PERISCOPE

By Kenneth Jukpor Nigeria’s maritime industry frailties were made bare during the recent lockdown occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic as port activities were brought to a standstill despite President Mohammadu Buhari’s directive that the ports remain operational. The closure of …

By Ayoola Olaitan Some laws and punitive actions in Nigeria are laughable, giving leeway for various industry operators to flout the laws with the assurance that the punitive fines are affordable. This point of view, though ludicrous, has seen several …

By Kenneth Jukpor Twelve years after the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) was established, it is yet to solve the problem of dearth of competent seafarers in the country. What alternatives are there to address this? How could the nation …

By Kenneth Jukpor At independence, non-oil export was responsible for 93.3% of Nigeria’s total foreign earnings. However, the nation abandoned agriculture to face crude oil. Since then, the emphasis on agriculture and agro-export dwindled. Today, the nation’s non-oil export including …

By Kenneth Jukpor & Ayoola Olaitan The ban on inter-state movement has been one of the popular strategies devised to curb the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Nigeria; however this has had economic effects on the nation. While it has been a useful tool in curtailing the pandemic, the development has seen manufacturers, exporters and other categories of business persons.

By Kenneth Jukpor & Ayoola Olaitan The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the globe to a standstill for over two months, economic hardship has been recorded across several nations and continents, families have been separated and many engulfed in trepidation. However, …

By Kenneth Jukpor As the President Mohammadu Buharui relaxes the lockdown to allow some business operations commence, there are worrisome indications that crisis may ensue at the seaports and airports as a result of certain charges. Accumulated storage charges and …

By Kenneth Jukpor Operations across most sectors of Nigeria’s economy have been suspended as part of efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus; but Nigerian ports remain operational to aid the evacuation of essential items such as food, petroleum products, …

By Ayoola Olaitan  As the increasing cases of deaths from the coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria forced President Mohammadu Buhari to extend the lockdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, the extension may spell doom for residents in Lagos, …

By Kenneth Jukpor The gains of port concession are numerous; they include expeditious and efficient service delivery, variety and consequent competition, innovation, among others. These gains have been recorded at Nigerian seaports since the concession in 2006, however, new challenges …

By Ayoola Olaitan When President Mohammadu Buhari announced a total lockdown in Lagos State last week, Lagosians weren’t in doubt that the severity of the coronavirus pandemic in the State deserved the lockdown order. However, there were questions about the …

By Kenneth Jukpor Cargo Defence Fund (CDF) also known as The Fund, is an initiative of Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC). It is a mutual scheme to provide cover for particular risks as agreed upon by members, focus is on Nigerian …

By Ayoola Olaitan Following the outbreak of coronavirus, the aviation sector has been one of the economic areas mostly affected by the virus. The ensuing fear has characterized the aviation industry with lots of airline operators cancelling flights with the horror …

By Kenneth Jukpor Following Saudi Arabia’s decision to slash its export oil prices by 10 percent at the penultimate weekend, there were devastating repercussions quickly felt, as the Brent global oil benchmark price collapsed by about $11 a barrel, or …

By Kenneth Jukpor There are over 17.5 million orphans in Nigeria and most of these orphans depend largely on charitable items to survive, according to the Nigerian Network of Non-Government Organizations (NGOs). While this information emphasizes the need to be …

By Kenneth Jukpor One of the biggest challenges facing Nigerian ports is the absence of a Single Window platform. Nigeria is the only country without this single-window platform in Africa. This has made cargo clearing process at Nigerian ports more …

By Kenneth Jukpor Despite having numerous government agencies responsible for Nigerian waters, the marine life and bio-diversity in the nation have come under serious threats with the alarming level of plastic pollution and marine litters which has seen the country …

By Kenneth Jukpor Over the years the freight forwarding sector in Nigeria has been in a warzone and the administration of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), particularly the collection of Practitioners’ Operating Fees (POF) …

By Okuneye Moyosola In Nigeria, air flights have become characterized by delays resulting from numerous factors. It is the norm to see passengers waiting at airports several hours after the scheduled departure time. However, flight delays not only annoy air …

By Kenneth Jukpor & Okuneye Moyosola MMS Plus presents the scorecard of transport sector agencies based on their performance in the first half of 2018 with regards to their core functions. In this week’s appraisal, we x-ray; Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Council …