1£1 BUSINESS
TIlE GUARDlAN.M~No\omlbeIIl,2012
Rice millers invest N300b in processing, backward integration plants. machln~ry and flqulpmem by RiMIOAN as at July this ~ ill NI50 billion. He;xkled th.oIt the mem~ CUnnltly IYw: Invesoncnt in b.1c1cward Int~r.Hlon In
excessoCNIOS billion.
He IlOlrd thatthe IrIW:5I1TlI!'nt showrd WI R1MlDAN h.H Ind~ ~merged a m.ljor stakeholderlnth~agrkultur-
.111 and by m~nslon. othus
Preliminary fi ndings dismiss
tcOflOmk li«ton, hellCt', iu raoI~ 10 pil~r with goy~mm~nu U YoIrious lnels, COrpor-ille of8.1lnlsallons and hxl.Mduab 10 ~Ibr: me oitical oblectiveof food suffidcncy In lhr:counuy. H~ ailed on th~ I'cdt:ral (;ooomnmeni not. 10 yIdd to
pressu~ to gram waMT on ria' Imporution to promotr 10Cill production. "Whl~ M suppon 8(M'mmc.'nt's df:d. sian to InCRase levy on Imponrd rict. we he~bY mtel1l~ thai ror a level pCilying field, On:!"!' should be no Wilm, whatsOrYrT. "The p.usion with which thb p~nt administration IJ ~lv1ng polldes and m~asu~ to ~ns~ that Nlg~ria auairu Lhe lit<Itus of self suIBdcncy In food production is
omycommendabl~-.
Spealdng on the Issu~ of smuggling. ()woeyI! said that Nigeria kl:se3; NJl bllUon yearIy 10 rkt smuggling Into the country thm.igh Illegal ~
slon or duties and WilStI5 sur. rem! by local irwmors in rice processing Ioally. He said the fOO.i~ arne as a ~ of iI cartTul monitoring and analysis of d~)opmm15 In the riCI! sector, which r~kd wof'SV1lng revenue g~n~r.lljon from Im~ned ricr: ~nd dtdlnlng pmonn. anc~ by local processing fimu. According to Owoeye. th~ group MTiYed at the figure based on the simple SUffirNlion thai )0, 000 mw1c tonnel of rice wen smuggled Intolhecounuy~month,
Indlating that the NlRMao govmunmt would be lOsIng 0Yft" Nt.7 billion worth of IN.
enue~ry month. He OO(rd: lhe truth is thai the unscrupulous persons ~hlnd this unwholesome business a~ not only un~ leming. but are daily inlensj. fvlng and refining dirlr aah4 116 thl'rcby undermining
g~m~nt's polld~ ~nd ~mmes directed ~t
ng rol food pnxIuc· lion. It b dlsheanening 10 ncn thai thesr ~nons mn· nM with some tiad clemenu In our 5«Urityservias 10 ~r·
pMuatetheirUik:itactS. "Whlbt the govr:.mm~nt 15 uyingtomcouragekxal produeticn of rIcr:, thmby CTedt· Ing mlpioymem.lllCOOlIe<lnd YoIr~ elwin, some other pm-
pie are mbblshlng tht'~ noblt dram by smuggling the product into country. We are apin ra Lsi ng the alarm that the ~eral G<MmlTlC.nt to SolR the N1gerioln rice sector bv Qui,. Ing the activities these! smugglers". "Our call 1:5 for the mkraI
me
or
Cow:mrnenttos~henits mKhanlsms for polidng t.I:!~
land borden espKlally. the Benin Dank, where JOOS( of these acts is being perprtRted.Countrie5 facid \\-1t.h this kind of chaJlengt' lust go aU oul 10 II'"ICTUSe l.md bOrders monitoring. so as to curb th~ .1CtivItiesof smugglm-
systemic error CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 of the crash, nt:J1 U hUINn errorwususpecltd The ~nl tum saki the .llrline has procured fireUOlddng system for .lUlLS alrCf'iIft to be Installed by a CaI1ildI.m company and bas hem training and rctRirung all members of lu staff on refresher rourses. oblalor .saki: "The cr.tSh waf a very shocking Incident forus.. "'" """" ""'Y that.... wu Mfcctrd In the .mlly oash. Of the IS) victims' gmil~ only 12S submitted back inf'ornV. tion for w processing of their Insurance wims. So f.u-. 90 Wnilles ~ ~ their JO ~rcent Interim p.1yment. The Insuraner: mmpanl~ .are still ~.i~::::' remaining 35 caUSC!
