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Apapa LG Boss, Stakeholders Empower Women With Disabilities, Urge Self-Determination
Women living with disabilities have been advised to reject entitlement syndrome and self-pity, instead focusing on self-empowerment and determination to achieve their goals.
This call was made by Chief Mrs. Chinwe Ezenwa, Chief Executive Officer of Lelook Bags; Hajia Bola Muse, President of Bomarah Foundation; and Hon. Idowu Adejumoke Sebanjo, Chairman of Apapa Local Government, during an event held in celebration of the International Women’s Day (IWD) in Apapa, Lagos.
The event, themed “Accelerate Action Against All Odds,” was organized by Bomarah Foundation in partnership with Chanelle Foundation. It featured empowerment initiatives such as the donation of grinding machines, Point of Sale (POS) machines, free business name registrations with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) for POS beneficiaries, and the distribution of wrappers and bags of rice.
Speaking at the event, Mrs. Ezenwa, who was the mother of the day, cautioned against entitlement mentality among women with disabilities. She emphasized that their condition did not entitle them to special treatment, urging them to develop self-belief and avoid seeking pity.
“I have a warning for people with disabilities. Your biggest problem is entitlement syndrome. You think because you are living with a disability, you are entitled to the whole world. It’s a lie. It is not the fault of anyone that you are who you are,” she stated.
Ezenwa shared an inspiring story of a woman with one hand who emerged as the best graduating student at the Lelook Academy in Abuja.
“She told me, ‘Mummy, allow me, I am going to sew this bag, I want to do this work with one hand,’ and I allowed her. She was the best because she challenged herself and focused on her goal,” she recounted.
Similarly, Hon. Sebanjo encouraged women with disabilities to use their limitations as tools for self-empowerment, stressing that self-pity would only hinder their progress.
“When you are not looking for pity and you are ready to work, you will earn respect. But when you expect people to pity you, you will not get any respect. The minute you gain respect, there’s no limit to what you can achieve,” she said.
She further urged the women to work together and avoid creating barriers for themselves, adding that determination and resilience would attract more support and opportunities.
In her welcome address, Hajia Bola Muse acknowledged the resilience of women with disabilities, pledging continued support for their empowerment.
“Your determination to succeed despite obstacles is a testament to your unwavering spirit. We celebrate you, we honor you, and we are committed to supporting you,” she affirmed.
Also speaking, the President of Chanelle Foundation, Dr. Anire Okogun, noted that women with disabilities often face discrimination and societal neglect. She emphasized the need for greater recognition and support for their contributions.
“We must try to eliminate any form of violence against women, whether disabled or able-bodied. We must ensure that they are cared for and have effective participation in leadership wherever they are,” she concluded.
The event reinforced the importance of self-empowerment, resilience, and inclusivity, inspiring women with disabilities to break barriers and achieve success against all odds.
Maritime Security and Safety
Strait of Hormuz Crisis Deepens as IMO Confirms 80 Attacks, 22 Seafarer Deaths — Warns Conflicts Now “Pretext” to Target Merchant Ships
Strait of Hormuz Crisis Deepens as IMO Confirms 80 Attacks, 22 Seafarer Deaths — Warns Conflicts Now “Pretext” to Target Merchant Ships
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has issued a fresh warning to governments to halt attacks on merchant shipping, as conflicts in the Middle East, the Black Sea and the Red Sea continue to spill into some of the world’s most critical trade corridors.
IMO Secretary-General, Arsenio Dominguez, raised the alarm on Wednesday as the organisation confirmed 80 verified attacks on international shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz since the Middle East conflict escalated on February 28. At least 22 seafarers have been killed, with many more injured.
“We are reaching a point where these conflicts are being used as a pretext to attack merchant vessels and innocent seafarers,” Dominguez told delegates at the IMO’s Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers in London. “Do not use these conflicts to attack innocent seafarers.”
The crisis is not confined to the Gulf. In the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, the IMO says dozens of seafarers are believed to have died in attacks on shipping in recent months, though it admits verifying exact casualty figures in that theatre remains difficult. The Red Sea, too, has seen renewed bloodshed — four seafarers were killed on August 11 in the latest Houthi strike on a merchant vessel.
Dominguez was careful to note that no single actor is responsible for the violence. “In the Strait of Hormuz, it is not only one country attacking merchant vessels,” he said. “In the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, it is not only one country attacking merchant vessels.”
The numbers show how quickly the Hormuz crisis has escalated. On August 28 — six months into the conflict — the IMO had verified 70 attacks and 19 deaths. By September 15, that had risen to 80 confirmed incidents and at least 22 deaths. Recent casualties include two seafarers left missing after the September 12 attack on the El Gaia; one seafarer killed when the Hercules Star was struck on September 9; and two crew killed aboard the Sidr on August 31.
