The Federal Government has warned stakeholders in the maritime sector against harassment and bullying of workers.
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola, gave the warning during the 2025 Seafarers Day celebration held in Port Harcourt on Thursday.
This year’s celebration had the theme: “My Harassment-Free Ship.”
Oyetola emphasised the need to promote a respectful and professional work environment in the maritime industry, noting that harassment and bullying pose serious risks to individual well-being and the sector’s reputation.
According to him, the government reaffirms its commitment to enforcing policies that protect the rights, welfare, and safety of seafarers across the country.
“The Federal Government is committed to enhancing the seafaring profession. Harassment and bullying have no place in our maritime industry,” he said.
The minister highlighted the government’s prioritisation of quality training for seafarers by upgrading maritime institutions, expanding capacity-building initiatives, and aligning maritime education with international benchmarks.
He also assured that Nigeria remained dedicated to full compliance with the STCW Convention, including recent amendments mandating anti-harassment training aboard ships.
“These are vital steps to ensure Nigerian seafarers remain competitive and globally employable,” Oyetola added.
He noted the government’s investment in the seafarers, including stricter regulation of recruitment and placement agencies and enhanced access to decent working conditions.
The ministry, he said, was actively engaging with shipowners nationwide to guarantee fair treatment and onboard safety for seafarers.
“In addition, we are developing digital platforms to connect seafarers with global support networks and employment opportunities, while advocating for better working conditions through bilateral maritime agreements.
“The ministry is also supporting increased Nigerian participation in international shipping to broaden sea-time opportunities for cadets and maritime professionals,” he added.
Oyetola noted the recent Collective Bargaining Agreement brokered by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) alongside industry unions and employers, which sets new standards for fair wages and working conditions.
He commended NIMASA for championing Nigeria’s visibility in the global shipping arena and for ensuring the protection and recognition of Nigerian seafarers.
Earlier, Dr Dayo Mobereola, Director General of NIMASA, acknowledged the vital contributions of seafarers to both domestic and international trade, the growth of the blue economy, and the global shipping network.
He emphasised that this year’s celebration aimed to ensure seafarers felt safe, valued, and protected, noting that the ship both served as seafarers’ workplace and temporary home.
“The ship must exemplify the highest standards of dignity and professionalism with zero tolerance for harassment,” he remarked.
Mobereola noted that Nigeria contributed the largest number of seafarers in Africa, with thousands of Nigerians manning vessels on both domestic and international waters.
He expressed confidence in continued growth through the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme and other maritime training institutions across the country.
Reflecting on developments at the recent International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, the minister recalled the adoption of seven amendments addressing issues affecting seafarers under the Maritime Labour Convention 2006.
These amendments included the recognition of seafarers as key workers, improved protection against shipboard violence and harassment, enhanced access to shore leave and repatriation, and updated medical and occupational safety standards.
“These amendments represent a collective global commitment to aligning maritime labour standards with the evolving realities of international shipping.
“We urge shipowners, operators, and crewing agencies to update their operational manuals accordingly in preparation for the amendments’ enforcement by December 2027,” he cautioned.
Mobereola also encouraged seafarers to report grievances without fear of retaliation, while stressing the importance of protecting against false accusations.
He affirmed NIMASA’s resolve to institute robust policies and mechanisms to prevent and address harassment aboard Nigerian-flagged vessels.
“We have established confidential reporting channels for harassment incidents, ensuring that all reports are thoroughly investigated and properly addressed,” he concluded. (NAN)
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Drama As Prosecution Tags EFCC’s Case Against Yahaya Bello As “Political Case”
Taiye Agbaje
There was a mild drama at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday, as Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), described the charge preferred against former Gov. Yahaya Bello as “a political case.”
Pinheiro stated this while arguments were being raised before Justice Emeka Nwite on whether the defence lawyer, Joseph Daudu, SAN, could cross-examine the 4th prosecution witness (PW-4) shortly after the conclusion of evidence-in-chief or wait till Friday.
