Maritime

Shippers Caution FG Against Banning Import Items

Published

6 years ago

August 23, 2019

Following the ban placed on over 41 import items into the country, the Shippers Association of Lagos State (SALS), has cautioned the Federal Government against denying importers of traded goods access to foreign exchange.
The association said the port system in the country has suffered tremendously from the initial forex restriction order on 41 items.
The President of SALS, Rev Jonathan Nicol, stated this in a statement made available to The Tide on Wednesday.
Nicol said many companies in Nigeria were already folding up due to the Federal Government’s ban on import goods, even as he warned that Nigerian ports would suffer further setbacks if the government adds traded goods to the list.
According to him, the ban on 41 items by the government has had ripple effects on most Nigerian shippers as the port system has also suffered tremendously due to the ban.
“If the government now places ban on some of the items that industries need to produce, because most of the 42 items already on ban have to do with Industries, so if the government wants to place more items on ban, it means that the industries will suffer.
“In fact, some of them are already packing up their loads because they cannot even sell their goods.
“I know one or two who found it difficult to import this year; their workforce is about 500 Nigerians, they worked three shifts before, now they hardly do two shifts because they are reducing.
“With all these, the manufacturers cannot cope because there is no income. Check through their warehouses, they are sealed up because they cannot sell their goods because there is no money in the country for citizens to buy goods”
“So, how many of the factories will survive if the government places ban on some more items? It means that our port system will be empty”, he said.
The clergy noted that most of the importers from the informal sector were still surviving because they sourced their foreign exchange themselves.
Recall that last week, President Muhammadu Buhari had directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to stop issuance of foreign exchange for food importation, so as to increase local production of food in the country.
The CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, had also announced plans to put forex restriction on dairy products during the last Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting held on July 23 in Abuja.

Maritime

Lagos Ready For International Boat Race–LASWA

Published

21 hours ago

September 22, 2025

Uchechukwu Okwum

The Lagos State Government says it is fully prepared to host the forthcoming international boat race, assuring participants and residents of adequate safety on waterways.

The General Manager, Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Emmanuel Oluwadamilola, while speaking to Newsmen, at the Weekend, said the state had over the years invested heavily in safety infrastructure to secure its waterways.

Oluwadamilola explained that Lagos had consistently enhanced facilities, making it the safest state for water transportation in Nigeria, with all necessary safety infrastructure in place.

He said patrol boats had been deployed, while collaboration with the Marine Police and the Nigerian Navy would ensure effective surveillance across the waterways.

He added that Lagos now operated a control room using advanced technology to monitor waterways, describing it as the best time to host such an event.

According to him, the government had also undertaken shoreline cleaning, provided security boats, and designated docking zones for vessels participating in the competition.

“We are delighted this race can now happen in Lagos, proving the state’s readiness and capacity to successfully host such an international event,” he said

Maritime

NCS Sensitises Stakeholders On Automated Overtime Cargo Clearance System

Published

21 hours ago

September 22, 2025

Uchechukwu Okwum

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has sensitised stakeholders in Zones B and D ob the newly introduced Automated Overtime Cargo Clearance and Disposal System.

The sensitisation, held at the Customs Training College, Goron Dutse, Kano, at the Weekend, was themed ‘Driving Transparency, Efficiency and Accountability in Cargo Clearance’.

Speaking at the event, the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, said the initiative was designed to deliver an efficient, transparent, and technology-driven process for managing overtime cargo clearance and disposal.

Represented by the Controller in charge of Post Clearance Audit Zone B, Mrs Deborah Adeyemi, Adeniyi said the system would address congestion, paperwork, bottlenecks, abandoned cargo and delays in clearance processes that had slowed economic activity.

“This initiative marks a turning point in our operations.

“With the Automated Overtime Cargo Clearance and Disposal System, we are demonstrating that Customs can be both a facilitator of trade and a guarantor of integrity,” the CGC said.