The fallout extends beyond casualties. As of late August, the IMO says roughly 400 ships carrying about 6,000 seafarers remain effectively trapped in the Persian Gulf, unable to safely exit the region.
In July, the IMO Council had reaffirmed that transit passage through straits used for international navigation must not be threatened, impeded or suspended, and called for a coordinated return to unhindered navigation through Hormuz.
That call has yet to translate into calmer waters. Dominguez acknowledged that resolving the underlying conflicts sits outside the IMO’s mandate, but urged member states to escalate the shipping consequences to their governments and to relevant UN bodies.
Nigeria Watch
For Nigerian shippers, the Hormuz crisis has long since stopped being a distant headline. The strait handles a significant share of the world’s seaborne crude and gas, and with roughly 400 vessels now bottled up in the Gulf, the knock-on effects of elevated war-risk insurance premiums, longer transit times on re-routed voyages, and tighter global tonnage, continue to feed into freight costs that Nigerian importers and NIMASA-regulated carriers ultimately absorb.
The IMO’s 22-death toll and the seizure of vessels like the El Gaia and Sidr also sharpen the stakes for Nigerian seafarers serving on international fleets transiting the Gulf, at a moment when NIMASA under Dr Dayo Mobereola has been pushing to expand Nigerian crewing on global tonnage. A prolonged Hormuz standoff makes that a harder sell to shipowners weighing crew safety against cost.
With Nigeria holding a seat on the IMO Council, Dominguez’s call for member states to escalate the shipping fallout to “relevant United Nations bodies” is also a cue for Abuja’s maritime diplomacy — an area the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy under Minister Adegboyega Oyetola has flagged as a priority even as the domestic reform agenda (NPERA’s rollout, the CVFF disbursement saga) competes for attention.
MARITIME TRADE & SHIPPING
Lagos Ports Handle N35.07trn in Q2 2026, Accounting for 84.6% of Nigeria’s Total Trade — NBS
Lagos Ports Handle N35.07trn in Q2 2026, Accounting for 84.6% of Nigeria’s Total Trade — NBS
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News
Lagos ports processed an estimated N35.07 trillion worth of Nigeria’s merchandise trade in the second quarter of 2026, representing about 84.6 per cent of the country’s total trade of N41.44 trillion, the latest Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has shown.
The data indicates that Nigeria’s merchandise trade for the quarter was made up of N27.02 trillion in exports and N14.42 trillion in imports, with the figures reaffirming Lagos’ position as the country’s dominant gateway for international trade. Apapa Port, Lekki Deep Sea Port and Tin Can Island Port jointly accounted for the bulk of the transactions, collectively handling about N34.90 trillion in combined exports and imports during the period.
Apapa Port recorded the highest trade volume among all ports, at N25.53 trillion, comprising N19.07 trillion in exports and N6.46 trillion in imports.
Lekki Deep Sea Port followed with N6.64 trillion (N5.03 trillion in exports and N1.61 trillion in imports), while Tin Can Island Port handled N2.90 trillion, made up of N726.92 billion in exports and N2.17 trillion in imports.
On exports alone, Apapa retained its lead, handling N19.07 trillion, representing 70.57 per cent of total exports recorded during the quarter, while Lekki Deep Sea Port followed with N5.03 trillion, or 18.62 per cent. Together, the two ports accounted for 89.19 per cent of exports recorded among the leading customs ports and posts nationwide.
On the import side, Apapa again led with N6.46 trillion, representing 44.76 per cent of Nigeria’s total imports. Tin Can Island ranked second with N2.17 trillion (15.07 per cent), while Lekki Deep Sea Port recorded N1.61 trillion, or 11.15 per cent of total imports.
Outside Lagos, other ports also posted notable trade volumes. Port Harcourt Area-1 handled about N1.40 trillion in combined exports and imports, comprising N1.17 trillion in exports and N229.77 billion in imports, while the Onne facility recorded approximately N2 trillion in trade — N802.72 billion in exports and N1.20 trillion in imports.
The distribution underscores the continued strategic weight of Nigeria’s seaports, particularly the Lagos corridor, to the national economy and to the movement of goods in and out of the country.
Nigeria Watch
The NBS numbers give quarterly weight to something operators on the ground have said for years: Nigeria’s trade economy runs almost entirely through one stretch of Lagos coastline. That 84.6 per cent concentration is not a new phenomenon, but it is a reminder of how exposed the national economy remains to any disruption such as congestion, security incidents, or regulatory bottlenecks at Apapa, Tin Can, or Lekki.
