Category: Economy

AIG Maritime Hosts New Apapa Customs Boss, Advocates Stronger Port Collaboration

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The Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Maritime Police Command, AIG Okunade Ronke Nurat, has hosted the newly appointed Customs Area Controller for the Apapa Area Command, Comptroller Murtala Muazu, during a high-profile courtesy visit held at the Force Headquarters Annex in Kam Salem House, Obalende, Lagos. The meeting served as a strategic platform for both agencies to reinforce their alliance and align operations for enhanced port security. According to a statement issued by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Adebayo Rasheed Adesayo, both heads of agency committed…

From Blueprints to Boom: Usoro Urges Nigeria to Build a ‘Whole-of-Government Engine’ for Blue Economy Wealth

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Nigeria has successfully found an administrative “home” and a 10-year master plan for its massive marine wealth, but the country must now aggressively transition from paperwork to practical profits for its citizens. This was the central message delivered on Friday, 16 October 2026, by Mrs. Mfon Ekong Usoro, FCILT, Managing Partner at Paul Usoro & Co., during a powerful keynote address commemorating World Maritime Day 2026. Speaking at the prestigious Oriental Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos, the prominent maritime law expert—who brings monumental authority as the pioneer Director-General of the…

Data Security: NPERA, NDPC Partner to Secure Nigeria’s Port Economy

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The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA), Akutah Piuys Ukeyima, MON, FCILT PhD, has initiated a high-level strategic alignment with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) to aggressively strengthen data privacy, information security, and responsible governance across the nation’s port economic regulatory landscape. Dr. Akutah formalized this push recently at the NPERA’s Abuja Liaison Office during a high-stakes executive session with the National Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the NDPC, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, who led a high-powered delegation to the newly transitioned…

Cargo Logistics Boost: Dantsoho, Hassan Bello, Others Meet Over Dry Ports Integration

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The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has launched a high-stakes campaign to fully integrate Inland Dry Ports (IDPs) into the nation’s modern maritime architecture. Managing Director Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho is demanding aggressive infrastructure upgrades, deep-ticket private sector investments, and seamless digital connectivity to revolutionize Nigeria’s hinterland cargo logistics chain. Dr. Dantsoho finalized the commitment at the NPA corporate headquarters in Marina, Lagos, on Thursday, October 8, 2026 during a strategic executive session with the Executive Director of Dala Inland Dry Port, Mr. Ahmad Rabiu, and other prominent representatives from the Funtua…

Admiral Udofia’s 5-Pillar Strategy to Protect Fisheries, Aquatics, and Food Security

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The Director General (DG) of the International Maritime Institute of Nigeria (IMION), Rear Admiral Thaddeus Christopher Udofia (rtd), Ph.D., has unveiled a decisive five-pillared strategic framework designed to salvage Nigeria’s collapsing fisheries, secure coastal livelihoods, and aggressively confront national food insecurity. Admiral Udofia recently delivered the high-stakes roadmap during his keynote address at the Maritime Correspondents’ Organisation of Nigeria (MARCON) National Conference, held at the Rockview Hotel in Apapa, Lagos. Speaking under the central theme, “Sustainable Fishing in Nigeria—Pathways to Growth, Food Security and Coastal Livelihoods,” the IMION chief issued…

IBA 2026: Mfon Usoro Demands Unified Front on Legal Services Trade

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Frontline maritime lawyer and Vice-Chair of the International Bar Association (IBA) Bar Issues Commission (BIC), Barr. Mfon Ekong Usoro, has issued an urgent call for seamless subnational and federal collaboration to safeguard domestic legal markets in international trade agreements. In a session monitored virtually by Sooth News at the ongoing 2026 IBA Annual Conference at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Usoro made a compelling case for regulatory alignment amid rapidly shifting global frameworks. Usoro, a leading voice on the BIC Committee on International Trade in Legal Services (BIC ITILS), specifically…

 $866M Seafood Paradox: DG IMION Explains the ‘Predatory Ghosts’ Plundering Nigeria’s Waters, Proffers Solutions

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Nigeria spent a staggering $866 million on frozen fish and seafood imports in 2025 alone, highlighting a severely widening gap between the country’s enormous fisheries potential and its capacity to meet domestic seafood demand. The Director-General of the International Maritime Institute of Nigeria (IMION), Rear Admiral Thaddeus Christopher Udofia (Rtd), Ph.D., disclosed this on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. He was delivering a high-level goodwill message at the National Conference on Sustainable Fishing, organised by the Maritime Correspondents’ Organisation of Nigeria (MARCON) at the Rockview Hotel in Apapa, Lagos. Speaking before…

Blue Economy Vanguard: MARCON Honors NPERA’s Dr. Akutah with Lifetime Award; NIMASA, IMION, NPA to Speak

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In a landmark recognition of regulatory excellence, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA), Dr. Akutah Pius Ukeyima, MON, is set to be honoured with the prestigious Maritime Correspondents’ Organisation of Nigeria (MARCON) Lifetime Achievement Award. The elite honour recognizes his monumental contributions to Nigeria’s maritime architecture, particularly his pioneering role in shaping port economic regulations and driving structural reforms across the industry. Dr. Akutah’s career highlights a transformative journey spanning the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to the emergence of NPERA as the…

BAECC Appoints CILT Abuja Chairman Onwodi to Spearhead Benin-Asaba Expressway Delivery

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The Benin-Asaba Expressway Concession Company Limited (BAECC) has appointed the incumbent Chairman of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Abuja Branch, Dr Emmanuel Onwodi, as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO). According to the company, the strategic appointment aims to reinforce its executive bench as it accelerates the development and management of the critical Benin-Asaba highway corridor. Dr Onwodi—a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) and a Chartered Accountant of repute, he is currently the Chairman finance and audit Committee of CILT Nigeria, a…

NPERA Unleashes Strict Transparency, Accountability Upgrades to Purge Port Operations

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The Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency is hardwiring transparency, strict accountability, and hyper-responsible asset management into its operational DNA as it formally takes the steering wheel as the nation’s definitive port economic regulator. The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NPERA, Dr. Pius Akutah, MON, disclosed this institutional pivot while hosting a high-powered delegation from the Civil Society Coalition for Transparency and Good Governance (CSCTGG), led by its Executive Director, Comr. Success Uko, at the agency’s Abuja Liaison Office. Dr. Akutah clarified that the Nigerian Shippers’ Council has fully transitioned…