiveness in the international market.

He said that the fair’s 2022 theme: “Re-strategising Nigerian Economy for Global Competitiveness” underscored the federal government’s agenda on the diversification of the economy away from reliance on hydrocarbons, by focusing on industrial development, especially local manufacturing and large scale food production.

He said the NPA had initiated several strategies to maximise the movement of non-oil exports across the country’s borders.

“We are currently in discussions with the terminal operators to give priority to exportation of agricultural produce and solid minerals, this will stimulate our domestic economy, create thousands of jobs and increase the revenue profile of government at all levels,” he posited.

Bello-Koko further said that, ‘’the Nigerian port industry remains a prime economic driver, bearing in mind that 85 per cent of the country’s trades are handled through the port.

“Maritime transport remains the main gateway to the global marketplace. Ocean ports are a central and necessary component in facilitating trade among nations.”

He pointed out that ports were catalysts for economic development as they enable trade and support supply chains.

“Recognising our huge role as custodian of ports necessitates continuous participation at Trade Exhibitions like this,” he said.

The NPA helmsman expressed the strong belief that Nigeria should be the hub of international trade in Africa, being the largest economy on the continent.

He said, “if we can harness those immense talents of our huge, enterprising, intelligent and determined youths, along with the vast array of natural resources we are endowed with, Nigeria will be among the first world countries in a decade.”

Sharing with his audience plans by the Authority to position Nigerian seaports as the preferred destination of cargo in the region, Bello-Koko said that the NPA had led the campaign for the actualisation of the Lekki Deep Seaport, which had reached 81 per cent completion stage.

He disclosed that operations at the new port is expected to commence in the last quarter of the year.

“The Lekki Deep Seaport is designed to be the deepest port in West Africa and will be a significant game-changer in Nigeria’s maritime economy. This multi-purpose port is expected to generate more than 170,000 direct and indirect jobs when completed.

“To encourage quick and easy processing of imports, the Authority has begun the implementation of the Nigerian Port Process Manual (NPPM) in conjunction with sister agencies, to engender transparency, efficiency and reduce the cost of doing business at the port.

“The manual outlines the harmonised Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) of Agencies operating in the maritime industry.”

Bello-Koko emphasised that NPPM would foster a very conducive environment for port users, streamline inspection and examination of cargo, check exploitation and corrupt tendencies by service providers, among other benefits.

He commended the organisers of the fair for putting up another successful event.

“I am highly excited that Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines & Agriculture (KADCCIMA) has continued to provide the platform for entrepreneurs to network and thrive,” he said.

He charged the KADCCIMA to brace up for the digital economy, while urging the Chamber to join in the campaign to market the economic benefits of the Kaduna Inland Dry Port (KIDP) to the business community.

“The dry port facility will help bring shipping services closer to business owners and residents of Kaduna, as it can handle both import and export cargoes,” he added.

In his welcome remarks, President of the KADCCIMA, Alhaji Suleiman Aliyu, described NPA as the artery of the nation’s economy, in view of its strategic role in trade facilitation and providing access for businesses to thrive across International borders.

He acknowledged that Nigeria recently signed an agreement that would enhance the flow of goods between Nigeria and Chad.

Aliyu, represented by Surveyor Ishaya Idi, Vice President of the Chamber, commended the Authority for its steadfastness and contribution to the growth of the Chamber.

He expressed his organisation’s desire to sustain the robust collabo

By Aderonke Ojediran

As part of its commitment to inspire, connect and empower women to attain their full potential, one of Nigeria’s leading financial institutions, Access Bank Plc will be hosting a conference in commemoration of the annual International Women’s Day.

This is contained in a statement by Chioma Afe, Group Head, Retail marketing and analytics, Access Bank made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday.

The conference which will take place at The Eko Hotels, Victoria Island, Lagos on March 10, is aimed at furthering the discussions around how women across all life stages can thrive through stereotypes to attain full potential.

Afe said that panelists would explore how to use gender-enabling institutions for women economic empowerment and how to build generational sustainability for women in the future.

