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Remain an elder statesman Datti tells Atiku
In a significant political development within Nigeria’s political landscape, Garba Datti Muhammad, the National Vice Chairman (North West) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has issued thoughtful advice to two prominent political figures—former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Kaduna Governor Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai—regarding their political futures as the nation looks toward the 2027 general elections.
Muhammad, who previously served in the House of Representatives, directed particularly pointed counsel to Atiku Abubakar, suggesting that the former Vice President should reconsider his apparent presidential ambitions. “As we approach the next general elections, you are at it again,” Muhammad noted, referencing what he perceives as Atiku’s strategic maneuvering within and potentially beyond his current party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The APC leader’s concern stems from indicators that Atiku may be contemplating coalition-building with “aggrieved politicians” to mount a challenge against incumbent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the upcoming 2027 elections. Muhammad frames his advice to Atiku in terms of both personal and national interest, noting that by the next presidential election, Atiku would have reached 80 years of age—suggesting that maintaining his current role as an elder statesman might better serve both him and the nation.
To reinforce this perspective, Muhammad invoked the example of former Vice President Muhammad Namadi Sambo, who has maintained a dignified elder statesman position since completing his term in 2015, implying this represents a more appropriate post-service role.
Muhammad’s counsel extends beyond age considerations to question what new policy approaches Atiku might offer, particularly noting that Atiku himself has historically advocated for subsidy removal policies similar to those currently being implemented. The APC official pointedly referenced Atiku’s leadership role in privatization initiatives during the Obasanjo administration, when he chaired the privatization committee while El-Rufai served as Director General of the Bureau for Public Privatization.
In addressing former Governor El-Rufai, Muhammad expressed profound disappointment regarding his departure from the APC, particularly given El-Rufai’s foundational role in establishing the party and his eight-year governance under its banner. Muhammad highlighted an apparent contradiction between El-Rufai’s current actions and his previous statement in 2022 that leaving the APC would mean quitting politics altogether—suggesting El-Rufai should either reconcile with the party or honor his earlier commitment to exit politics completely.
The APC leader further questioned El-Rufai’s transition to critic of the current administration, noting that El-Rufai himself had previously declared disinterest in positions within President Tinubu’s government. “Why should you turn to a critic overnight just because you perceived things were not going your way when you had unfettered access to the leadership of the party and the President?” Muhammad asked.
On broader strategic political considerations, Muhammad cautioned against what he termed potential “political miscalculations,” particularly speculating about party defections. He specifically addressed rumors about PDP governors potentially joining the Social Democratic Party (SDP), arguing that established political structures would likely prevent such movements: “No PDP governor will join the SDP because their party already has a structure on the ground. Who will leave certainty for uncertainty?”
Muhammad also emphasized the importance of regional rotation principles in Nigerian politics, suggesting that as someone who supported shifting the presidency to the South in 2023, El-Rufai should now support allowing the South to complete a full eight-year tenure before advocating for returning the presidency to the North.
The APC official concluded his address by highlighting what he characterized as significant achievements under President Tinubu’s administration, particularly noting unprecedented representation of the North West in national leadership positions. He detailed the region’s current prominence, including holding both the Speaker of the House of Representatives position (from Kaduna State) and the Deputy President of the Senate position (from Kano State)—marking the first time in Nigerian history that two presiding officers of the National Assembly have come from the same geopolitical zone.
Muhammad further cataloged numerous ministerial appointments from the North West region, including leadership of critical ministries such as Defense, Budget and National Planning, and Environment, along with key military appointments like the Chief of Defense Staff and Chief of Air Staff.
In his regional assessment, Muhammad highlighted specific developments in Kaduna State, including the establishment of seven higher education institutions and approval of a metro rail line valued at approximately 250 billion Naira, which he suggested would significantly improve transportation challenges for Kaduna residents.
His statement concluded with a positive assessment of the Tinubu administration’s economic policies, noting strengthening of the Naira currency, decreasing food prices, and what he characterized as a gradually improving economic outlook following subsidy removal policies.