While describing the importance of the case and the need to expedite proceedings, the anti-graft lawyer said it was the trial of a former governor of a state, hence, political.
However, Daudu responded that the matter was not political one but a trial on allegations bordering on money laundering.
Pinheiro insisted it was political, emphasising that he was not prosecuting a bank official, but a political figure, “one who had even aspired to contest for presidency.”
“Political? If that is the case, then those handling political cases should prepare to take over the matter,” Justice Nwite said jokingly.
Earlier, the judge, in a ruling, rejected the application by the EFCC to “‘cross-examine” its own witness in the ongoing money laundering trial of ex-Gov. Bello.
Justice Nwite stated that there was no provision in law that permits the court to allow the prosecution to re-examine its witness in the manner proposed.
It would be recalled that the lawyer who appeared for the EFCC in the last adjourned date, Olukayode Enitan, SAN, had sought to “cross-examine” their 3rd prosecution witness (PW-3), Mr Nicholas Ojehomon, an Internal Auditor with American International School, Abuja (AISA).
The request was made after Daudu concluded his cross examination of Ojehomon.
Daudu had asked specific questions regarding the judgment of the FCT High Court which was admitted in evidence as Exhibit 19 by the judge during the cross-examination.
Shortly after the cross-examination, Justice Nwite had asked Enitan if he would re-examine the witness.
Enitan, however, informed the court that he planned to also cross-examine Ojehomon based on the Exhibit 19.
He told the court that he was not re-examining the PW-3, but cross-examining him on the document admitted in evidence during cross examination by the defence but the defence counsel opposed the request and the matter was adjourned for ruling.
Delivering the ruling, Justice Nwite agreed with Daudu’s argument that the prosecution can only be allowed to cross-examine its witness after it must have declared it’s own witness as “hostile witness.”
“The argument of the learned counsel to the prosecution is misconceived,” he said.
According to the judge, this honourable court is not shutting the prosecution from re-examining the witness, but must restrict itself to Pages 1, 14 and 15 of Exhibit 19.
“The prosecution is not allowed to re-examine the witness outside the pages prescribed,” he said.
Ojehomon had,, on May 9, said there was no wired transfer of fees from the Kogi State Government or any of the local governments’ account in the state to the account of the American school.
On cross-examination, he also read out part of a previous FCT High Court’s judgment that said there was no court order for AISA to return fees to EFCC or any judgment declaring the money as proceeds of money laundering.
After the ruling, Pinheiro called the 4th prosecution witness (PW-4), Mshelia Arhyel Bata, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank.
The witness, while being led in evidence by Pinheiro, confirmed that certificates of identification were attached to the statements of account provided by the bank in the seven set of documents presented, as requested.
The court, thereafter, admitted the statements of account of Kogi State Government House Administration, and six others, as exhibits.
The witness, who was on subpoena, explained to the court on the withdrawal limits allowed for individuals, corporate organisations and government.
He said that before the cashless policy, it was pegged at N10 million for government.
The prosecution then took him to the May 23, 2016 on the printed documents, and pointed at a transaction under the name, Abdulsalami Hudu.
When the witness was asked to explain the transaction, he said, “It is a cash withdrawal of N10 million in accordance with the then maximum threshold allowed for cheque withdrawal per transaction.”
He, however, said he had nine cash transactions on the same date.
The witness was then told to go to the credit transactions of January 30, 2018, and he confirmed that there were 10 separate credits of various sums, totalling about N1.092 billion.
When asked to mention the total amount of withdrawals, the defendant’s counsel cut in, saying, “He (Pinheiro, SAN), knows that they are for security votes.”
The witness aggregated the total amount of withdrawals to N1.968 billion, saying they were on different dates.
He also read out the inflow and outflow between May 2, 2018 and May 19, 2018.
After the examination by the prosecution, the judge adjourned the matter until June 27 for cross-examination. (NAN)
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Separate Us Before My Wife Kills Me, Man Begs Court
A trader, Adesina Adeagbo, has pleaded with the Mapo Grade ‘A’ Customary Court, Ibadan, to end his 23-year-old marriage to prevent his wife from eventually killing him.