Top female keynote speakers to feature at the conference include Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General, World Trade Organisation, and Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Umar Farouq.

Also, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, Special Adviser to the President on Ease of Doing Business, IK Osakioduwa, top Nigerian Radio and TV on-air personality and a host of other panelists will be moderated by CNN News Anchor, Zain Asher and top Nigerian Talk show host, Tolu Oniru-Dumeren also known as Toolz.

There will also be a fire chat session with International Nigerian French song writer and performer, Asa

Women at the conference are expected to unwind, rejuvenate and network in a relaxed environment while you get serenated with music from guest artistes during the conference.

Access Bank is a leading full-service commercial bank operating through a network of more than 600 branches and service outlets, spanning three continents, 12 countries and 31 million customers.

The bank employs 28,000 people in its operations in Nigeria and has subsidiaries in sub-Saharan Africa and the United Kingdom (with a branch in Dubai, UAE) and representative offices in China, Lebanon and India.

In July 2014, Access Bank unveiled the “W” initiative to accelerate a new and stronger wave of hitherto scanty female entrepreneurs in Nigeria in addition to financial inclusion.

The “W” initiative is a one-stop centre of all of Access Bank’s women empowerment offerings some of these include capacity building programmes exclusive to women, mentoring programmes, and maternal health services, all aimed at helping to build a bigger, stronger, and more sustainable society.

Under the “W” initiative, participating women and their families have access to a wide range of opportunities.

Part of these privileges includes access to loans and credit facilities; access to the ‘W’ community in which they can get insights concerning family matters and finance matters.

‘W’ community also provides women with access to information about several value-adding special offers for the home, including specially discounted offers as well as freebies on health, beauty, and fitness.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

With reports that Russia is blowing up nuclear power stations and is planning multiple nuclear war, and also Putin stating that everything is going according to his plan of world destruction, here is how you can survive a nuclear apocalypse, nuclear winter or simply nuclear explosion.

Go to space

This is the easiest solution to the problem of nuclear winter on earth. However, it is also the costliest.

Shelter Underground

First thing you need is a shelter. If you stockup without a place to hide from the harmful radiations, you are only wasting your time. Invest more in a secure shelter underground.

First dig up to feets below, then re-enforce with strong metals and lay over it a Faraday cage to ensure your location is secure.

Its better you make large space in the underground shelter to contain 10 times the number of people you are originally planning on accomodating because you may have to be there for generations.

Food And Water

Next on the list of most important things in a nuclear winter is food. Fill up all empty spaces with as many food items as possible.

However, you can only stockup for some years so your best bet is to spend more of your time saving large amount of seeds and stems that you can always regrow.

Chocolates and canned food will quickly run out so you will be left with options of growing and regrowing your food.

Also stock up live chicken, some cows and rams for white and red meat consumption.

Of important is also a water source. We recomment you drill a borehole leading to your shelter for unlimited supply of clean water.

Lastly, stock up other things you know you’ll need like containers, plates, spoons etc.

Air Filter

This is a very important component of any shelter. The air outside will be contaminated after Russia kills the world so you will need a filter to filter radioactive elements off the air before pumping it into your shelter. Else you are as good as dead.

Fashion

This may be odd to be on this list but you and others with you are going to be waering clothes. So stockup as many of your good and lasting clothes as possible.

You also need bathing and washing soaps, air freshner, mouth wash and others. We all know why they are important. No need to talk much on this.

Space

Of importance is also that your shelter is big enough for people to have their own privacy, else you will have a civil war to deal with in no time.

People offend each other, its why you are in the bunker in the first place. So you can understand the need for people’s spaces and privacy.

Security

Every one in your shelter may be family or close friends but after some years, you’ll realise you need security measures to curb some behaviors that might arise from some mental and psychological disturbances the new situation of Russia killing the world have caused.

It is advicable to keep some ammunitions and to keep them safe. Its better only you or you and 1 other person know the location of the ammunitions.

They may also be needed for any intruders.

Education

Start saving as many books as you can right now.

