Nigerian Tribune private scandals despite government attempts at suppression. General Ibrahim Babangida once said that of all the Nigerian newspapers he would only read and take seriously the "Nigerian Tribune's" editorial column. The book "Leadership Failure and Nigeria's Fading Hopes" by Femi Okurounmu consists of excerpts from a weekly column in the Nigerian Tribune published between 2004 and 2009. The author, a patriotic Nigerian elder statesman, laments how the corruption and the selfishness of successive leaders has destroyed the hopes not just of Nigerians, but of the entire black race. In December 2008 Segun Olatunji, managing director and Editor-in-Chief of "Nigerian Tribune",
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,