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APC PRIMARIES: AMBODE, SHETTIMA MEET OMISORE, AKINTOLA, OTHERS IN IBADAN
…Lagos Gov, A Study In Tolerance, Courage, Says Borno Gov
…Urges Aggrieved Aspirants To Exercise Patience
Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode and his counterpart in Borno State, Alhaji Kashim Shettima on Tuesday met with aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Southwest over outcome of the primaries of the party to elect candidates for the 2019 general elections.
The two governors, who are members of the National Peace and Reconciliation Committee set up by the APC to pacify aggrieved party members, specifically met with party bigwigs including former Deputy Governor of Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore; Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Adeniyi Akintola, among others.
Shettima, who chaired the meeting, held at the Government House in Oyo, Ibadan described Governor Ambode as the politician of the year for displaying uncommon courage and spirit after the party’s primaries in Lagos, saying that his display of sportsmanship would forever remain a reference point for others to learn and emulate.
He said, “Governor Ambode is my own politician of the year and the ultimate peacemaker. We are here essentially to build bridges of understanding, to reconcile with our aggrieved members and seeks ways to make appropriate recommendation to the NWC of the party for us to make progress as a family and to make amends where necessary.
“We have a lot to learn from Governor Ambode, he demonstrated courage, he demonstrated an unparalleled generosity of spirit that has never been shown by any Nigerian politician. Many people were spoiling for a fight. I believe that power is from God and believe me, the kind of respect that his actions have generated for him across the nation is much more than spending 18 years in power.”
Speaking to journalists shortly after the closed door meeting, Shettima said the Committee would forward its observations and solutions to the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party for appropriate action, while urging aggrieved aspirants to exercise patience as the party will do everything possible to address their grievances.
“We have finished our assignment here in Oyo, Ekiti and Osun States. We listened to our members and we have noted down their grievances and most importantly the solutions proffered and we are going to forward those observations and solutions to the National Working Committee of the party for appropriate action and we implore them to exercise patience, to show courage and to emulate my very good brother, Governor Ambode, who is a study in tolerance, accommodation and courage.
“But definitely, the NWC will take far reaching decisions to ensure that we have come on board to achieve our dream of winning the 2019 elections. Everyone is important in this movement and we are not going to underrate anyone,” the Borno Governor said.
Also speaking, Governor Ambode said though it may be tough to permanently heal the wound aggrieved aspirants might be nursing as a result of the fallout of the primaries, but that it was important for all to move on and truly unite for the party’s victory at all levels come 2019.
According to him, “There is no amount of wound that can manifest in your hearts as being present here that we can permanently heal. The most important is that we have created a platform for us to be able to start to bond our family – the APC family together.
“We were once one family but yes people who are seated here have one or two reasons to complain but we are peacemakers. What is important is that we must bond together and also carry that crusade of making our party to win the 2019 elections.”
He said when there is life, there is hope, and as such the aggrieved aspirants should understand that there could be better opportunities waiting for them at the end of the day.
“The elections coming next year will not mark the end of our party and so obviously there will be other things that can come out more fruitful than the competitions that you had actually envisaged that you are going to be the winners.
“It is in that spirit that I would just like you to imbibe whatever it is that you can emulate from my own way of responding to the situation at hand. When there is life, there is hope and there are greater opportunities ahead and it is in that same spirit that we have come here,” Governor Ambode said.
On her part, Senator Sa’ida Sa’ad Bugaje, also a member of the Committee said Governor Ambode’s actions after the primaries had resonated beyond the State and had become a learning curve in leadership and sportsmanship for future leaders.
“I was at a youth forum recently where young people were dissecting Governor Ambode’s leadership story as a perfect example. They said they had never seen such in the history of Nigeria since 1999. They said they look up to Governor Ambode as a role model in terms of peace and good leadership,” she said.
Other members of the Committee include the former deputy governor of Ekiti State, Professor Modupe Adelabu and the D-G of NIMASA, Dr Dakuku Peterside.
At least 23 people were killed in a series of suspected suicide bombings, police in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri said on Tuesday.
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More than 100 other people were injured in the blasts that took place on Monday evening in the capital of Nigeria’s restive Borno state.
No group has claimed responsibility for the suspected attacks.
The deadly blasts come after a military post was attacked overnight Sunday to Monday, which authorities blamed on suspected Islamist militants.
This sad incident is coming barely two weeks after Primate Elijah Ayodele, the Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church specifically warned against attacks in some states. He mentioned these states while calling on security operatives to pay close attention to them.
These were his words:
“Another attack is coming up in these following states where the military must watch carefully and intelligently; Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kebbi, Niger, Borno, Kwara and Kogi state. They want to do a deadly attack, it’s preventable but it depends on how they will handle it. I have told you about the danger coming up.”
@primateayodele
Unfortunately, some of our military agencies don’t believe spiritual intelligence can save the country from so much danger hence, their neglect of this prophetic warning but now, it has been fulfilled with the miliary losing credibility by the day while Primate Ayodele continues to gain momentum.
