Business

NIMASA kick starts process for CVFF disbursement.

Eyewitness reporter

The indigenous ship owners may soon have a cause to smile as the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) may have commenced the process for the disbursement of Cabotage Vessels Financing Funds(CVFF) 15 year after it was established.

It would be recalled that the CVVF is an off- shoot of Cabotage Law of 2003.

It is the two percent deductions from the Cabotage contracts by indigenous operators lodged into a dedicated accounts under the CVFF.

The Funds, created in 2006, and which accruals have been a subject of wild speculations and controvesy, was said to have hit about $200m as at January ,2020.

However, despite several promises by successive NIMASA administrations to disburse the funds, no indigenous operators has so far benefited from the funds as NIMASA has observed its promise for disbursement in the breach.

However, following the approval by President Mohammadu Buhari, which was allegedly secured by the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Ameachi, NIMASA has called for Expression of Interest (EoI) from banks to act as Primary Lending Institutions( PLI) for the disbursement of the fund.

It was gathered that the agency said it received the go ahead from its supervising Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, to disburse the funds to qualified indigenous maritime operators in line with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy and the CVFF Guidelines of 2006.

According to a document marked “Implementation and Disbursement of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF): Expression of Interest as Primary Lending Institution” and signed by Chudi Offodile, Executive Director, Finance and Administration of NIMASA, the Fund would promote the development of indigenous ship acquisition capacity by providing financial assistance to Nigerian operators in domestic coastal shipping.

In the document, Offodile said the request for the primary lending institution is in line with the Federal Ministry of Transportation guidelines for the implementation of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) 2006, which specified the minimum requirement for the participation of banks as Primary Lending institutions (PLIs).

The document listed the requirements to include that the PLI must have an existing relationship with NIMASA; have shareholders fund over N25 billion, and must have proof of substantial financial support in terms of credits extended to indigenous maritime operators.

Offodile, in the said document, pointed out that the PLI will be responsible for liaising with NIMASA in determining the risk acceptance criteria for the utilisation of the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund or issuing of guarantees.

“PLI will participate in financing and management of specific projects where necessary to further secure repayment of the loan or obligation; be actively involved in on-lending monitoring and entire loan management, and any other financial advisory or ancillary services as the Fund may determine,”Offodile further stated that the bank shall because of the Treasury Single Account policy of the Federal Government, also be prepared to open a dedicated account for each applicant who shall deposit a minimum of 15 percent of the loan request (sum applied for into the account); be committed to contributing between 10 – 35 percent of the loan request and also commit to a cumulative single digit interest rate.

“On approval of the loan request by the Minister of Transportation, NIMASA shall transfer its portion of the loan request into the dedicated account”, he noted.

The eventual disbursement of the fund will bring to an end the wild goose chase by the hapless indigenous operators who have become weary of long wait for the fund meant to empower them to carry out cabotage trade in the country.

Business

National Single Window goes live in March, 2026

– as FG launches phase 1 of the project for trade facilitation

Funso OLOJO

The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced the commencement of Phase 1 of the National Single Window (NSW) Project, scheduled to launch on March 27, 2026.

The launch marks a decisive step toward reforming Nigeria’s trade ecosystem through technology, transparency, and smarter regulation.

The National Single Window is a centralised digital platform designed to simplify and harmonise trade procedures by enabling traders to submit trade-related information once,

through a single interface, while relevant government agencies access, process, and approve the required documentation seamlessly.

The initiative is expected to significantly reduce delays, eliminate duplication, curb inefficiencies, and lower the cost of doing business at Nigeria’s ports and borders.

Speaking on the transformative potential of the project during the inauguration of the project on the 16th of April 2024, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu described the National Single Window as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s trade and economic reform agenda.

“The National Single Window will change the way trade is done in Nigeria. It will replace fragmentation with coordination, opacity with transparency, and delay with efficiency,” says Presidency.

The President added that the NSW aligns with the administration’s commitment to

economic diversification, non-oil export growth, and improved ease of doing business, noting that efficient trade systems are critical to national development.

Also speaking on the initiative, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, described the National Single Window as a game-changer that will simplify and

democratize trade in Nigeria.

Dr. Oduwole explained that the platform will streamline trade documentation through a unified window, enabling greater transparency, improved transaction tracking, and

increased trade volumes.

She added that experienced traders, in particular, would benefit from the efficiency gains offered by the system.

Providing insight into the implementation strategy, Mr. Tola Fakolade, Director of National Single Window Project, explained that the Federal Government has deliberately adopted a phased rollout approach, beginning with Phase 1, which will focus primarily on statutory permits and manifests.

“The National Single Window will be rolled out in phases, starting with Phase 1, which concentrates on statutory permits and cargo manifests,” Mr. Fakolade stated.

