By Godwin Oritse

A former Director of Shipping Development and Cabotage, Mr. Boniface Igwe, has warned that the continued dominance of foreign interests in Nigeria’s territorial waters poses a serious threat to the country’s internal security.

Igwe, in his forthcoming book, Cabotage Law and Practice, argued that the growing presence and dominance of foreign operators in Nigeria’s coastal waters could undermine national security and the country’s maritime sovereignty.

He said, ”apart from the economic opportunities inherent in the practice of reserving coastal shipping trade for indigenous operators, the uncontrolled foreign domination of trade in a country’s coastal waters portends grave national security implementation for that country.”

The unreleased book reads in part: “The idea of countries creating captive markets for their indigenous stakeholders for the purpose of developing capacity in critical sector of their economies and making them globally competitive is commonplace.

“The historical reason for this interventionist policy template ranges from economic, through political, to security considerations. There is no gainsaying the criticality of the maritime industry to the economic growth of Nigeria as it provides the interface between it and the oil and gas industry which is the lifeblood of the nation’s economy.

“Statistics revealed that an average cargo traffic of 152 million metric tonnes approximating $5billion in freight earnings was generated annually in the country and close to 90 percent of this income was earned by foreign controlled businesses.”

By Emma Ujah,  Abuja Bureau Chief 

The Ag. Director of Corporate Communications of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mrs. Hakama Sidi-Ali, has won the 2026 edition of the National Spokespersons Award.

The recognition was announced during the 6th National Spokespersons Awards and the 4th Economic Confidential Annual Lecture, organised by Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR), publishers of PRNigeria, Economic Confidential and Spokespersons Digest, in Abuja at the weekend. 

The organisers stated: “With the latest honour, Sidi-Ali completed an unprecedented hat-trick at the National Spokespersons Awards, becoming the first communications professional to progress from winning a sector-specific award twice consecutively to claiming the overall Spokesperson of the Year title.

“Her achievement comes just three years after she broke another historic barrier when CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso appointed her in 2023 as the first female spokesperson in the Central Bank’s 66-year history.”

In 2024, Mrs. Sidi-Ali won the Outstanding Spokesperson – Banking Sector award, becoming the first female banking communicator to receive the honour and retained the same title in 2025.

The climax came in 2026, when the awards jury elevated her to Spokesperson of the Year, recognising her influence beyond the banking industry and acknowledging her role in shaping national economic communication, strengthening public confidence in the Central Bank and projecting Nigeria’s monetary policy on the global stage.

Image Merchants said the award followed a rigorous evaluation process based on four key criteria: impact, innovation and originality, campaign reach, and quality of evidence.

“The jury acknowledged her efforts in building a proactive communications architecture at the apex bank through regular Monetary Policy Committee briefings, stakeholder engagements, investor relations, media management and international advocacy.

“These initiatives also earned international recognition, with the CBN’s communications campaign emerging as a finalist at the 2026 International Public Relations Association (IPRA) Golden World Awards,” the organisers said.

Earlier in the year, Sidi-Ali was honoured as the African Iconic Female Spokesperson of the Year at the African International Women Recognition Awards (AIWRA) 2026, following a continent-wide public voting process Chairperson of the Awards Jury, Professor Saudat Abdulbaqi, disclosed that the 2026 edition attracted 171 nominations from across the country.

She explained that after an initial screening, only entries meeting the required standards of clarity, measurable impact and verifiable evidence progressed to subsequent stages of evaluation, eventually producing 30 finalists across 15 categories.

Speaking at the event, Alhaji Yushau A. Shuaib, Chief Executive Officer of IMPR, said the National Spokespersons Awards and the Economic Confidential Annual Lecture were established to promote informed national discourse, celebrate professional excellence and strengthen strategic communication in Nigeria. 

By Peter Egwuatu 

HBM Nigeria Plc, formerly Lafarge Africa Plc, has declared a Profit After Tax (PAT) of N208billion representing a 57% growth for the first half of 2026, H1’26, against N132.677 billion in the corresponding period of last year, H1’25.

According to the result released on the Nigerian Exchange Limited, NGX, the company’s net sales grew by 31% in H1’26, driven by an 11% volume growth, enhanced operational stability and improvement in distribution efficiency.

Operating profit during the period grew by 51% to close at N291billion from N192.270 billion in H1’25 and was supported by sustained efficiency gains across the business while operating margin soared to 43% from 37% in H1’25.

In his remarks on the result, the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, HBM Nigeria Plc, Lolu Alade-Akinyemi said: “Our H1 2026 performance demonstrates the continued strength of our business and the successful execution of our strategic priorities. These results reflect disciplined cost management, operational excellence, and prudent financial stewardship. We are focused on further improving supply reliability, advancing our cost leadership agenda, driving innovation, accelerating our sustainability initiatives, and maintaining the highest standards of health and safety.’ 

He further stated that HBM Nigeria will remain focused on building on a strong operational momentum by leveraging the industrial and technical expertise of Huaxin Building Materials Ltd to drive operational excellence and improve efficiency across the business. In light of this on HBM Nigeria’s business outlook for the rest of the year, Alade-Akinyemi continued: ”Nigeria’s demand outlook for cement remains positive, supported by ongoing infrastructure development, urbanization, and resilient activity across the construction sector, despite a dynamic global operating environment”.