Adeagbo, a resident of Idi-Osan, Akanran area of Ibadan, told the court on Thursday that his wife, Adeola, was too troublesome to be loved.
He said he had thought it over and concluded that the best thing to do to keep staying alive was to call it quits with his wife.
He also alleged that his wife had started instigating the children against him.
“Ever since Adeola and I started our lives as husband and wife in 2002, I have not known peace; it has been one day, one problem.
“Immediately we got married, I rented an apartment for her, but she fought with all her co-tenants.
“At the Olodo apartment, she fought the landlady, and she was sent packing.
“Similarly, at her apartment at Boluwaji area, she was given a quit notice for fighting the house owner and her co-tenants,” he said.
He added that when his wife relocated to another rented apartment in Muslim area, she and the children fought with other tenants, leading to their eviction.
“Furthermore, I got another house at Orita-Merin, where she exhibited the same character, until she was ordered to move out.
“I then moved Adeola and our three children into my house at Idiose, but her behaviour did not change,” he said.
He alleged that their first child attempted to break a bottle on his head on March 31, 2024, but that he escaped by God’s grace and through the help of his friends.
According to him, he has suffered several health challenges, including a partial stroke as a result of his wife’s frequent troublemaking.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), however, reports that Adeola did not refute any of the claims preferred against her by Adeagbo.
Subsequently, the court president, Mrs O.E. Owoseni, adjourned the suit to July 31 for further hearing. (NAN)
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Africa Loses $7bn Annually On Medical Tourism – Afreximbank
The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) says Nigeria and other African nations are losing billions of dollars annually to medical tourism.
Afreximbank’s Export Development Managing Director, Mrs Oluranti Doherty, made the assertion while speaking at the 32nd Afreximbank Annual Meetings (AAM2025) in Abuja on Thursday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meetings are holding from June 25 to June 28.
Doherty said the trend was hindering economic development and local healthcare infrastructure.
She identified the soaring costs of medical tourism as a major drain on African economies.
According to her, Nigeria alone loses an estimated $1.1 billion annually to medical tourism, while the entire African continent collectively forfeits approximately $7 billion yearly.
“We had our member countries losing a lot of foreign exchange to medical tourism.
“We just talked about Nigeria, where our medical tourism annually is about $1.1 billion.
“The entire continent is about $7 billion just because we can’t help ourselves when we come up with chronic diseases.
“ That’s money that’s going to other economies, building up their institutions,” she said.
She noted that the capital outflow diverts funds that could be invested in local healthcare.
Doherty added that the development contributes to a “brain drain” of skilled medical professionals from the continent.
“Another thing we noted was a great way we were losing a lot of our good talents.
“The best of talents in the health sector were going out of the continent, working in places such as India, Asia, Middle East, America, and that often was an issue,” she said.
Doherty said the bank launched its Health and Medical Tourism Programme in 2012 long before the broader recognition of healthcare’s connection to economic security in response to the challenge.
“Afreximbank was innovative. I call us the innovative financier, innovative investors
“We recognised this part since 2012 and we set about doing something about it.
“A key initiative borne from this foresight is the Africa Medical Center of Excellence (AMCE) in Abuja, a 170-bed facility boasting state-of-the-art equipment, including an 18 MeV cyclotron, a three-Tesla MRI, and a 20-bed ICU.
“Afreximbank has invested over $450 million to establish and scale up this project,” she said.
The official praised the leadership behind the AMCE, noting, “Afreximbank had to go where no one has gone before; Afreximbank’s leaders adhered to the dreamers.
“The AMCE aims to provide healthcare services comparable to global standards, not just African standards.
“I’m talking about global standard. I’m talking about Africans coming up with solutions to challenge,” she said.
She, however, stressed the need to build trust in local healthcare facilities and ensure access for all to stem medical tourism. (NAN)