NEWS
NPA seeks Partnership with Media to Publicise Port Activities
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has solicited partnership with the media to positively project its activities, particularly at the Calabar Port to Nigerians and the world.
The NPA Calabar Port Manager, Chief Festus Olumati, said this in Calabar on Wednesday when he received the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Cross River State Council in his office.
According to him, the insinuation that Calabar Port is dead is not true.
He said that the port recently received a large vessel and is currently expecting more of such vessel.
The port manager noted that this was coming after three years, saying that efforts were being made to see that importers nearby patronised the port.
Olumati said, “You will recall that activities at the Calabar Port were boosted recently as a general cargo vessel berthed with 204 heavy-duty trucks, pipes and other containers.
“The port is still viable and of economic benefit to the state and to Nigeria and it is safe for berthing, hence the need for customers to patronise it to clear their general containers.
“The significance of the berthing of this vessel is to tell the world that Calabar port is active and working. The rumour going round that nothing is happening in Calabar Port is not true.”
Olumati said that some infrastructure were being put in place to ensure the safety of vessels and others patronising the port.
“We have installed 36 buoys to give proper direction to vessels coming into the port and also security boats and marine police have been approved for the port,” he stated.
Speaking on the need to patronise the port, the manager said that the management was talking with stakeholders.
“We have resumed discussions with importers in Aba, Nnewi, Anambra and others to make them understand why they should start patronising Calabar port.
“The Nigerian Export Processing Zone was built in Calabar because of this port and not because of Port Harcourt.
“It will make more meaning for importers around here to patronise Calabar port instead of Lagos or Port Harcourt,” he said.
On the dredging of the port, he said that it would resume once the issues around it were settled out of court.
Earlier, the NUJ Chairman, Mr Gill Nsa, promised the management of the port that newsmen would be fair and just in their reportage of the port’s activities. (NAN)
NEWS
Board Sanctions 118 Immigration, Civil Defence Officers
The Board of NSCDC, Fire Service, Correctional, and Immigration Service, has approved the sanction of 118 personnel for various offences.
The Board Chairman, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made this known at the end of their meeting on Thursday in Abuja.
Tunji-Ojo, who is also the Minister of Interior, told newsmen through the board Secretary, Alhaji Ahmed Ja’afaru, that the erring officers were punished after facing disciplinary panels for various offences.
“These offences range from misconduct, negligence of duty and outright absence from duty posts.
“In the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCOs), there were 48 cases of offences, in the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), there were 21 cases.
“Also, in the Federal Fire Service (FFS) there were 12 cases while in the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), there were 37 cases,“the minister said.
Tunji-Ojo added that the board has reviewed and approved new guidelines for appointments, promotions, discipline and general purpose in the services.
He said that the board also considered and approved the timeline for the conduct of the 2024 promotion exercise in the four services.
“The board considered and approved the review timeline for the conduct of the 2023/2024 fire service recruitment.
“As for the ongoing recruitment in the fire service, we hope to publish the names of the successful applicants latest by June 15. That is where we are for now.
“We also want to use this medium to warn the general public to ignore whatever they have been seeing or hearing in the social media space as they did not emanate from the board.
“This is because, we have come to realise that the social media world had been awashed with fake news telling applicants to come for screening exercise or pay certain amount of money.
“Let me put it emphatically that the board is not asking anyone to pay money for recruitment.“
He urged applicants to be patient, saying successful candidates will be notified to come for further screening through their emails and mobile lines. (NAN)
NEWS
NSCDC Inaugurates Female Strike Force to Secure FCT Schools
The FCT Commandant of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mr Olusola Odumosu, has inaugurated the corps Female Strike Force to protect schools in the territory.
A statement by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Samuel Idoko, on Thursday in Abuja, said the inauguration followed the completion of a three day training for the personnel.
Odumosu said that the primary responsibility of the strike force was to ensure the safety of all schools in the territory.
He said that the training had equipped them with the needed skills and capabilities to carry out their duties.
According to him, the training is a follow up to the recent meeting of all FSF Unit Commanders with the Commandant General, Ahmed Audi.
Audi had charged them to be up and doing in view of the reported cases of kidnapping in some parts of the country.
“The training is imperative to ensure compliance with the CG’s directive on the mandate of securing schools for the safety of students and staff.
“Cases of abduction in schools must come to an end, that is the primary purpose of this training.
“We need to restore the confidence of the people in our ability to secure schools in the FCT,” the commandant said.
He therefore called on schools in the FCT to register with the National Safe School Response Coordination Centre, so that they could be added to the ecosystem.
Odumosu explained that the registration was free and meant to ensure better coordination and make responses to emergencies more quicker and efficient.
Odumosu assured that the training and retraining of the personnel would be held regularly to ensure prompt response to any security threat.
“We must make schools safe haven once again for children,” he added.
He charged the female strike force to conduct routine patrol and surveillance of schools to prevent threats and attacks.
He also enjoined the strike force to hold periodic security awareness and enlightenment talks for student and teachers.
Odumosu also directed the operatives to abide by the corps’ Standard Operational Procedure in discharging their duties and avoid over zealousness in the use of force or fire arms.(NAN)
NEWS
Tinubu Appoints Bello as new Chairman of CCB
President Bola Tinubu has appointed Dr Abdullahi Usman Bello as the new Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), pending confirmation by the Nigerian Senate.
This is contained in a statement by Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, on Thursday in Abuja.
Ngelale said that Bello was a consummate professional with more than 25 years of work experience in consulting, banking, law enforcement, financial services and academia.
He said that the President anticipated the new Chairman would lead the Bureau with utmost integrity toward the realization of its mandate of maintaining high standards of public morality in the conduct of government business.
Ngelale said Tinubu expected the new appointee to ensure that the actions and behaviour of public officers conform to the highest standards of morality and accountability.(NAN)