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What You Should Know About Boats Building And Why It’s Profitable

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For thousands of years, people have been using boats as a means of traveling, trading, and even for sports on water.

But how are boats built? What are the raw materials and tools for building boats? Again, how long does it take to build a boat, and what of the apprenticeship scheme?

Mr AGOSU MATTHEW, a local boat (also called canoe) builder at Badore waterfronts fishermen’s settlement,  Ajah Town in Lagos State, shares the answers with our Editor, Franklin Ocheneyi.

Happy reading:

Tell our readers about yourself.

My name is Agosu Matthew. I am a skilled boat builder. What motivated you to go into building boats?

First, I started as a fisherman. As time passed, I thought deeply about what else I could do to enhance my income from the fishing business.

I consulted with some of my co-fishermen. They advised that I go into boat building, which is an extension of the business.

How long have you been building boats?

I started 25 years ago.

It took me 14 years to acquire the skills, up to 2013, when I graduated from my master.

What are the tools for boat building?

The traditional tools include hammer hammer, axe, nails, Cutlass, and scissors, etc.

What about the woods?

We use the following woods: Opepe, Eru, Agboin, Afara, and parateru

Where do you get these woods?

Makoko at Lagos Island, and Itamagba sawmills market at Ikorodu.

How many pieces of wood make a boat?

It depends on the size of the boat.

For a big boat with 8-10 passenger capacity, we use about twelve pieces of wood.

The small boat takes between 6-7 pieces of wood.

How long does it take to build a boat?

Mr Agosu Matthew at work with his apprentice.

Again, it depends on the size of the Canoe.

Big boat takes up to two weeks if it’s only me working on it without the support of my apprentices, and if I don’t allow other things to distract me from the work.

However, if I have enough hands, it makes the construction faster and the work can be done in seven days.

What are the challenges of the business?

There are many challenges. One of them is getting the modern tools.

I rent those tools we don’t have and because of the pressure to return them within a specific hours, it slows down the pace of the construction and the timely delivery of the project.

Nevertheless, with the introduction of modern tools, the training patterns have changed. So, if an apprentice is humble, focused, brainy, and sharp, he can use four years to acquire the skills.

How is the boat market, in terms of patronage?

An aerial view of the community/ Ohi baba.com image.

People come to buy, or place orders when their boats is spoiling.

These locally made boats last for five years before spoiling.

Sometimes, we sell two boats in a month. The price of a boat is costly. We sell the big boat at N500 thousand, while the small one goes for N300 thousand.

How long does it take to learn the work?

As I said earlier, it took me 14 years to learn under my Master’s.

It took me that long because I had no financial support from anyone.

Nevertheless, with the introduction of modern tools, the training patterns have changed. So, if an apprentice is humble, focused, brainy, and sharp, he can use four years to acquire the skills.

Last, do you have an association for boat builders?

Yes; we have an association at Ikorodu. I belonged to the association ( That’s my membership ID card). The association has a lawyer, and if any challenge should arise, our chairman is the first person to know.

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Business

Cadbury Nigeria PLC: Adeboye Retires as MD, Ogundipe Becomes Interim MD

Pending the formal announcement of Mrs. Adeboye’s successor, Mrs. Ogundipe will manage the day-to-day operations of the Company in her capacity as Interim Managing Director.

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Cadbury Nigeria Plc, a subsidiary of Mondelez International, has appointed Mrs. Folake Ogundipe, the current Finance Director, as interim Managing Director.

The appointment followed Mrs. Oyeyimika Adeboye’s retirement as Managing Director, effective November 30, 2025, when she attained the company’s retirement age.

In a statement issued by company’s Head of Corporate Communications and Government Affairs, Dr. Frederick Mordi, Mrs. Adeboye joined the board of the company in November 2008, as Finance and Strategy Director, West Africa.

She was appointed Managing Director on April 1, 2019, becoming the first woman to be appointed to that role since the establishment of Cadbury Nigeria in 1965.

During her tenure, she steered the West Africa business through various phases of growth, transformation and macro-economic volatilities.

Her contributions have been instrumental in achieving substantial growth, positioning the company for continued, sustainable and profitable expansion.