US Democrats Reintroduce $10bn Bill to Support Clean Shipping Technologies
By Raymond Gold | Waterways News
A bloc of Democratic lawmakers in the United States has brought back a legislative push that would channel $10 billion over ten years into building zero-emission vessels, cleaner marine fuels, and upgraded port facilities nationwide.
The Next Generation Shipping Act, backed by Senator Chris Van Hollen alongside Representatives Nanette Barragán and Troy A. Carter Sr., would direct $1 billion a year from 2026 through 2035 via the U.S. Maritime Administration toward research, development, and roll out of next-generation maritime technology.
Funding under the bill would cover zero-emission ships, alternative fuel development, retrofitting older vessels, shore power systems, charging and refuelling infrastructure, and training for maritime workers. Proponents say the package would lower the sector’s carbon footprint while sharpening America’s competitive edge in shipbuilding and maritime commerce.
The renewed push comes as shipping operators worldwide face growing pressure to cut emissions in line with stiffer climate benchmarks set by the International Maritime Organization. Supporters of the US bill point to Europe and Asia, where governments have already put substantial money behind clean shipping technology, as the standard America now needs to match.
More than 40 environmental groups, community organisations, and maritime industry stakeholders have thrown their weight behind the legislation.
Nigeria Watch
Washington’s renewed decarbonisation push is coming at a time when Nigeria’s own maritime sector is still working out how seriously, and how fast, to engage with the IMO’s tightening emissions targets. Where the US debate is about how many billions to commit, Nigeria’s conversation remains largely about awareness. Shore power, alternative bunker fuels, and green retrofits are still topics that are discussed more at conferences than budgeted for in agency work plans.
That gap matters commercially, not just environmentally. As IMO rules bite harder over the coming decade, Nigerian-flagged vessels and cargo bound for regulated ports risk facing compliance costs or exclusion if the country’s fleet doesn’t modernise in step. NIMASA’s ship registry reform drive, including its partnership with Malta, is one place a cleaner-shipping agenda could be built in, new tonnage coming onto the register is an opportunity to set efficiency and emissions standards from the outset rather than retrofitting later.
There’s also a lesson in financing architecture. The US bill’s model, a dedicated, multi-year fund disbursed through a maritime administration to support new technology and infrastructure. This is structurally similar to what Nigeria has attempted, on a smaller scale and with far less consistency, through the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund. Years of delayed CVFF disbursement have left local shipowners unable to invest even in conventional fleet renewal, let alone cleaner propulsion or shore power at ports like Apapa and Tin Can Island. A functioning, predictable maritime fund, whether CVFF or a future blue economy vehicle, would need to exist before Nigeria could realistically chase the kind of green shipping transition Washington is now trying to bankroll.
No Nigerian regulator has reacted specifically to this US bill as at the time of this report. However, the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy and NIMASA, working with the IMO’s GreenVoyage2050 Programme, recently kicked off a national stakeholders’ workshop in Lagos to begin developing Nigeria’s National Action Plan on maritime decarbonisation, bringing together government, shipowners, port authorities, oil and gas players, academia and development partners. NIMASA’s Dr Oma Ofodile called it a critical step toward a low-carbon maritime future for the country, one that must be grounded in Nigeria’s own realities rather than copied wholesale from elsewhere. The programme also ran outreach sessions at the University of Lagos, engaging around 60 students on green technologies and maritime career paths tied to the energy transition.
Waterways News will publish any new development to keep our readers updated.
Raymond Gold is Co-publisher and Research Reporter at Waterways News (www.waterwaysnews.ng), Nigeria’s foremost digital publication covering ports, shipping, coastal and inland waterways, and the blue economy.© Waterways News | www.waterwaysnews.ng | All rights reserved
Editor's Choice
Violent Storm Devastates NIWA Headquarters in Lokoja, Disrupts Operations Across Kogi State Capital
Violent Storm Devastates NIWA Headquarters in Lokoja, Disrupts Operations Across Kogi State Capital
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News Correspondent
A ferocious rainstorm swept through Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, last Thursday night, unleashing widespread destruction across the city and dealing a particularly severe blow to the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), whose headquarters bore the brunt of the tempest’s fury.
