Nigerian Tribune editorial in the "Nigerian Tribune" that accused the ACN of imposing its candidates in the party primaries for the forthcoming national elections. An ACN spokesman called the paper a front for the People's Democratic Party (PDP). Indeed since Nigeria's new democratic journey, the newspaper has engaged in running battle with some political group which styled itself as " progressives " but which curiously has consistently used the name of the newspaper's founder, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, one of Nigeria's foremost nationalists, to campaign for votes. The progressives who formed the nucleus of Alliance for Democracy (AD),and later Action Congress and Action
Nigerian Merchant Navy Department and Nigerian Ports Authority. The Nigerian National Shipping Line was established by the Nigerian government in 1959. Despite heavy investment and subsidies, the state-owned company was unable to compete with European lines. Much of the investment went to enriching the political elite. A 1964 book describes careers in the Nigerian Merchant Navy, which offered apprenticeships for craftsmen and Officer Cadetships for aspirants to become Navigating or Engineering officers. In 1988 the National Maritime Authority granted six Nigerian shipping lines "national carrier" status, including the state-owned Nigerian National Shipping Line, the Nigerian Green Line, Africa Ocean Line, Nigerbras Shipping Line,