She is known for her servant leadership, being a people-first leader who reliably delivers results for consumers and customers.

Her passion for people has been evident in her focus on talent development, mentorship, overall engagement and strengthening capability of talent across the West Africa business.

“Serving as the Managing Director of Cadbury Nigeria Plc has been an incredible privilege and a crowning chapter of my career,” said Adeboye.

“Over the past six years, I have had the honour of leading a remarkable team and contributing to the growth of a company that holds a special place in the hearts of many.”

Pending the formal announcement of Mrs. Adeboye’s successor, Mrs. Ogundipe will manage the day-to-day operations of the Company in her capacity as Interim Managing Director.

She joined the company in September 2025, subsequently being appointed to the Board as Finance Director.

She is recognised as a distinguished executive leader with extensive multi-decade experience in driving business transformation, delivering sustained shareholder value, and fostering high-performance cultures within the consumer goods sector.

Before she joined Cadbury Nigeria, Mrs Ogundipe held senior leadership positions across diverse sectors, including Executive Director, Finance at Unilever Nigeria Plc, CFO for PES Group (Energy Services Company), and Financial Controller at Nigerdock Nigeria Ltd.

Her sector experience spans FMCG, energy services, and management consulting, giving her a broad and strategic perspective on value creation across industries.

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Business

CPPE Tasks Govt to Fix Cost of Living Crisis Amid GDP Growth

Reacting on Nigeria’s third quarter 2025 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 3.98 percent , CPPE said that it’s laudable, but called for policy interventions to fix the cost of living crisis.

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The Center for the Promotion of Private Enterprises (CPPE) tasks the government to ensure that GDP Growth and macroeconomic stability translate into real improvements in citizens’ welfare.

Reacting on Nigeria’s third quarter 2025 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 3.98 percent , CPPE said that it’s laudable, but called for policy interventions to fix the cost of living crisis.

Dr Muda Yusuf, CEO of the CPPE, notes that despite the improvment in the GDP, the cost-of-living crisis remains a concern .

He said: ” While disinflation is underway and prices of some food items and manufactured products are easing, the social outcomes of economic reforms continue to weigh on households.

” It is therefore imperative for policymaking to prioritise targeted interventions to address the uneasiness around the cost of living and ensure that GDP Growth and macroeconomic stability translate into real improvements in citizens’ welfare—particularly for vulnerable groups.”

To consolidate the gains recorded in Q3 and unlock stronger, more inclusive growth, Dr Yusuf, said that the following policy interventions are critical:

Reduce Structural Bottlenecks

Address energy supply constraints, reduce logistics costs, improve port efficiency, and accelerate transport infrastructure development.

Mitigate the Cost-of-Living Crisis

Implement targeted social interventions and remove structural impediments that elevate consumer prices.

All tiers of government [local, state and federal] must sustain targeted interventions in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, transportation and energy to fix the cost of living crisis.  

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Business

Dangote Targets Nigeria Festive Season Monthly Supply of 1.5 billion litres of PMS

This represents 50 million litres per day. We are formally notifying the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) of this commitment.

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Dangote Petroleum Refinery says that it has concluded arrangements to supply over 50 million litres of petrol per day into the Nigerian market this festive season (December to January).

The company said that the decision was taken to ensure that there is no shortage of the product during the festive season.

This translates to 1.5 billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) for the month of December.

The same amount of product will also be supplied in January 2026, it was added.

President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, announced the plans.

Dangote said: “In line with our commitment to national well-being, and consistent with our track record of ensuring a holiday season free of fuel scarcity, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery will supply 1.5 billion litres of PMS to the Nigerian market this month.

This represents 50 million litres per day. We are formally notifying the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) of this commitment.

We will supply another 1.5 billion litres in January and increase to 1.75 billion litres in February, which translates to over 60 million litres per day.”

Speaking during a visit by the South-South Development Commission (SSDC) to the refinery and the Dangote Fertiliser complex, he stated that the facility currently has adequate stock and is producing between 40 and 45 million litres of PMS daily.

He added that the daily supply of 50 million litres should dispel long-standing claims that domestic refineries lack the capacity to meet national demand.

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