-go victims' gmllie:s rea:Md lnitW no,ooo, the mNining $70.000 Is when the £iunilieS
mndlKk the nKeSsary document.ltions. That and th~ mourning period may have Rpt some of the famJIles away <lnd It was what we could not control but th~ funds <lre rud:,t The 30 ~r cr:nt Is wrtt-
len 01T by Pmtlge blliUJilllCt' th~ 70 bY Uoyd's of london. Th~ funds om read)! so we .are waiting for the fami-
and
lies to come up.
·Fo~groUnd vittims, we have .several vtslu <lnd
~ mealngs with th~ l"amilMs 'Ne ~ alrgoriscd them ~nd ~ handed (M1" cheques to seven of the nine a~ed families to help them 5«Utt: ~ pI.acr: while Insurance works OU1. Weom fully tnsurtd up 10 third party llahlllty:H~ yid on piln of dfon:s to impllM: operational dlidency. thl' alrlinl' Inte.nds to acquitt: ~alrcraft forbusiness mncmu not for safety. -II is ;I business cLecisk)n. Wr att: rt'SUmlng operation withoul plan to i:h~ng~ our names. Sometime In 20U. "\I~ hope to ~:rlr~ <llrlines," Usid<lmen
On the callS(' of the air cr.L\h, Oblalor SOlid: -J'tdlmlnary InvmJg.ation shows there wu not syst~mk t'ITOr. We think lhere m.J)' be som~ IeYd of human enoc Wr don't know th~ reuon of thls cr.nh. Preliminary repon ru~su dual engine failure.. In~gation Is ongoing bul they flOrm.1l1y take time. II shoWs that there Willi no S)'5t~k: probkm: H~ ;Idded: -As for reguIadon and safay we are al p.1r with any <l.irtlne.11 is dlrnostlmposslbl~ 10 cut comm In JViadon. We ~r1! swting all over on <l ~ .airline and It is ~n of our bkllO restore public confi-
d,,,,,-
"We <lre rudy 10 operate but the dilte is In the hands of the NCM, .me:! our ma.n;lgflIX'nt will decide on dilte <lftei-thr ~ .the<l<i from NCAA. OUr aimatt arerudytoO~'
Intrigues, controversies trail proposed NigComSat bill CONTINUED mOM PAGE 15 bill becoming an /let. all and llabllrli~ of NICCOMS.\T will be Inheritrd by the n~ cOflX'ration. NlgConNl Chier ExrcutiYe Omc~r. TImaSOlnlyu AhmedRur~~ whlk rallying stakrhold~rs to suppon thle pa.ssag~ of [h~ bin, ~id II will make NlgComSat more profil<l,* by giving tt the ~ulOnomyto function without Interfermce. Ahmed-llufal .said If th~ bill Willi signed Imo laY( It will preYl"flt.such ovr:.r night blun(\ff, as con[3int'd, according 10 th~
;wets
him, In the Steve aro::~ report. whkh recom lhe saapplng of 1M agetq H~explaloed thai NigComSat was not compedng with any telecommunlauons or broadastlng~stnssing
that the agency Is an mabler. adding thai the satellite communiGIdon company should be seen as <In Infrol.strUcturc Ahmed-Rugl, who gJd the company pL1nned aU~lning Jtiobal COYer.l.ge of Its sat~llitr Tooqnfm In the next four ~ars, noted that -the bill will allow NigComsat to borrow
from the bank to launch mort for ~1Trct:iYe business activities nther lhan rdy on th~ <lnnual budge1. ;u Ihls fl'SIrio theDOtent to which the company can go. Whlk .stresSing the need for the bill Ahmed "RuW said the mntenl of th~ bill does not. grant NlgComSat ~ regulatory s I <l t U s 8utressing thls cl.1im, h~ quoted Section S{ldl. whkh stilted: -Acquiring ~1liI procurIng <lll pc:rwt!u, licenses and rights (whether or not c0pyright or other Intellectual gl~lIIt~
property related) nr:assary Of deslrabl~ to carry out the duties of the corporation from i1ny ~uthorlty or ag~ncy whether natloilal or intrlTloJtiona! and to dlsposor: of the same In <lny desired manner: President, Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria <lnd Ch.l1rtl\Ul o( til~ occasion, !..lnre Ajay!. noted that there was nef'd 10 guide the Smale, as cltiuJ1S, on the need for SiltellJt~ company 10 be able to nm busine:sses on Its own with less gO\.o'emm~nt
.......""''l'
Aj.Jyi noted thai satellite technolOgy Is a very destral* IrchflOlogy in Nigeria. H~r, he SOIk! this was t"IOl to say that other t~1 ta:hnologies om not wry relev,;mt bull.hey are compl~mmtary, -rbe ma}or advanragr: of satellit~ b lu ubKjuitousnen. In iI counuy IJk~ ours.. whell' we h.Jve many rural communities, s.11~llIte becomes an option. If we must progress, we cannot run iJway from ~Ioplng satdlil~ t«hnology and" ~mment must sup' pon Ihls.R
Cabotage fund hits N525 billion, NIMA5A to forward list of benefidaries
c._ ""'. . .
