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FCTA To Partner With NEPC On Export Promotion

Published

5 years ago

September 25, 2020

Joel Ajayi

The Federal Capital Territory Administration will partner with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) towards the realization of all export promotion businesses and also host the forthcoming Technical Meeting of the National Committee on Export Promotion

This assurance was given by the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello when a delegation from the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, (NEPC) led by its Executive Director/CEO, Mr. Olusegun Awolowo paid a courtesy visit to the FCTA.

Malam Bello called on NEPC to use the FCT as a place to implement all the Committee’s suggestions on export promotion and urged him to leverage on his in-depth knowledge of the FCTA to achieve this objective.

He urged the NEPC boss to take advantage of the potentials of the Abuja airport as a major export hub as well as the Abuja train corridor for the movement of goods.

Mr. Olusegun Awolowo who served in the FCTA as the Secretary for Social Development, Area Council, and Transportation under three Ministers, briefed Malam Bello that the Committee on Export Promotion was established by the National Economic Council to implement the Zero Oil Campaign, a document envisioned in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan as part of the economic diversification agenda of the Federal Government.

He also reiterated the expediency of diversifying sources of the country’s foreign reserve to insulate the economy from incessant economic shocks arising from the volatility of crude oil prices and other global geo-political and socio-political dynamics.

He explained further that this is premised on the potential of every state including the FCT in realizing an export-led economic revolution to earn foreign exchange and generate employment.

The NEPC boss added that the Technical Committee Meeting would enable all state governments and the FCT to present their export programmes and activities and match them with institutional export facilitation agencies.

Although the FCT has Shea butter and handicraft as an alternate product with competitive and comparative advantage to promote for export in line with the One State One Product initiative, Malam Bello urged NEPC to expand its scope to accommodate more value chains rather than just end products and also pay more attention to price stability.

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Featured

CELEBRATING A CENTURY-OLD CIVIL AVIATION SECTOR TRAJECTORY IN NIGERIA

Published

5 days ago

December 1, 2025

The Gleamer

This week, millions of Nigerians and others across the globe will join the Ministry of Aviation and Space Development under the irrepressible leadership of the Honourable Minister, Festus Keyamo(SAN),and all the notable Aviation sector stakeholders in and outside the country,in celebrating a century of Nigeria’s civil aviation history.

There is no doubt that under the present leadership of the Honourable Minister and within the short spell of time in his stewardship,he has consciously and intentionally embarked on a “silent revolution” for the industry with very veritable and laudable landmarks that have consistently grown the industry.

Some of these spirited efforts for instance have consequently led to trust restoration amongst international lessors, financier,any global partners.Of note also is assidiously working for the full domestication and implementation of the “Cape Town Convention Agreement” ,which gives Airlines access to modern fleets of competitive rates as well as enforcement of IDERA(Irrevocable Deregulation and Export Request Authorization).

Having well applauded these vital contemporary initiatives,it will also be germane to cast our minds in retrospect by taking a peep into our history over several decades to recognise some of the notable forebears in the industry whose impressionabl efforts cannot be overlooked,as they took the impetuous initiatives of breaking the ice at the nascent stage.
It will aptly corroborate the truism which says that… ” a journey of a thousand miles starts with one step”.

The above is vividly captured from a tribute by the First Republic Minister of Aviation Chief Mbazulike Amaechi at the funeral of late Igwe of Oba,HRH Peter Ezenwa(MFR) in 2018.
It states inter alia…”One significant thing I will say many people didn’t know is that the first indigenous airline that was to run in Nigeria was known as “STANDARD AIRLINE”.It was founded in 1966 by a company formed by Igwe Peter Ezenwa from Oba,and had on board,John Nwankwu from Abagana,Edward Ebo from Ezinifitte,(all from Anambra state),John Anyaehie from Nkwerre in Imo state,and lastly my very self Mbazulike Amaechi.
The five of us later acquired two brand new aircrafts,and had four pilots,namely;Unachievable,John Emma Ngwu and Felix Offor,who was to be the General Manager of the airline.
But just about the time for the take-off the crisis of the military takeover erupted in the North as the planes were on their way for delivery to us.In fact the bank handling the transaction was to allow the planes to be flown from the USA,but the news of the war broke out in 1967,the insurance company cabled for the cancellation of the deal as they will not be able to cover the risk cost of aircrafts being flown into war zone.
So,we asked the manufacturers to take the two aircrafts back to their country and hold on for six months with the hope of that the war will end within the requested time frame,but the war didn’t end as thought.We consequently asked for refund and they deducted some money and refunded the balance which was deposited at the London branch of African Continental Bank(ACB).

When the government took over the operations of ACB,we still hoped for the refund but unfortunately were disappointed that the Federal government took over the whole money and we lost everything.”

Further in line with our historical perspective,it will also be pertinent some of the later years reformists in the likes of Engr Onyereri and Harold Demuren who advertently sponsored some far reaching regulations that eventually steered the industry towards greater autonomy with the passage of the 2005 Civil Aviation Act,which I was also a prime participant of in my capacity as an Aviation sub chair in then House of Representatives.

As we mark this great century milestone,and with the clear evidential pathway set out by the current managers of the industry under the indomitable leadership of Honourable Minister, I do not see the sky posing any limitations as they say,but rather availing new vistas of limitless growth opportunities.

CONGRATULATIONS.

Hon Chidi Nwogu
Former member House of Representatives & presently Governing Council member
,African Aviation and Aerospace University,Abuja.

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