Headlines

NPA may grant 30 percent tariff relief to terminal operators at Rivers ports to drive traffic

Bello-Koko, NPA MD, seeking clarification on some matters of interest.

Eyewitness reporter

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is tinkering with the proposal to give a whooping 30 percent tariff rebate to the terminal operators at the Rivers ports to boost the dwindling traffic.

The move was part of the multi-pronged approach of the agency to attract vessel and cargo traffic to the Eastern ports.

The latest move was after a similar concession of a 10 percent rebate granted by the agency to the operators in the area failed to yield the desired result as vessels continued to shun the ports.

Making the revelation in Port Harcourt Thursday was the Managing Director of the NPA, Mohammed Bello-Koko, while on the tour of the Eastern ports.

Bello- Koko, while talking to journalists on the sideline of the tour, said the authority was already considering the proposal for a 30 percent tariff rebate being sought by the terminal operators operating at the Port.

He however warned that such relief would not be automatic but conditional.

The NPA MD said that such a request will be based on the commensurate impact it will have on cargo and vessel traffic.

He declared that a similar tariff rebate has been granted in the past without much impact on the traffic to the ports.

“Some years ago, we have given them tariff relief, a kind of rebate but that didn’t bring the expected impact on traffic into the port.

“We are reviewing their request for a 30 percent rebate but we need to understand that we don’t just give a rebate without some conditions.

“We seat down with them, those discussions have started, we give them the conditions based on the tariff relief.

“It might be lower or higher than 30 percent.

“It depends and we also give a timeline. For instance, we might say this relief is for a year and let’s see the impact.

“We wouldn’t want to give a tariff relief to a terminal operator who, for instance, brings in four vessels in a month and even with the rebate, he is still bringing in four or fewer vessels. That is not what we want.

“We want to see increased activities at the ports and we want to encourage that as much as possible.

“Some of the terminals have started getting involved in the processing of exports, that is a very key and important thing for us as an authority and it is also necessary for Nigeria to export say agric. products and this is one of the things that we encourage the amount of tariff relief we give to the terminal operators” the NPA MD said.

He also said that he was in the Rivers Ports to see how the dilapidated structures could be rehabilitated, saying that two of the terminal operators, Ports and Terminal Operators Limited (PTOL) and BUA Terminal Limited, both operating at the Port Harcourt ports, have shown commitment towards rehabilitating the superstructure at their terminals.

”One of the operators, which is PTOL, has a development plan which involves bringing down some of the sheds, removing stacking areas, thereby creating more space to handle more cargo.

“We came to look at that and to discuss further with them.

” They have some collapsed berths and we are discussing how to rehabilitate that so that we have more vessels to berth at this port”

He however expressed dissatisfaction with BUA for its slow pace of work on the rehabilitation project, having been granted approval by the NPA to commence work on the collapsed quays in their terminal.

“We also looked at the BUA part of the berth and I think we have berths 5-8 that have collapsed.

“Some of these berths were built in the 1920s and they have really decayed and we should have decommissioned some of them.

“The agreement is for BUA to reconstruct some of those berths.

” We have given them approval for the final design which the company has submitted and we expect construction should resume very soon.

“The company knows how dissatisfied we are with the speed at which they are carrying on these repairs.

“We have expected that the reconstruction should have started a few months ago, but it hadn’t.

“We understand the need to plan properly and that planning is over and we expect they should resume reconstruction on those berths.

“We also came to look at the dockyard.

The dockyard is necessary and an important part of the port where you dock and service vessels, but you can see it is dilapidated.

“We are thinking on what to do either to find private investors to invest in the dockyard or the NPA to take up that responsibility, to repair the finger jetty and get the berth to work.

“So we have come to the Eastern ports because we are very serious about the need to increase vessel and cargo traffic.

“That way, we would be able to decongest the ports in Lagos.

“On the need to attract importers to the Eastern ports, we have said this so many times, the decision where the cargo will be delivered and evacuated is that of the consignee.

” The consignee decides the port of discharge for his cargo.

“We are doing all we can to encourage them to bring in their cargo to the Eastern ports.

“We are working on probably to review the tariffs, properly to give them tariff relief that will trickle down to the importers that will encourage them to bring in their cargo to the Eastern ports.

“Most of the ports in the East, their problem is the draught of the channel and that is what we are looking at.

“It is not just to reconstruct the quays, we also need to dredge deeper so that bigger vessels can come in and the economy of scale will set in and then you will be able to bring in those vessels to berth.

“We are beginning to see increased activities in Onne and we are happy to see what is going on in Onne.

” I can’t give you figures on the cost implications of these reconstruction works to NPA.

” We have interim surveys that are being carried out. We know the channels are very long so we need to determine what draught of the channel we need to achieve.

“The entrance is about 9.5 meters, there are places that are over 12, 14 meters and in some locations, they are about 9.5 meters.

“We are going to look at the survey plans of the channels and then determine what is the achievable draught and start working on the dredging”

Related Topics:featured NPA may grant tariff relief

Up Next

NPA, stakeholders decry operational delinquency of Customs, NIMASA at Onne port

Don't Miss

Panama Canal receives largest vessel by cargo capacity

Click to comment

Headlines

NIWA partners ICPC to strengthen internal transparency in its operations

Gloria Odion, Maritime Reporter

The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has announced new strategies aimed at improving its operational system and enhancing collaboration with key stakeholders as part of efforts to boost efficiency and accountability.

