Tag Archives: Peterside

ECOWAS must eradicate piracy to enhance economic growth – Peterside.

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The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has charged member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to eradicate the scourge of piracy in the sub-region in order to grow the economy.

 

Meanwhile, the Governing Board of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has approved the building of new zonal offices and a multi level car park at its head office using a Design, Build and Finance (DBF) model under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) in its 2017 budget year.

 

The Director General, NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, at the delocalised meeting of the Joint Committee on Political Affairs, Peace and Security of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, said that the fight against piracy must be a collective responsibility of member states to be successful.

 

According to him, “The theme of this meeting, Maritime Security and the Fight Against Piracy: The Role of the ECOWAS Parliament in the Implementation of the Integrated Maritime Security Policy of ECOWAS could not have been more timely coming exactly one month after the signing of the Lome Charter on Maritime Security, Safety and Development in Africa by Heads of government in Africa under the auspices of the African Union”.

 

He observed that the adoption of the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy (EIMS) and the 2012 Yaoundé declaration of the Heads of States and Governments of Central and West African States on Maritime Safety and Security is a clear demonstration of the critical role of the ECOWAS parliament in ensuring safety and security of the sub region’s shipping and maritime transportation including the territorial waters and the seas.

 

The objectives of these two sub-regional instruments are in sync with the goals of the African Integrated Maritime Strategy (AIMS) 2050 which culminated into the signing of a Charter on Maritime security, safety and development in Africa on the 15th October, 2016.

While acknowledging that the ocean provides a unique opportunity to optimize the benefits of the blue economy and to provide special opportunities to tap into the benefits of nature, he urged the participants to engage in sensitizing member countries on a harmonized legal framework that will ensure safe, secure shipping and cleaner oceans in the ECOWAS sub-region.

 

“Our economies are unfortunately tied to the prospects of the ocean; the ocean is the medium for which most of our trade and transactions are conducted, the ocean also provides a unique opportunity for us to optimize the benefits of the blue economy and a special opportunity for us to tap into the benefits of nature,” Peterside observed.

 

However, the Board of NIMASA has given nod to the construction of new office complexes for the Central Zone in Warri, the Eastern Zone in Port Harcourt, Onne Port Office as well as a multi-level car park at the agency’s head office in Lagos.

 

The construction of new office complexes for the zones, according to a statement from its spokesperson, Hajia Lami Tumaka, is in line with the restructuring programme of the agency, which plans to devolve more powers to the operational offices to enhance efficiency, productivity and revenue generation.

 

Currently, the zonal offices are challenged by inadequate office accommodation while there is an urgent need to construct a multi level car park at the agency’s head office in Apapa to ease the parking challenges of staff.

 

Under the DBF model, Tumaka said the Agency will only provide the land for the development, monitor the development to ensure conformity with quality and pay off the cost of construction in three to four years with a markup of six to 12 per cent as cost of fund while the developer will provide funding for the entire project, bear the stress of construction and deliver the project within a maximum period of 12 months.

Don’t Link me With Printing of Fake INEC Result Sheets – Peterside tells Wike

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Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State in the 2015 general election, Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside, has warned Governor Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike, against linking him with the alleged printing of fake result sheets of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

This is as he described as kidnap, the arrest of his cousin, Atonyesia Dimieari Peterside, who was arrested and taken to Government House, Port Harcourt, for allegedly printing fake INEC result sheets.

Peterside, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt yesterday, berated Wike and the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Chief Felix Obuah, for a ‘shameful and irresponsible’ attempt to rope him and other APC leaders into alleged printing of fake INEC result sheets.

The APC governorship hopeful said, “Let us assume without conceding that some people were printing fake INEC documents, is it the responsibility of Wike and Obuah to interrogate them in Government House? Why didn’t they call the Commissioner of Police? What are they afraid of, what were they hiding?

“Why is Wike so desperate to cause chaos and apprehension before the rerun election scheduled for December 10 by framing up leaders of APC in the state? Why is Wike always crying and shouting before every election?

“I have a track record of integrity, civility, law abiding and stickler for rule of law. I have zero tolerance for malfeasance and irresponsible behaviour. All the efforts made to tarnish my reputation will be fruitless because Rivers people and Nigerians know me as a man of honour.”

