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SSASGOC Honours Adeyanju, Akingboye for Outstanding Leadership in Maritime Sector
The Senior Staff Association of Statutory Government-Owned Companies (SSASGOC) has honored the President General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, in recognition of his exemplary leadership and contributions to the maritime industry over the past eight years.
The award ceremony, held at the MWUN headquarters in Lagos on Thursday, saw Comrade Akinola Bodunde, SSASGOC Maritime President, lead a delegation of senior officials from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to pay tribute to Adeyanju’s transformational leadership. Speaking at the event, Bodunde described Adeyanju as a leader whose tenure has been defined by industrial harmony, improved worker relations, and an unwavering commitment to maritime employees’ welfare.
Bodunde emphasized that Adeyanju’s leadership had played a crucial role in fostering a strong relationship between workers and management, preventing industrial crises that could have disrupted port operations. He highlighted that the collaboration between SSASGOC and MWUN in honoring a union leader was unprecedented, demonstrating the lasting impact of Adeyanju’s leadership.
“This is the first time an event of this nature is taking place between SSASGOC and MWUN, and it is happening because of the legacy of industrial harmony, dialogue, and enhanced productivity created by Comrade Adeyanju,” Bodunde remarked. He urged future union executives to emulate Adeyanju’s dedication, emphasizing that his leadership would serve as a benchmark for years to come.
In addition to Adeyanju, Comrade Felix Akingboye, the immediate past Secretary General of MWUN, was also recognized for his exceptional service and contributions to the union’s success. His tenure was marked by significant advancements in worker engagement and policy implementation, strengthening the union’s operational framework.
While presenting the award, Bodunde acknowledged Akingboye’s vital role in ensuring smooth labor relations within the maritime sector. He praised Akingboye for his steadfast commitment to workers’ rights and his efforts in promoting dialogue between labor and management.
In his acceptance speech, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju expressed deep gratitude for the recognition, stating that the honor was not just a personal achievement but a testament to the collective effort of the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria. He reflected on his tenure, highlighting both the challenges and triumphs in advancing the welfare of maritime workers.
“This celebration is not about me; it is about the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria. The work we have done together has laid a strong foundation, and I am grateful for the cooperation and support we have received,” Adeyanju stated. He called on future leaders to continue prioritizing workers’ welfare and industrial peace, stressing that the maritime sector thrives on mutual respect and collaboration among stakeholders.
The event was attended by key maritime stakeholders, including Port Managers from Tin Can and Apapa Ports, as well as the newly appointed NPA Assistant General Manager, Industrial Relations. The dignitaries commended Adeyanju for his visionary leadership and the transformation the union had achieved under his tenure.
Stakeholders praised his ability to mediate disputes, foster a productive working environment, and promote policies that benefit workers and the maritime industry. They emphasized that Adeyanju’s leadership had not only strengthened the union but also contributed to a more stable and efficient maritime sector.
As the event concluded, speakers reaffirmed their commitment to sustaining industrial harmony in the sector and urged upcoming leaders to build on the foundation laid by Adeyanju and Akingboye. The occasion served as both a celebration of past achievements and a call to action for the next generation of maritime leaders to uphold the principles of unity, fairness, and workers’ welfare.
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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