IIyT.., ......
'"T1iE Federal !
~nmem'5
lUnd
(CVIfJ ...."" "'" _ . . "
the Nigerian Maritime Mministr.llJon and Safety
and Skye Bank had compkttheir resp«tlw assignmenu on th~ review of thdr recommendations on th~
~
~ight-scrnned
Indig~nous
operalors for repre:5ellt"iJtion to his ministry for appl'OYill, before final dfsbursemenl of
ea ""CVFF. minlSl~r poinlM out :7~as~ th.ltTh~Indlgr.now partidpiltioll
"""'" (NlMASA)the """'" """,. 10- i:xward list. of the
the IUndlOlhe fUIer.tI Ministt)iof
"Dansplnilr6nala~
Tl"<lllSpon Mlmster, Idns Umar, made this d.iscJosure whm he made iJ r..dIll)' lOUr of th~ Nlg~rian Porn Authority (NI>A) Training SChool, Apilp;i. ugos al Ih~
..........
According to him, the: four selected primary lending Institutions- St~rling Bank, Addity B.lnk. OIamoild B.lnk
In key projectS In the mu· ltime scoor was one the key priorities of Presld~nt Coodluck Ebe.1~ lon<llhan adminisl.r.ltlon.
Umar saki that govr.mment was reil.lIy looking Into th~ funding chall~ll8e being faad by indlgenoWi shIpownm In the rn.uitirM
=. a-ude
_In " "'"
natiollill market. Meanwhilt, th~ minister Yll'IeI1kd the liI<ltr of facilities .111 the abandoned NPA Training School, nom on the country surr~red d~anh of skilla:! manpower!n th~ marItime scoor. Umar reSt<lted the detmnination of the administration 10 ~ the human apacity d~nclenclts In the mar· ltime scoor. adding that the <ldmlnlstratJon was commitled to compl~tlng YoInoWi olbandoned Protects thai 11[· tHr.d the counuy. The minisler saki thaI the NPA Training SChool, whkh k<ldhem thetr.llninJl:ground lOr many maritime lrldustry
air aport to the Inw- ~~&om~::U':,r of
the Federal Government to the various ahan-
condud~
~l~~s.11d
rut thr Federal Ministry ofTransport Wilnlt'd to look Into making th~ NPA Training School ~ry runctlon~1 und~r a publ1c pnvatr p;lItner5hip iJfTolIng~ menL
Similarly at th~ Badagry Sll~ of thr proposed Mirftlme i\c.Jdemy. Umar upressed his dispJeiJsure at the rullure of olb;indonment of Infrastfllctl1R, adding th.Jt all ministries, d~rtmenlS and agencies have been mandattd by the p~ldmt 10 rvalu~tr ~bandoned pro;«ts with a view to bringing life InlO thm>.
Umar also staled th<lt
because of th~ gavttnJllent'S desire 10 sre an fmprovement in marltlmt activilles. the Prfsidenl had ~ up <l rommiUte 10 look iOlO WolIys of further raising th~ bar In the maritlm~ sector and t/lilt the committee had submlttM iu
"i?~r SOlid thai with the upsurge In,actMties in the maritime sraor, c0upled with the COrTent shan· ag~ of seafarers In the coun~ tfierc was a need to pul in plac~ racllities thai would address th~ obYiou5 shonfaIl In human ~urces to complement what the Marillm~ Acad~my or Nig~riiJ, Oron, AkwiJ 100m Stair', was alrNdy doing. ~r:d