By Raheem Ibrahim<\/b><\/p>\n
In recognition of their exceptional contributions to Nigeria\u2019s maritime sector and national economic development, Chief (Dr.) Cletus Ibeto, OON, CON, Chairman of Ibeto Group, and Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu, CFR, CON, GCON, Chairman\/CEO of BUA Group, have earned the Maritime Correspondents\u2019 Organisation of Nigeria (MARCON)\u2019s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards.<\/p>\n
The MARCON prestigious awards were based on the duo\u2019s transformative roles in strengthening Nigeria\u2019s trade ecosystem, industrial capacity, and maritime infrastructure.<\/p>\n
According to a statement issued by the Conference Planning Committee, Chief Ibeto is set to be recognised for his groundbreaking interventions in the maritime industry, particularly the establishment of the Ibeto Seaport and Terminal in Rivers State, which is emerging as a strategic hub for trade and logistics.<\/p>\n
The statement read: \u201cHis investments in local processing of raw materials and industrial supply chains have also significantly reduced import dependence, created jobs, and enhanced Nigeria\u2019s global competitiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSimilarly, Rabiu\u2019s award is in recognition of his visionary leadership and sustained investments through BUA Group in critical sectors such as port logistics, manufacturing, cement production, and sugar refining,\u201d it read.<\/p>\n
The Chairman of the Conference Planning Committee, Paul Ogbuokiri, noted that Alhaji Rabiu\u2019s contributions have played a pivotal role in advancing Nigeria\u2019s industrialisation and supporting the nation\u2019s Blue Economy aspiration, adding that the selection of the awardees followed a rigorous process that considered their long-standing impact on maritime development and the broader economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cChief Ibeto and Alhaji Rabiu represent the very best of indigenous enterprise. Their investments have not only transformed key sectors but have also strengthened Nigeria\u2019s position in global trade and logistics. Their commitment to infrastructure development, job creation, and industrial growth makes them worthy recipients of this honour,\u201d Ogbuokiri said.<\/p>\n
Commenting on the forthcoming event, MARCON President, Ismail Aniemu, described the awards as a recognition of excellence, resilience, and private sector leadership in driving national development, saying: \u201cThese honours reflect MARCON\u2019s commitment to celebrating individuals whose contributions continue to shape the future of Nigeria\u2019s maritime industry and economic landscape.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth awardees have demonstrated visionary leadership and a strong commitment to national growth through strategic investments,\u201d he revealed.<\/p>\n
He also emphasised that such Nigerians need to be recognised and encouraged to do more, while serving as good examples for others to emulate.<\/p>\n
The awards will be formally presented at the 2026 MARCON Annual Conference and Special Economic Zones Mid-Year Conference scheduled to hold on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, at Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Raheem Ibrahim In recognition of their exceptional contributions to Nigeria\u2019s maritime sector and national economic development, Chief (Dr.) Cletus<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21947,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21946","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21946"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21946\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21948,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21946\/revisions\/21948"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thenewsnow.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}