“This allows us to stabilise the system, build confidence among stakeholders, and deliver immediate value where bottlenecks are most pronounced.”

According to Mr. Fakolade, the decision to phase the launch reflects lessons learned from previous large-scale technology initiatives that adopted a “big bang” approach.

“We have learned from the flaws of past big bang technological rollouts, where attempting to do everything at once created avoidable disruptions,” he noted.

“Phasing the National

Single Window is a deliberate and strategic choice—one that prioritises sustainability, user adoption, and continuous improvement over speed for speed’s sake.”

He further emphasized that subsequent phases will gradually expand the scope of the platform, onboard additional agencies, and deepen integration across the trade value chain, ensuring a resilient and scalable system.

“This approach ensures that the National Single Window grows with the ecosystem, guided by real data, user feedback, and operational realities,” Mr. Fakolade added.

As Phase 1 goes live, the Federal Government reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with the private sector, development partners, and trade stakeholders to ensure a smooth

transition and shared ownership of the reform.

“By simplifying trade processes and leveraging digital innovation, we are unlocking faster movement of goods, strengthening revenue assurance, and creating a more competitive

environment for Nigerian businesses to thrive locally and globally.” Mr. Fakolade added.

With the launch of the National Single Window, Nigeria takes a bold and pragmatic step towards modern trade governance—one that places efficiency, transparency, and learning at the heart of national progress.

Business

Access bank laments cargo glut, financial losses to importers caused by its service glitch

– restores customs transactions on its platform

Gloria Odion

Access Bank Plc has expressed its regret over the accrued demurrages to importers, cargo glut at the port which the temporary disruption of its services on its ACCESS PAY(B’Odogwu) platform has caused majority of importers and their agents.

The bank’s interactive platform with Customs went down for three days between November 10th to 12th, 2025, causing agony and anguish among the freight forwarders who could not conduct transactions on the platform with the Customs, resulting to mounting demurrages and cargo glut at the port.

However in a statement made available to newsmen, the bank confirmed the restoration of its customs transaction services and urged its distraught custom to come forward with their Customs payment.

Access bank further explained that the glitch occured due to a connectivity issue between Access Bank’s network and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) system.

The glitch temporarily hindered the processing of payments and related transactions via the ACCESS PAY (B’ODOGWU) platform.

“The issue was fully resolved on November 12th, 2025, and normal service operations have since been completely restored.

“Customers can now process Customs-related payments and transactions seamlessly through Access Bank channels,” the statement read.

The bank expressed regret over the inconvenience caused, acknowledging that the downtime led to delays and concerns among customers, particularly regarding demurrage charges.

Access Bank assured stakeholders that proactive measures have been put in place to prevent a recurrence, reiterating its commitment to service reliability and customer satisfaction.

“Access Bank appreciates the patience and understanding of its customers during the period of disruption and thanks them for their continued trust and partnership,” the statement concluded.

However, despite the service restoration by the bank, its customers are still aggrieved over what they described as unwarranted extra charges in form of accrued demurrages which they were made to incur and which they claimed have added additional costs to the clearing of their trapped cargo at the port.

Business

Tantita Security dazzles at OTC, USA

– as Lokpobiri seeks global presence of the company

Gloria Odion

The Tantita Security Nigeria Limited has dazzled the participants at the

Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) held in the United States of America (USA) with array of its cutting edge services which it showcased at the annual event.

Curious participants flooded the stand of the security company, obviously impressed by its technology – driven services.

It could be recalled that the company currently carries out surveillance on the network of oil pipelines in Nigeria which has improved the security at the critical oil infrastructure and boosted the country’s oil production.

An elated Executive Director, Technical and Operations of the security company, Capt. Warredi Enisouh enthused “Nigeria have never been seen in this light here.

” We are currently overwhelmed and swarmed with people who want to hear our story,” he noted.

However, the President of Ijaw Youth Council, Jonathan Lokpobiri, called on Tantita Security to extend its services outside the shores of Nigeria, even as he commended the company for its laudable strides at the global event.

Lokpobiri visited the Tantita Security Nigeria Limited stand at the event and said there was a need for the company to extend its services to the other parts of the globe.

“This is the stand of Tantita Security Nigeria Limited at the ongoing Offshore Technology Conference in America, we want to see Tantita in China, we want to see Tantita in Europe and in other African countries.

“As long as security is concerned, Tantita Security Nigeria Limited should be consulted.

Speaking further he said, “From what I have seen on ground here, all the gadgets, and the slides of how the company carries out its operations, I have no doubts at all of the capacity and capability of the company to deliver, especially when you take into consideration what they have done back in Nigeria.

“They have been able to drastically increase Nigeria’s oil production through effective monitoring and policing the country’s oil pipelines and other oil facilities,” he said.