The declining fortune of quoted companies continued Tuesday, as the value of listed equities on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) plunged further by N163.38 billion.

By Festus Ahon UGHELLI—Delta State Government has charged traditional rulers across the country to give priority attention to matters of security in their domains.

Despite payment of N226 million duty on its N800 million worth of iron rod consignment by B/ Bird Capital with loan facility, the goods are still trapped at the Josephdon terminal in Tin-Can Island port for over four weeks after obtaining all relevant clearing documents.

OIUSA observed that one of the causes of the Niger Delta crisis and youth unrest is lack of employment opportunities for young people in the region. It pointed out that “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” Therefore, the group urged the government to provide employment opportunities for the youths of the oil-rich region.

A maritime expert and former Inspector of Ships of the federation, Engr. Soji Akinsoji, has called on the management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to include specification for ships operating in the nation’s inland waterways as a means of ensuring effective management and control of waste generated in the area.

Bonded terminals operators in the country have blamed terminal operators, popularly called “concessionaires” for non patronage of their off-dock warehouses.

Regretting that Obong Isemin departed too soon, the governor enjoined members of the family to keep his memory alive by continuing to promote and exemplify the things Obong Isemin lived for, noting that “though he is no longer with us, he is still alive spiritually.”

According to the forum, the genuine protagonists of the struggle for economic freedom and resource control and management were only constrained to express their dissatisfaction with the Nigerian state through the employ of unorthodox means.

A group under the aegis of National Council of Managing Director of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA) has faulted calls by operators for agencies in the maritime industry to transform into a commercial regulatory body, stressing that this is the need for an independent outfit for efficient control of the sector.

Chairman of Rivers State Civil Service Commission, Chief A.E. Egobueze, disclosed at the celebration of the 2009 civil servants week in Port Harcourt , that promotion for staff, though a privilege, would be availed for “hard working and conscientious workers”.