Reps Grill Peterside Over NIMASA’s $5bn Debt Recovery Contract

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The House of Representatives Committee on Marine Safety on Tuesday grilled the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Mr. Dakuku Peterside, over a controversial contract to recover NIMASA’s alleged $5bn debt.
A firm, SNECO Financial Services, which was incorporated on April 4, 2016, was awarded the contract.
The House committee, which is chaired by Mr. Umar Bago, is in possession of petitions, alleging the breach of due process and fraud in the award of the contract.
One of the petitions clearly stated that under the terms of the contract, SNECO would take 13 per cent of the recovered debts, a figure the committee queried for being “huge.”
Lawmakers observed that this would be about $65million profit for the firm.
Bago said, “We have the petitions here. The petitioners consider this a waste of public funds.
“Why will NIMASA engage another firm to perform its functions? Why do we have staff in NIMASA? What is their work?”
Another member of the committee, who is the Chairman, House Committee on Power, Mr. Dan Asuquo, directed Peterside to produce the audited account of the firm.
“What is the pedigree of SNECO?
“Where is their audited account? We want to know their owners,” he added.
But, Peterside, a former member of the House, told the session that NIMASA complied with all due process requirements in awarding the contract.
He explained how the Bureau of Public Procurement awarded a certificate of no objection on the contract.
However, Peterside, denied that he ever mentioned that NIMASA’s debt was $5bn or $10bn as had been quoted by some persons.
According to him, the agency’s debts from 2004 to 2016 was $420.55m.
He wondered how the petitioners arrived at the $5bn that was quoted.
He spoke more, “I never said that NIMASA was owed $5bn. The entire volume of shipping trade in Nigeria in the last four years is nothing close to $10bn.
“We complied with every provision of the Public Procurement Act.”
But, lawmakers were not satisfied with his explanations and insisted on holding a full investigative hearing on the controversial contract.
“DG, there will be an investigative hearing. So, you can speak on those questions that you have answers to give now.
“On those questions that you are not ready to answer, please prepare fully and come during the investigative hearing,” he said.

NIMASA to continue to sponsor indigenous maritime capacity – Peterside

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The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency will continue to encourage and sponsor the development of indigenous maritime capacity, regulate maritime safety and maritime security for both domestic and ocean shipping.

The Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, said this in a message to the 5th Annual Conference of the Marine Engineering and Naval Architecture Division, held in Lagos.

The theme of the conference is: “Accelerating the Growth of Nigeria’s Non-Oil Sector In a Period of Economic Challenges – The Maritime Perspectives.”

Peterside, who was represented by the Head, Emergency Service of NIMASA, Hakeem Oderinde, said the topic was indeed well thought out at this time when the country was facing economic challenges.

He said it also became imperative as engineers responsible for the design, construction and repair of marine vessels and offshore structures.

Peterside said that the marine engineers’ experiences were crucial to the emergence of novel ideas that would enhance the development of the Nigerian maritime industry.

Peterside said: “As you are all aware, our nation in recent past had witnessed a remarkable rise in maritime activities due to higher volume of trading and increased oil and gas production.

“However, this is not the case today with the slump in oil prices. This makes it critical for us to continue to strive toward enhancing the technical expertise in our maritime Sector in order to maximise our gains.

“The Nigerian Society of Engineers is doing the needful by creating this veritable platform for maritime experts and related professionals to collectively initiate ideas toward enhancing the growth of Nigeria’s non-oil sector.”

Peterside said there was no need to restate the challenges of developing Nigeria’s maritime industry adding that ample investment opportunities remained untapped in the maritime sector.

He said: “The history of the Nigerian maritime sector is replete with the exploits of the Nigerian National Shipping Line but essentially incomplete without special mention of the roles of marine engineers.

“The marine engineers who managed the companies’ vessels all over the world, you have continued to play active roles in shaping the sector as crew on board ships.

“Also as entrepreneurs who have ventured from the troubled waters to the calm but yet challenging seats of executive management.

“We sincerely appreciate your contributions and implore you to sustain the efforts toward developing the Nigerian maritime industry.”

Peterside said that Nigeria had not fully harnessed its potential in the maritime industry due to inadequate technical expertise in maritime-related technology and administration; making the conference most welcome.

Peterside also said: “There is no doubt in my mind that there is a general consensus among the captains of industry here present that we need to do more for the maritime industry in Nigeria.”

He, however, said that the co-operation and synergy being pursued among maritime-related bodies would enable the maritime industry to be more progressive.