The storm, which raged between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., reduced the agency’s main office block to a scene of ruin, ripping off roofs, shattering windows, and leaving critical departments exposed to torrential downpours that followed in the storm’s wake. The incident has raised urgent concerns about the operational continuity of one of Nigeria’s most strategically important inland waterways institutions.
NIWA’s Core Operations Crippled
NIWA’s spokesperson, Suleiman Makama, confirmed the scale of destruction in an official statement, painting a picture of an institution grappling with sudden and severe disruption to its day-to-day functions.
According to Makama, the storm directly hit the sections of the headquarters housing the Engineering, Survey, Special Duties, Project Management, and Area Office Coordination Departments — five of the agency’s most operationally vital units. Staff working in these departments have been displaced, temporarily rendered without office space as engineers and waterways administrators scramble to find alternative arrangements.
“One major challenge is that the affected staff have been displaced and temporarily rendered without offices,” Makama stated.
Beyond the physical displacement of personnel, the damage to documents, equipment, and sensitive materials is of particular concern. Critical records, technical instruments, and administrative files were left exposed to heavy rainfall during the incident, raising fears that irreplaceable operational data may have been compromised or destroyed. For an authority that coordinates the management and development of Nigeria’s vast inland waterways network — spanning over 10,000 kilometres of navigable rivers and lakes — such losses could have significant downstream consequences for ongoing projects and regulatory functions.
The NIWA spokesperson described the incident as both devastating and unfortunate, stopping short of announcing an immediate assessment of financial losses or a timeline for restoration. Waterways News understands that emergency response efforts were activated overnight, with staff and management working to salvage what they could from the wreckage.
A City Under Siege: Widespread Destruction Across Lokoja
The NIWA headquarters was far from the only casualty of the violent weather event. Across Lokoja, the storm left a trail of destruction that spared neither public institutions nor private businesses, cutting a wide swathe through the commercial and residential fabric of the city.
One of the most alarming incidents occurred near the Kogi State Specialist Hospital, where a 33KVA electricity transformer sustained severe damage during the storm. The failure of the transformer triggered a fire outbreak at the nearby A.A. Rano Filling Station, quickly turning a weather emergency into a public safety crisis. The inferno engulfed five of the filling station’s fuel dispensing pumps before it was brought under control, leaving only one pump operational. The proximity of the fire to a major medical facility added a layer of danger to an already chaotic night, though no reports emerged of injuries to hospital patients or staff.
Elsewhere in the city, the Police Area Command in the vicinity of the Ministry of Health and the Federal Ministry of Works axis was also affected, with a large tree uprooted by the violent gusts crashing onto the premises. The IBB Way corridor, one of Lokoja’s busier arterial roads, saw multiple trees torn from the ground, while billboards across various parts of the metropolis were shredded and flung aside by the wind’s force — some landing on roads and creating hazards for early-morning commuters.
Despite the scale of the destruction, authorities confirmed that no casualties were recorded, a relief given the intensity of the event and the densely populated nature of several of the affected areas.
Questions of Infrastructure Resilience
The storm’s impact on NIWA’s headquarters raises broader questions about the state of federal infrastructure in Lokoja and, more specifically, about the structural integrity of public buildings that house critical agencies. As the apex body responsible for developing and regulating Nigeria’s inland waterways — an increasingly important component of the country’s transportation and trade infrastructure — NIWA’s ability to function at full capacity is not merely an administrative concern but one with tangible implications for maritime commerce, riverine communities, and national development planning.