When Russia kills the world, our whole civilisation will go back by many hundreds of years. Books are the only way we can keep this civilisation alive.

See the books as important as foodstuff. In order not to take too much space or deteriorate, save many digital books and then some paper books.

Technology

It took the human race over 200, 000 years to develop to this stage technologically, and as Russia is about to destroy the world, its better you stock up on some of the world’s technology if you can.

You’ll be surprised that after Russia destroys the world, simple things like watches previously discarded will be luxury.

So start stocking up alot first on long lasting batteries and solar panels for continuous power supply. Then stock up more on phones, laptops, desktops, tabs and other technology that your shelter can take.

If you can stock up some electric vehicles as well, they will make a good relic by the time your great grand children emerge from the shelter into a brave new world.

By Stellamaris  Ashinze  and Okuawan Offiong

A Filmmaker and Director, Martin Gbados, has urged government at all levels to create a film commission for the industry to strive and contribute more to the country’s GDP.

Gbados made the appeal, as a panelist, at the ongoing 2022 AfricaNXT Technology Conference, on Thursday in Lagos.

The theme for discussion was: “How to use movie to tell the Nigerian story to an international audience.”

According to Gbados, all the states in the USA, have a film commission, which makes production convenient for filmmakers in such climes.

“It is only Lagos that has a film commission. The absence in other states makes it a bit difficult for an expanded film production across the country.

“So, it is pertinent for government at all levels to create a stable and enabling environment for film production to thrive,” he said.

Gbados said the enabling environment could also be in the provision of loan at a low interest rate to encourage more investment in the sector.

He said that Nigeria’s film industry had been projected to worth $6.4 billion, producing about 2,500 films on a yearly basis.

Gbados listed budget, quality, Africanis and the environment where the film was produced, as some of the determinants of a good movie.

According to him, many streaming platforms are coming to Africa because they have seen the potential in Africa, but budget remains a big determinant for the success of any production.

He harped on the need for filmmakers to add the African culture in their production.

Gbados said standards must be met for any film to travel far and wide and should not be compromised.

“The story around Ibeji (Twins) can be made to have elements, for example, God creates twins, Africans kill them, sort of contradiction.

‘’Such stories will fly far, or look at the story of Sango, the god of thunder, they will fly highest.

‘’Our focus should be to concentrate on our struggles and how we are overcoming them,” he said.

He said the quality of work from Africa should be able to match any other from other part of the world, adding that this was the best time to be creative because people are looking for films from this part of the world.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that AfricaNXT 2022, formally called Social Media Week, is a five-day event, which commenced on Feb. 28  and will end on March 4.

It had over 200 sections. This year’s theme is: ‘Reimagine Now: Co-create Next. (NAN)

The first batch of 415 Nigerians fleeing from the war in Ukraine has arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja from Romania.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the evacuees arrived in Abuja via Max Air by 7.10 a.m on Friday.

The stranded Nigerians had fled Ukraine to Bucharest from where they were successfully evacuated to Nigeria following the intervention of the federal government with the cooperation of governments of countries neighbouring Ukraine.

According to Gabriel Aduda, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the federal government has made all necessary arrangements to ensure that no Nigerian is left stranded in any of the countries where they have fled to.

Aduda said that Nigerian airlines – Air Peace and Air Max – would transport stranded Nigerians from Romania, Hungary, and Poland.

He said that evacuation had already begun and the evacuees would begin to arrive in Nigeria from March 4.

The permanent secretary, however, urged citizens stranded in the countries neighbouring Ukraine and willing to be evacuated to Nigeria to register for the process as only those documented with the Nigerian Embassies would be eligible for evacuation. (NAN)

By Angela Atabo

The Conference of Northern States Civil Society Networks, says it plans to engage with political parties in Nigeria to ensure they comply with new Electoral Act in their activities.

Alhaji Ibrahim Waiya, the Chairman of the Conference said this shortly after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigeria Network of Non Governmental Organisations (NNNGO) in Abuja.

“We will continue to play our role of creating awareness for citizens to participate in the electoral process and ensure that credible leaders are elected.