In his opening remarks, the Chairman of MENA, Charles Otuonye, said that there was the need to map out a 16-year Nigeria Maritime Development plan, which would formulate sustainable development of maritime policies.

Atuonye said that the 16-year plan would also feed many Nigerians by minimising the rate of unemployment in the 21st century.

He said that Nigeria was blessed with territorial sea with Exclusive Economic Zone of several nautical miles as well as a vast area of Inland coastal and international waters as well as vast agricultural area of land and hinterlands.

The Chairman of MENA said that diversification was not only on agriculture, adding that the maritime industry was huge and more economical; nearer or bigger than the agricultural sector.

Otuonye said: “About 80 per cent of crude oil in Nigeria is drilled from the maritime environment and apart from oil, there are several other minerals which can be exploited.

“The sea is the greatest mother of life. This is the right time for Nigerians to have a re-think and strategise on a robust and sustainable way of diversifying our economy in the direction of maritime industry.

“The maritime industry will avert further drift toward economic depression because depression is a deep and long-lasting recession.”

He urged Nigerian marine engineers to train and invest more in ship building, repair, propulsion, ship scrapping, management, re-cycling, research, administration and other ship operations.

Otuonye said that countries like Japan, South Korea, Singapore and China were experts in ship manufacturing, which had created millions of job opportunities for the youth and the teeming populations.

In his paper presentation, Basil Ajala, said that there was need for creation of

more shipyards to enable Nigerians to build bigger vessels like India and other countries.

Ajala said that ALANG is the biggest shipyard in the world and situated in India, adding that the costs of living and regulation interference affected many nations for not being among ship building countries.

Defamation: Ex Rivers Governor, Peter Odili Sues Peterside, Claims N6bn Damages

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THE former governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili, has dragged the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the 2015 election, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, to court for an alleged defamation of character.

Odili, who is claiming the sum of N6bn as damages in the suit, had stated that Peterside, who is the current Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, had defamed him through a newspaper publication (not The PUNCH) in February 2016.

The defendant was alleged to have said in a press conference that the State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, during a victory thanksgiving service, alleged that Odili helped him (Wike) to secure the judgement that gave him (Wike) victory.

But Odili had described the statement credited to Peterside as false and malicious, maintaining that Wike never said that he (Odili) helped him to secure election victory at the Supreme Court.

However, when the matter came up for hearing on Tuesday, Odili was asked to enter the witness box to adopt his witness statement.

Though the defendant and his counsel were absent in court, the Lead Counsel for the plaintiff, Kanu Agabi (SAN), told the trial judge, Justice Adama Iyayi-Lamikanra, that Peterside was properly served.

Iyayi-Lamikanra, however, adjourned till October 27, 2016, for further hearing of the case.

Speaking with newsmen shortly after court proceedings, Agabi said, “We sued for libel and we called our first witness. We have adjourned for cross-examination till the 27th of October, 2016.

“We felt defamed by their (defendant) publication and we are here to vindicate ourselves.

“You could see that the defendants were not in court, but they have been served; they have been properly served. The court would not have proceeded otherwise.”

Forget About Re-run, Wike Tells Peterside

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Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has told the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the 2015 governorship election, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, not to delude himself on the possibility of a rerun of the poll in the state.

Wike, who said Peterside embarked on an illegal campaign on Saturday, explained that the APC leader’s action could heat up the polity.

The governor, who spoke on Tuesday through his Media Assistant, Mr. Simeon Nwakaudu, disclosed that his lawyers were concluding the appeal process to challenge the ruling of the Justice Suleiman Ambrosa-led Rivers State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.

He noted that the ruling, which was premised on card reader accreditation and hearsay testimonies, had already been expunged from the tribunal’s records by the Court of Appeal.

Credit: Punch

Tribunal Declines To Dismiss APC’s Petition Against Wike

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The Rivers State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja, has declined to dismiss the petition seeking to sack Governor Nyesom Wike from office. ?In a ruling this afternoon, the Justice Muazu Pindiga-led tribunal held that the All Progressives Congress, APC, and its governorship candidate in the state, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, properly convoked a pre-hearing session on their case against Wike.

Wike and Peterside

The tribunal said it was not persuaded by contention of both the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and Wike that the failure of the petitioners to pay a mandatory ?N100 fee for the convocation of the pre-hearing session, rendered their substantive petition liable for dismissal.