The timing is particularly sensitive. Nigeria’s inland waterways sector has in recent years attracted renewed attention from federal authorities as a viable alternative to the chronically overburdened road network. NIWA has been at the forefront of efforts to unlock the commercial potential of routes along the Niger, Benue, and other major river systems. Any prolonged disruption to the authority’s core functions — engineering assessments, survey work, project management — could slow momentum on several ongoing waterways development initiatives.
Waterways News will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as NIWA authorities assess the full extent of the damage and communicate plans for the rehabilitation of the affected offices. Residents and stakeholders with information about the storm’s impact on waterways infrastructure across the Lokoja area are encouraged to reach out to our editorial desk.
Waterways News is Nigeria’s dedicated publication for inland and coastal waterways affairs. For more stories on waterways infrastructure, maritime policy, and river transportation, visit waterwaysnews.ng.
Blue Economy
NSW LAUNCH ON MARCH 27: GBAJABIAMILA SAYS SINGLE WINDOW WILL REVOLUTIONIZE NIGERIA’S PORTS AND TRADE OPERATIONS AS TOP OFFICIALS PLEDGE FULL SUPPORT
NSW LAUNCH ON MARCH 27: GBAJABIAMILA SAYS SINGLE WINDOW WILL REVOLUTIONIZE NIGERIA’S PORTS AND TRADE OPERATIONS AS TOP OFFICIALS PLEDGE FULL SUPPORT
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News Correspondent | Lagos
Nigeria is set to go live with its long-awaited National Single Window (NSW) platform on March 27, in a move that promises to fundamentally reshape how cargo is processed at the country’s seaports, airports, and border points.
Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, who made the announcement at a high-level stakeholders’ meeting at the State House, Abuja, described the initiative as a “monumental” fiscal reform that will streamline trade procedures, close efficiency gaps, and sharpen Nigeria’s competitive edge in maritime commerce.
The meeting, attended by ministers, agency heads, and key government officials, was convened to review progress made so far and secure firm commitments from all agencies ahead of the go-live date.
“We are about to launch yet another reform, fiscal reform by this administration, which in its nature will be very transformational,” Gbajabiamila said, adding that the NSW replaces the current fragmented system of multiple single windows with one unified national platform.
“We are about to launch yet another reform, fiscal reform by this administration, which in its nature will be very transformational” Gbajabiamila
For Nigeria’s ports and maritime sector, the implications are significant. The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) — both central to cargo clearance operations — were among the agencies represented at the meeting and are key participants in the first phase of the rollout.
NSW Coordinator, Mr Tola Fakolade, told the gathering that the platform’s first phase will enable online processing of import permits, electronic submission of cargo manifests, and the deployment of a centralised risk management system. Critically for port operators and shipping agents, cargo manifests will be submitted electronically and automatically transmitted to all relevant agencies — eliminating the current burden of manual, duplicated documentation.
“Documents will be submitted once and shared with all relevant agencies without duplication,” Fakolade said, noting that nationwide user training is underway and pilot testing is imminent to ensure a seamless rollout.
He urged agencies to intensify their support in the remaining 23 days before launch, describing this final stretch as the most critical phase of implementation.
Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Finance Minister, Wale Edun, reaffirmed government backing, calling the NSW “a growth-enhancing and growth-enabling project.” Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, described it as a long-overdue pillar of the Renewed Hope Agenda and pledged to spend the next three weeks sensitizing traders, importers, and exporters on the new system.
Central Bank Governor Olayemi Cardoso pledged the bank’s full support, stressing the urgency of closing Nigeria’s trade facilitation gap with peer economies. Nigeria Revenue Service Chairman Zacch Adedeji called for stronger political will and coordination, while Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, described the NSW as a historic milestone and committed to direct stakeholder engagement to guarantee its success.
At the close of the meeting, Minister Oduwole was formally mandated to lead the 23-day implementation phase through to the March 27 launch.
Beyond NPA and NIMASA, other agencies represented at the meeting included the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NQS), and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA).
The NSW, first initiated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu nearly two years ago, is widely regarded in the maritime and trade community as one of the most consequential digital reforms to hit Nigeria’s ports in decades.
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