Speaking at a post event Press Conference at NIWA Headquarters Lokoja, the Acting Managing Director, Umar Yusuf Girei, while answering questions from journalists stated that, the organization convened a two -day Executive and Anti-Corruption training with the theme “Strengthening Integrity and Revenue System in Inland Waterways Management” organized for Board Members, Management and Area Managers and also 2026 NIWA Management Retreat in Abuja.

The Acting MD noted as part of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,with the support Adegboyega Oyetola, Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, the Authority is focused on aligning institutional goals in ensuring better service delivery to Nigerians.

He further said, as part of its anti-corruption drive, the Management held discussions with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to explore measures for strengthening transparency within its operations.

Girei therefore, assured staff that the ongoing reforms under his watch would translate into improved service and better working conditions.

“NIWA remains committed to continuous improvement and stakeholder engagement and the reforms are expected to enhance both internal performance and public confidence”. he stated.

Headlines

Navy appoints new Maritime Guard Commander for NIMASA

Gloria Odion, Maritime Reporter

The Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, has approved the appointment of Commodore Reginald Odeodi Adoki as the Commander of the Maritime Guard Command at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

Commodore Adoki takes over from Commodore H.C Oriekeze who has been redeployed.

Commodore Adoki, a principal Warfare Officer specializing in communication and intelligence, brings onboard 25 years experience in the Nigerian Navy covering training, staff and operations.

As a seaman, he has commanded NNS Andoni, NNS Kyanwa and NNS Kada.

It was under his command that NNS Kada under took her maiden voyage, sailing from the country of build (the United Arab Emirates) into Nigeria.

He was commissioned into the Nigerian Navy in 2000 with a BSc in Mathematics.

He has since earned a Masters in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos and an M.Sc in Terrorism, Security and Policing at University of Leicester, England.

He is currently pursuing a Ph.D in Defence and Security Studies at the National Defence Academy (NDA).

He is a highly decorated officer with several medals for distinguished service.

Welcoming the new MGC Commander to the Agency, the Director General, Dr Dayo Mobereola, expressed confidence in Adoki’s addition to the team, emphasising that it will further strengthen the nation’s maritime security architecture given his vast experience in the industry.

The Maritime Guard Command domiciled in NIMASA was established as part of the resolutions of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian Navy to assist NIMASA strengthen operational efficiency in Nigeria’s territorial waters, especially through enforcement of security, safety and other maritime regulations.

Customs

Customs collects N1.585 trillion from 51 compliant traders under AEO programme

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Authorized Economic Operator (AEO), one of the trade facilitation tools introduced by the Nigeria Customs Service in 2025, has begun to yield bountiful harvests with the revenue growth of ₦362.79 billion recorded in 2025.

According to the AEO scorecard released by the Service, the facilitation tool grossed the sum of N1.585 trillion after certification, an increase revenue from N1.222 trillion before certification.

This represents the growth of N362.79 billion(29.68 per cent) for 51 AEO – certified entities as at October, 2025.

The Programme, according to the NCS, also contributed 21.77% to its total revenue collection of ₦7.281 trillion in 2025, while customs duties paid rose by 85.66% due to enhanced compliance and increased volumes of legitimate trade.

According to AEO Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Report, the Programme achieved an average compliance rate of 85.45 per cent with the highest at 100 per cent and the lowest at 60 per cent.

“The evaluation applied rigorous methodologies to ensure objectivity, transparency, and alignment with the World Customs Organisation (WCO) SAFE Framework of Standards and the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.

“In the area of trade facilitation, AEO participation reduced average cargo clearance time from 168 hours to 41 hours, representing a 75.60% time saving.

“Company operating costs declined by 57.2 per cent while demurrage payments dropped by 90 per cent, limiting capital flight to foreign-owned port service providers and strengthening foreign exchange retention.

” Overall trade efficiency improved by 77.11 per through digitalisation, simplified procedures, and targeted risk management” the Customs declared in the AEO scorecard.

However, the Service singled out with Eight companies for commendation due to their integrity and compliance under the programme.

The companies include Coleman Technical Industries Limited, WACOT Rice Limited, ROMSON Oil Field Services Ltd, WACOT Limited, Chi Farms Ltd, CORMART Nigeria Ltd, PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc, Nigerian Bottling Company Limited and MTN Nigeria Communications Plc.

The Service lauded them for a cumulative voluntary remittance of over a billion naira into the Federation Account following their self-initiated transaction review and disclosure.

“These actions reflect the strengthening of post-clearance audit mechanisms and a growing culture of voluntary compliance within the trading community.

Nevertheless, the Service suspended a firm under the programme for its non- compliance and display of lack of integrity.

The suspended firm engaged in false declaration of consignments contrary to programme obligations.

“Consequently, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, directed the immediate suspension of the company’s AEO status in accordance with the AEO Guidelines, the WCO SAFE Framework of Standards, and Section 112 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.

The NCS reiterated that the AEO Programme is founded on trust, transparency, and continuous compliance.

“While compliant operators will continue to benefit from expedited clearance and reduced inspection, appropriate sanctions will be applied where violations are established.

“The Service remains resolute in safeguarding national revenue, facilitating legitimate trade, and preserving the integrity and global credibility of Nigeria’s AEO framework” the NCS concluded in the report.