Likewise, At least 26 passengers and crew sustained varying degrees of injuries on Monday following an accident involving the Kaduna–Abuja train, according to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
Opeifa explained that the train departed Rigasa in Kaduna at 7:15 a.m. and was approaching Asham station around 9:16 a.m. when a loud bang was heard after the power car and trailing locomotive collided with one of the passenger coaches.
In July 2025, Primate Ayodele asked nigerians to pray not to see train mishap on the Kaduna-Abuja route.
@primateayodele #nigeriantiktok🇳🇬 #fulfillment #train #abuja #primateayodele
“Let’s pray not to see train mishap in Abuja-Kaduna, Kaduna-Abuja route.”
This has also been fulfilled.
The project ends decades search for investors, boosts Nigeria’s blue economy
By Prince Adeyemi Shonibare
Nigeria’s maritime sector is set for a major transformation following a landmark agreement involving the world’s largest container shipping company, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), which has secured a 45-year concession to build, manage and operate a modern container terminal at Snake Island Port in Lagos.
The project, to be developed in partnership with Nigerdock, marks one of the most significant private sector investments in Nigeria’s port infrastructure in recent decades and is expected to strengthen the country’s role as a major maritime gateway in West and Central Africa.
For Nigeria, the agreement brings to close decades of efforts to attract large-scale investors to develop Snake Island Port, a strategically located maritime asset in Lagos.
Long-standing concession history
Snake Island’s maritime facilities date back several decades. In 1992, the Federal Government granted a 99-year concession for the island’s port and industrial facilities to Nigerdock, a major maritime engineering and logistics company.
Nigerdock was later privatised and is currently operated by the Jagal Group owned by Nigerian industrialist Maher Jarmakani.
Over the years, the Island Container Terminal fell into disrepair, requiring major rehabilitation and modernization to meet modern global shipping standards.
The new partnership with MSC is expected to transform the port into a state-of-the-art container handling facility capable of attracting larger vessels and increasing Nigeria’s cargo throughput capacity.
Buhari administration approved the project.
The investment framework for the Snake Island development was approved in May 2023 by the Federal Executive Council under then President Muhammadu Buhari.
The approval authorised total private investment of approximately $974.1 million for the project under a Public-Private Partnership structure, including the 45-year concession period.
At the same time, the Federal Government also approved two other major maritime infrastructure projects:
• Development of the Ondo Multipurpose Port in Ilaje, Ondo State, with $1.48 billion in private investment and a 50-year concession.
• Expansion and development of the Burutu Sea Port in Delta State, involving $1.2 billion in private investment and a 40-year concession.
These projects form part of Nigeria’s broader effort to develop its blue economy and expand maritime trade capacity.
Construction partners
Engineering and construction of the Snake Island container terminal will be handled by:
• ITB Nigeria Limited
• DEME Group
ITB Nigeria Limited is part of the Chagoury Group and owned by the Chagoury family, while DEME Group is a globally recognised Belgian marine engineering and dredging company with extensive experience in port construction.
MSC profile
Founded in 1970 by Italian shipping entrepreneur Gianluigi Aponte and his wife Rafaela Aponte-Diamant, MSC has grown from a single cargo vessel into the largest container shipping company in the world.
Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the company operates in more than 155 countries and serves over 500 ports worldwide, with a fleet of roughly 900 container ships and over 200,000 employees globally.
The MSC Group also operates major logistics and maritime businesses including inland logistics through Medlog, cruise tourism through MSC Cruises, and port terminal operations across several continents.
According to Forbes, the estimated net worth of MSC founder Gianluigi Aponte is about $43.9 billion as of February 2026, placing him among the world’s richest shipping magnates. The company remains privately owned by the Aponte family, with both founders holding equal ownership stakes.
Management comments
Speaking on the development, MSC Group President Diego Aponte said the company is committed to strengthening its operations in Nigeria and across Africa.
“We are proud to expand our presence in Nigeria through this important infrastructure project. The Snake Island terminal will enhance service delivery and improve port efficiency for our customers and partners in the region,”
Chief Executive Officer of Nigerdock, Maher Jarmakani, described the agreement as a major milestone for the Nigerian maritime sector.
“We are delighted to partner with MSC in developing a world-class container terminal that will enhance Nigeria’s logistics capabilities and support economic growth,” he said.
Economic impact
Industry analysts say the project could significantly strengthen Nigeria’s maritime economy by expanding cargo handling capacity, reducing congestion at Lagos ports and attracting additional international shipping traffic.
The development is also expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs across maritime operations, logistics, transport services and port-related commercial activities.
Infrastructure expansion
Beyond the port development, plans are also underway for Nigeria’s first underwater tunnel, linking Ahmadu Bello Way in Victoria Island through Snake Island and connecting the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway with the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway corridor through Badagry.
The tunnel project is expected to significantly improve freight movement and road connectivity between Lagos ports and national transport networks.
Strategic milestone
With the entry of MSC into the Snake Island development, industry observers say Nigeria is taking a significant step toward modernizing its maritime infrastructure and positioning itself as a regional hub for global shipping and trade.
For a project that has waited for decades for major international investors, the Snake Island concession represents a turning point in Nigeria’s port development strategy and a strong signal of global confidence in the country’s maritime future.
By Prince Adeyemi Shonibare
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