It also puts fresh context around the slow pace of decongestion efforts and the case for the newer deep seaports — Badagry, Olokola, Ibom, Bakassi, Bonny — that have been approved but remain largely undeveloped. Lekki Deep Sea Port’s rapid climb to second place, just three years after commissioning, shows what capacity diversification can do; but at N6.64 trillion against Apapa’s N25.53 trillion, it has not yet meaningfully dented Apapa’s dominance, let alone the wider Lagos concentration.
For the informal and small-scale operators under WABOTAN and ATBOWATON who move goods and passengers along the inland and coastal waterways feeding these ports, the figures are also a reminder of scale mismatch: trillions in formal port throughput sit alongside a barely capitalised informal waterway transport sector that NIWA and NPA policy rarely accounts for in proportion to its role in last-mile cargo and passenger movement around the Lagos port complex. As the NPERA Act’s implementation continues and port economic regulation takes shape, how and whether that informal layer gets folded into the reform conversation remains one to watch.
Lagos Moves to Tighten Enforcement Along Apapa, Lekki Port Corridors as Gridlock Persists
By Ighoyota Onaibre | Waterways News
The Lagos State Government has announced a re-jigged enforcement strategy for the Apapa and Lekki port corridors, deploying more traffic personnel and introducing round-the-clock shifts for officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) as the state moves to shore up compliance with its E-Call-Up truck scheduling system.
The disclosure came at a strategy meeting held at the Ministry of Transportation, Alausa, and chaired by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Hon. Sola Giwa. Giwa said a review of the traffic situation in both corridors, along with feedback from stakeholders, had exposed gaps in the existing enforcement process, necessitating the overhaul.
According to Giwa, the ministry will post additional traffic management personnel to the Lekki Port corridor to strengthen truckers’ compliance with the E-Call-Up system and keep articulated trucks moving smoothly in and out of the ports, including Apapa. He said the improved strategy had already been scheduled for roll-out and urged LASTMA officers to remain diligent in their duties.
Also speaking at the meeting, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Olawale Musa, said LASTMA would introduce a shift system for officers posted to the two corridors to guarantee a round-the-clock presence, with underperforming officers to be redeployed immediately. Musa warned operators of illegal truck parks around the Apapa and Lekki port areas to fall in line with the state’s rules.
The ministry reiterated its call for voluntary compliance with the E-Call-Up system to ease congestion, cautioning that pleas for clemency after enforcement action would no longer be entertained.
Officials present at the meeting included the General Manager of LASTMA, Mr Olalekan Bakare-Oki; the LASTMA Director of Operations; LASTMA controllers; commanders of the Zebras; and other senior officers responsible for the two corridors.
Nigeria Watch
Lagos has been here before. The state first rolled out E-Call-Up on the Lekki-Epe axis in September 2024 to head off a repeat of the gridlock that once paralysed Apapa and Tin Can, only to suspend it in March 2025 and relaunch it that June after months of consultation. That the government is now conceding “gaps” in enforcement barely a year into the reset run is a familiar admission for stakeholders who track these corridors: policy announcements arrive with confidence; the follow-through is what falters.
For the truckers and cooperative operators Waterways News hears from regularly, the more consequential line in this latest announcement may be the warning against “pleas for clemency” once enforcement resumes. That posture will be tested against a parallel and unresolved grievance — the extortion and illegal tolling along the Tincan-Apapa corridor that the same Ministry of Transportation pledged to clamp down on, alongside the police and other agencies, following complaints from the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO). Truckers accepted assurances then, under the 2018 State Transport Sector Reforms Law banning unauthorised toll collection, and stood down a planned strike.
Whether the new shift system and troop deployment translate into fewer miscreants and touts on the ground — not just more uniforms — will determine whether operators view this as reform or another round of the same cycle.
The stakes extend beyond Lagos traffic management. Apapa and Tin Can remain Nigeria’s primary gateway ports, and Lekki Deep Sea Port’s rapid ramp-up means the state is now trying to police two congestion-prone corridors simultaneously with the same enforcement playbook. Cooperative operators and inland waterway stakeholders that Waterways News covers, including those represented by WABOTAN and ATBOWATON have long argued that road congestion at the ports is precisely the kind of pressure that ought to be pushing more cargo evacuation toward the inland waterways.
Every cycle of “renewed enforcement” on the Apapa-Lekki road corridors is, from that vantage point, also a reminder of how little progress has been made on offering trucking operators a genuine modal alternative.
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