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Customs

Use of logbook for vehicle clearance is antithesis to Customs modernisation —Akintoye Ojo.

Eyewitness reporter
As anger and shock trail the introduction of logbook by the Nigeria Customs Service as a modality for the clearance of vehicles at the ports, Ojo Peter Akintoye, the Chairman of the Tin Can chapter of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), has said the policy is a drawback on the modernisation process of the customs.
Akintoye, who was at a loss as to the rationale behind the policy, described it as shameful for the customs authority to rely on 50 years old law in 2021.
“We are talking of modernisation and you are referring to a document of 1971, about 50 years ago, what are you modernising?
“Is that not a shame on us? Why are you referring to a notice of 1971?
“How many of the new generation of the customs officers were born in 1971 apart from the older ones who in the next five to six years will be out of service?
Why don’t we talk about what is globally acceptable?” he queried.
The ANLCA Chieftain wondered how the policy will sail through when most of the second-hand vehicles coming into the country are accidented and which have no such book.
 
“Majority of the cars imported into the country are accidented vehicles.
“Go to the car park and see them for yourself. I can tell you that 85 percent of vehicles that enter Nigeria today are accidented vehicles and most of these vehicles that had an accident even the owners’ whereabouts is not known.
“Most of the cars do not even have keys and you are talking of logbook.
They imported some of these cars without keys; they will get here before they start programming keys for them.
“So, if our common technicians out there, through technology, can programme a key for a car that didn’t come to this country with a key and the entire country is talking about logbook, what are we saying?
“That was the language I heard thirty years ago when I was joining this industry.” he declared derisively.
Ojo wondered why the customs could not use the modern way of getting all the necessary information they need on a particular vehicle for the purpose of determining the tariff.
 
He said the modern Customs world over use VIN of vehicles to get this information.
 
“I recalled that even the officials of the Nigeria Customs Service were in the habit of using VIN number to retrieve the history of any vehicle they were not familiar with.
Why have they decided to take us back to the old, medieval era of logbook” he asked rhetorically.
He expressed concern on how this policy will be implemented when most of the used vehicles coming into the country have probably passed through so many people as owners, saying one of the owners may have lost the logbook.
“How many of the used cars are being bought from the manufacturers?
“The car that more than ten to fifteen people have used or don’t you know that they are selling fairly used vehicles abroad?
” Even in America, you can buy a used car, most of the cars they buy in auction, they use it in America.
*So, after using a car I bought in auction for three to five years, I sell the car again, somebody else bought it, maybe at the end of the day, the car may have been resold five times and it lands in Nigeria as Tokunbo.
” Are you now saying that the last buyer should start tracing the six people that have used the car in order to get the logbook?”
The freight forwarder advises the customs authority to cover its ineptitudes by recanting the policy which he believed will made the country a laughing stock in the comity of nations.

“If the Benin Republic cannot be talking about logbook, we should try to cover our ineptitude a little bit,” he said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

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Customs

How NPA’ s ETO call- up system hampers seamless export processes at Lilypond Terminal — Customs

Funso OLOJO 
The Customs Area Controller of the Lilypond Export Command, Comptroller Ajibola Odusanya, has attributed the persistent delay in export cargo movement at the command to logistics issues associated with the Nigerian Port Authority’s Eto call-up system, rather than any bottlenecks from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
Eto call- up system is a structured movement of container- laden trucks into the terminals meant to decongest Port access road and facilitate quick goods clearance at the port.
It was developed by the NPA and driven by a private company.
However, Comptroller Odusanya, speaking at a Roundtable with members of Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN),emphasized that while the command has streamlined the export process,  lack of available slots for trucks to enter the ports remains a major challenge.
 He noted that despite the command’s efforts, numerous containers remain stranded at Lilypond due to the inability of trucks to secure clearance under the Eto system.
He explained that prior to the implementation of a centralized export processing system, multiple customs units across Apapa, Tin Can, PTML, and Lekki ports handled export documentation.
However, in July 2024, the government directed the full centralization of all export processes under the Lilypond Export Command.
This move, driven by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) and backed by agencies such as the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), was aimed at streamlining operations and reducing multiple checkpoints.
Odusanya revealed that between January and December 2024, the command processed exports valued at approximately $1.9 billion, a figure that could have been higher if the consolidation had occurred earlier in the year.
He added that in February 2025 alone, the command facilitated exports worth $225.1 million.
He attributed these successes to inter-agency collaboration, with Customs working alongside the Department of State Services (DSS), the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), and quarantine services, among others.
Despite the improved export facilitation, Odusanya acknowledged that challenges persist, particularly with the Eto call-up system, which has created logistical constraints.
 He explained that export containers often get delayed at Lilypond not due to customs processes but because of congestion at the ports, caused by import containers awaiting clearance.
He pointed out that while Apapa remains the busiest port for exports, the congestion problem is less severe at Tin Can due to the presence of an export processing terminal.
On the issue of the Nigerian Export Proceeds (NXP) form, Odusanya stated that the command has ensured compliance with all regulatory requirements.
 He, however, acknowledged exporters’ concerns about the process and assured that Customs is working to facilitate seamless trade while ensuring adherence to financial regulations.
He urged maritime stakeholders, including the media, to continue sensitizing exporters on the ease of processing export goods through Lilypond, emphasizing that the command operates transparently and does not condone extortion.
He reiterated that officers at the entry points are strictly there to verify processed cargo and not to serve as an additional checkpoint.
Odusanya concluded by reaffirming the commitment of the Lilypond Export Command to supporting Nigeria’s growing export sector, ensuring efficiency in cargo movement, and addressing any emerging challenges in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
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Customs