“We will engage the political parties to ensure that they comply with what is obtained in the new Electoral law and also engage INEC on best practices,’’ Waiya said.

He said that the MoU was to formalise a partnership between the two groups at strategic and operational level.

“We are happy that we are coming together in partnership to seek this opportunity with NNNGO because we understand that as nonprofits networks, it is imperative to work together.

“Partnership especially with the critical stakeholders in the sector will help the Nigerian civil society gain credibility, legitimacy and transparency as a sector.

“The partnership is an opportunity to learn from the models and practices of NNNGO, a Network which has been in existence for almost three decades,’’ he said.

Waiya said that the Conference has also been providing support on how the electoral system could work effectively.

He stated that the group was in the forefront of advocating for reflection of best practices in the electoral law which was recently signed into law.

He said that with the MoU, the two groups would continue with the advocacy to ensure that Nigeria has the best electoral law to guide elections’ management.

Mr Oyebisi Oluseyi, the Executive Director, NNNGO, said that the partnership was in line with the mandate of the organisation.

“We have a collective goal which is to ensure a thriving operational environment for nonprofits organisations in Nigeria and what we have done is a step in the right direction.

“The MoU will strengthen the existing relationship between the two networks and will leverage each network’s comparative advantage to promote common understanding of the legal obligations of the organisations.

“This is to ensure full compliance and adopt best practices in governance and accountability.

“It is to also ensure appropriate consultation on matters of relevant and significant policies and programmes of government that affect civil society, Nigerian citizens and national development,’’ he said.

Oluseyi said that the collaboration would help the two networks to serve Nigerians better and amplify the three important values of trust, accountability and transparency.

He lauded the progress made on the Electoral Law in Nigeria and urged leaders to use their platforms to preach peace, ahead of the 2023 elections.

He also urged Nigerians to get their voter cards to vote for credible candidates that would help Nigeria to attain Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).(NAN)

By Polycarp Auta

On-going fuel scarcity across the country has led to the death of an illegal petrol marketer and his wife in Jos.

The couple was killed on Thursday when fire erupted from the kitchen where Mr Gideon Pam hoarded petrol at their residence in Zawan community of Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau.

An eye witness and neighbour, Miss Shantel Alphonsus, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that “Pam runs an illegal petrol business at Zawan Junction.

“In the morning, he was called upon to get more supply from a fuel station, so he rushed back home to get some empty gallons to hoard scarce petrol.

“In a bid to empty some of the gallons that had fuel in them, suddenly there was fire outburst in the kitchen were the gallons were kept and Pam was trapped.

“His wife, Mercy, who had gone out earlier returned and saw smoke emitting from the house.

“She went into the house to save her husband, but was equally trapped in the inferno,’’ Alphonsus said.

She added that the couple left a four-month-old baby who had earlier been taken away by Pam’s mother at an earlier visit.

Mr Caleb Polit, Director, Plateau Fire Service, confirmed the incident and expressed regret that the couple was burnt beyond recognition and the house razed before firemen could reach the scene. (NAN)

Europe’s largest nuclear power station is currently in flames after the Russians blew it up in an attempt to spark nuclear power station explosion chain accross Ukraine.

With 802 civilian casualties in the first week of the war, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky issued an urgent plea for international help to stop the “nuclear terror” of a Russian attack that could threaten 15 reactors across his country.

“Europe needs to wake up,” he said in a pre-dawn video message that appealed to people to call their politicians and demand tougher measures against Russia.

“No country has ever shot at nuclear units except for Russia. For the first time ever in our history, in the history of humankind, a terrorist state has resorted to nuclear terror.

“Do not let Europe die in a nuclear catastrophe.”

Ukrainian authorities then confirmed late on Friday (AEDT) that Russian forces had taken control of the Zaporizhzhia plant, south of the city of Dnipro.

The whole world indeed needs to wake up and stop this Russian terror.

Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia power plant in the south-east of Ukraine in an advance that gives them control of about one-quarter of the country’s energy supply while they surround major cities and bombard civilian centres with missiles.