Adeniyi explained that the platform would enable the stakeholders, including consignees, customs brokers, terminal operators, and customs officers, to apply, track and receive approvals online without physical contact.

He said the system was backed by the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, which provides the legal framework for electronic processes, overtime cargo timelines and disposal consignments after 120 days, with provisions for condemnation, auction or other disposal methods.

The Custom’s boss listed the benefits to include transparency through time-stamped actions, accountability through strict timelines, efficiency in terminal operations and data integrity with all documents integrated on Customs servers.

He urged stakeholders across the commands in Kano/Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger and Kogi to familiarise themselves with the process, train their teams and constructively engage with Customs officers for effective implementation.

“The Nigeria Customs Service is not merely automating a process, we are transforming a culture.

“Delay, opacity and congestion are being replaced with efficiency, transparency and accountability,” the CGC said.

In his remarks, the Customs Area Controller, Kano/Jigawa Command, Mr Dalhatu Abubakar, assured the stakeholders that the command was committed to eliminating overtime cargo.

“As terminal operators, with proper sensitisation and capacity building, we have no reason to admit cargo as overtime in Kano.

“I urge you to take this opportunity seriously to achieve that,” he said.

Also speaking, Chief Superintendent of Customs, Headquarters, A. A Abdulkadir, explained that the system was not new but a digital transformation of the manual overtime cargo clearance process, which comes with added simplicity and efficiency.

The Chairman, Clearing Agents Association, Kano, Alhaji Hafiz Rilwan, on behalf of the stakeholders, commended the CGC for the initiative and pledged to support its implementation through wider sensitisation.

Maritime

Minister Tasks Academy On Thorough-Bred Professionals

Published

21 hours ago

September 22, 2025

Uchechukwu Okwum

Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has charged the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) to remain committed towards producing thorough-bred professionals for the maritime industry.

Oyetola gave the charge at the 2025 third quarter Citizens’ and Stakeholders’ Engagement of the Institution, in Oron, Akwa Ibom State, with the theme ‘Implementation of the National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy for Onboard Training of Nigerian Merchants Navy Cadets and the Critical Needs of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria’.

Represented by the Deputy Director, Research, Planning and Statistics, MAN, Joshua Ayebameru, the minister urged the authorities of the institution not to compromise standards.

Oyetola said “Over the years, the academy has trained qualified personnel for the maritime industry. The academy remains a cornerstone institution in the maritime sector.

“Through its programmes, training, and commitment to excellence, the academy continues to produce the manpower required to keep the sector vibrant and competitive”.

Oyetola further stated that the engagement was to enable stakeholders brainstorm on how to advance Nigeria’s marine and blue economy through collaborations, training and innovation.

He insisted that seafarers, cadets, and other maritime professionals from the institution must be well-equipped to compete globally and to drive the growth and sustenance of the sector.

The minister called for stakeholders collaboration towards developing the maritime sector, saying, “the future of Nigeria’s marine and blue economy depends on all of us”

In his remarks, the Chairman of MAN’s Governing Council, Kehinde Akinola, said that the council had developed a comprehensive five-year strategic development plan for the academy.

Akinola said that the plan, when approved, would accelerate institutional reforms, enhance training standards, deepen industry linkages, and reposition the academy for greater efficiency.

He said that the governing council was partnering shipowners and operators to secure practical training for the cadets.

“It is an obligation because we must prepare our cadets to meet international standards,” he said.

Earlier, Dr Kevin Okonna, the Acting Rector of the academy, Dr Kevin Okonna, noted that the academy, within the past 10 months, had been repositioned to enhance teaching and learning.

Okonna said that the institution had been collaborating with maritime professional associations and the academy’s alumni to facilitate the employment of more maritime professionals.

“We have employed about seven marine professional lecturers to enhance cadets teaching and learning.

“We have also obtained the commitment of shipowners and their associations to provide onboard training opportunities for our cadets,” he said.