Court orders forfeiture of huge foreign currencies intercepted by Customs at Aminu Kano Airport

Funso OLOJO
The Court has ordered the forfeiture of a total sum of $1,154,900 (One Million, One Hundred and Fifty-Four Thousand, Nine Hundred US Dollars) and SR135,900 (One Hundred and Thirty-Five Thousand, Nine Hundred Saudi Riyals) which the officers of the Nigeria customs service intercepted at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA).
The seizure was made recently during a routine baggage check on an inbound passenger, Hauwa Ibrahim Abdullahi, who arrived on Saudi Airline Flight No. SV401 from Saudi Arabia.
During the physical examination of the passenger’s luggage conducted by
NCS Officers, the undeclared currency was discovered concealed within palm-date fruit packs locally referred to as Dabino.
This interception aligns with the Nigeria Customs Service’s commitment to enforcing financial regulations and preventing illicit financial flows across Nigeria’s borders.
In line with established procedures, the suspect and the seized foreign
currency have been handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation and necessary legal action.
 Subsequently, the court convicted the defendant as charged and ordered the forfeiture of the undeclared money to the Federal Government in line with the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022.
The Service reiterates that all travelers must comply with Nigeria’s financial
regulations, particularly the legal requirement to declare any cash or negotiable instruments exceeding the approved threshold when traveling in or out of the country.
The Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022 and the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1995, provide clear guidelines on currency declaration.
Non-compliance with these regulations constitutes a violation of Nigerian law and attracts severe penalties.

 The Service, therefore, urges the public to adhere strictly to these requirements to avoid legal consequences.

Under the leadership of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale
Adeniyi, the NCS remains resolute in its enforcement efforts to combat smuggling, illicit financial transactions, and other trans-border crimes.

 This latest seizure highlights the Service’s unwavering dedication to protecting the nation’s economic interests and ensuring compliance with financial regulations.

The NCS will continue to collaborate with relevant government agencies and
stakeholders to strengthen border security, enhance compliance with financial laws, and safeguard Nigeria’s economy.

Travelers and stakeholders in the financial sector are advised to remain vigilant and always adhere to lawful financial practices.
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Customs

Lilypond export processing terminal processes $1.9billion value of export goods in 2024.

Funso OLOJO
The collapse of all the export terminals in the Lagos Ports into a consolidated export terminal at the Lilypond Port has boosted export of goods in the country as the terminal processed the sum of $1.9b in 2024.
Making this revelation on Thursday, March 13th, 2025 while interacting  with the members of the Maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (MARAN), the
Customs Area Controller (CAC), Lilypond Export Command, Ajibola Odusanya, declared that processing of exports at the dedicated Lilypond Port has improved significantly, reducing processing time to a few hours.
It would be recalled that the Lilypond export processing terminal came into existence in 2024 from the Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) between the Nigeria customs service and the Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA).
However, Comptroller Odusanya lamented that transferring the export containers to Apapa Port has become a challenge recently, as priority is placed on exiting import containers out of the port.
He bemoaned that accessing the Export Processing Terminal (EPT) especially in Apapa Port is delayed due to traffic gridlock on the internal port access road.
However, Comptroller Odusanya assured that the the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and APM Terminals are working to improve on the port internal traffic.
“The NPA has contributed significantly to export facilitation by creating the Electronic Call-up System (ETO) and EPTs at the ports, but the internal port access roads would need more attention to clear up for seamless movement of export containers into the ports for outward shipping,” Comptroller Odusanya said.
In 2022, the Nigeria Customs Service and the NPA reached an agreement to make the Lilypond Port an export processing port as part of the country’s deliberate plans to improve exportation of non-oil products.
The Lilypond Port Controller explained that due to the presence of all the relevant agencies in the export port, processing of export goods have become very fast and seamless, leading to processing of about $2 billion worth of exports from the port between July and December 2024.
He said: “Since after the MoU between Customs and NPA to streamline export to Lilypond Command in July 2024 and the command became the only command processing sea bound export, we processed about $2 billion in that period Between and December, 2024.
“In February, 2025, we processed $225 million. This achievement is made possible by collaboration with other government agencies and port stakeholders.
“We now have the DSS, NDLEA, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the quarantine service dedicated to export at Lilypond Port.
“Now, with synergy with these sister agencies, export goods treated at Lilypond port are not stopped by any other agency on its way to Apapa or Tincan port.
“Such export will only be checked by Lilypond Customs officers at the port gate and not necessarily to open the container, except there is a security alert.”
He noted that the NPA and the terminal operators would not allow the ugly port access road situation in Apapa in the past to return.
“If you go to Lilypond now, you will see many containers there, but the problem is not with processing of the exports in Lilypond, but the logistics aspect of moving the containers to the ports.
“Sometimes, even when you have obtained your ETO, you won’t be able to access the port.
“You see the trucks lined up on the road with export containers on them.  We have to work on this so that we don’t return to what it was before.
“We have to keep working hard to maintain the sanity on the port road,” Comptroller Odusanya emphasised.
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