INEC had through its lawyer Mr. K.O.C. Njemanze, SAN, sought the dismissal of the petition as having been abandoned in consequence of non compliance with the provision of paragraph 18(1) of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act.

INEC’s motion dated July 27, was filed pursuant to section ?6(6) (a) of the 1999 constitution, as amended, and paragraphs 18(1) (3) and (47) of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act.

The electoral body insisted that there was no evidence that the petitioners paid the necessary fees before they applied to the Secretary of the tribunal to issue them Form TF007, which will okay pre-hearing on the petition.

Similarly, Wike, through his lawyer Mr. Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, relied on the case of Ihedioha vs Okorocha and argued that the failure of the petitioners to properly apply for the pre-hearing session rendered the case before the tribunal liable to be dismissed.

Wike noted that the Imo State Governorship Elections Petition Tribunal had in a ruling it delivered on July 22, held that the failure of Ihedioha to pay the N100 filing fee in respect of an application for pre-hearing was fatal to his petition against Okorocha. The PDP which is the 3rd Respondent in the matter also aligned with INEC and Wike in asking the tribunal to dismiss the petition.

However, in its ruling, the tribunal upheld the argument of counsel to the petitioners, Chief Akinlolu Olujunmi, SAN, ?who had urged the panel not to allow the Respondents to rely on technicalities to defeat the essence of justice in the electoral dispute.

Besides, the panel stressed that the letter the petitioners served on the Secretary to the tribunal on June 23, which requested for the issuance of Form TF007, did not qualify as a filed document as envisaged by paragraph 37 of the Electoral Act.

“It is clear that there is no imposition of any fee for the kick-starting ?of a pre-hearing session and the application for issuance of pre-hearing form does not involve any filing fee.  “Form TF007 and TF008 are not documents filed as envisaged by paragraph 37 of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act.

“If a pre-hearing session has began as in the instant case, the way it was kick-started? is no longer of any moment whatsoever. We hold that there was no defect in the pre-hearing kick-started by the petitioners. The applications by the Respondents are hereby discountenanced and dismissed”, the tribunal ruled.

?Meantime, the tribunal is currently entertaining arguments from all the parties on the propriety or otherwise of allowing the petitioners to inspect all the materials that were used for the April 11governorship election in Rivers State, considering that the issue is already pending before the Appeal Court.

Police Sprays Teargas At Peterside, Others At INEC Office

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Security operatives yesterday tear-gassed Rivers State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the April 11 election, Dakuku Peterside, and Senator Magnus Abe at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja.

Peterside and Abe led a team of 48 candidates who contested in various elections in the state and reporters to submit a protest letter to INEC’s Acting Chairman, Hajia Amina Zakari, against the state Resident Electoral Commission (REC) for allegedly refusing to give them certified true copies (CTC) of the materials used in the elections.

The APC candidates, who arrived at the INEC headquarters at 11:15am, were prevented from getting close to the gate by a combined team of mobile police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

The security agencies insisted that the team would not be allowed to go beyond the barricaded areas since it had no prior information of the visit.

Read More: thenationonlineng

Peterside Cancels Rivers Rally Amid Okrika Attack

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APC governorship candidate in Rivers State, Dr Dakuku Peterside, has called off his planned campaign tour of Ogu/Bolo local government area in honour of the victims of the violence in Okrika on Tuesday.

Heavily-armed gunmen believed to have been led by Evans Bipi, a Personal Assistant to First lady. Patience Jonathan, are blamed for the death of two people including a police officer. Peterside’s rally scheduled for Wednesday has since been postponed.

“The decision to call-off the Ogu/Bolo campaign by Dr. Dakuku Peterside, the APC Governorship candidate, was in honour of those killed by the gunmen who attacked the APC campaign on Tuesday in Okrika. Peterside is grieved over the losses and has sympathised with the families of those killed while wishing the injured quick recovery,” Ibim Semenitari, Director of Communications, Greater Together Campaign Organisation, said.

The statement further explained that Peterside and the APC stood firmly by the non-violence Peace Accord signed by political parties in Rivers State, brokered by the Embassy of the United States of America. “Despite this deliberate, well-co-ordinated attack on the APC governorship candidate and APC supporters, the candidate and party stand firm to the spirit and letter of the Non-violence Peace Accord brokered by the American Embassy in Nigeria.”

Credit: CAJ News