Headlines

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

Bello-Koko, NPA MD, during his interaction with stakeholders at Onne port

—Customs’ detainment of exited cargo causes disruption of seamless port operations

—-NIMASA’s refusal to participate in joint boarding of vessels elongates turn- around time of vessels

Eyewitness reporter

The operational misconduct of the Onne port command of the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency(NIMASA) came under the hammer of angry stakeholders Friday when they accused the two government agencies of deviant operational procedures which they said are harming seamless port operations at Onne Port.

The angry operators used the platform provided by the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA), Mohammed Bello-Koko when he convened a stakeholders’ meeting during his two-day working visit and tour of port infrastructure at the Rivers ports.

At the Onne stakeholders’ meeting, it was Bello- Koko himself who fired the first salvo when he accused the Customs command at the port of causing needless delays in goods clearance by its incessant detainment of exited cargo at the gate.

After his appreciation of the assistance and support of the Customs command and other operators to the NPA to discharge its operational obligations, the NPA MD then drew the attention of what he called high cases of detainment of exited cargo by the Customs which he said negated the tenets of ease of doing business at the port and a mockery of international best practises.

‘However, I will like to also appeal to the Nigeria Customs command in Onne to help us reduce the increasing incidence of cases of detaining of containers that have already been cleared but are detained at the gate. This is not one of the requirements of the ease of doing business and this is not the international best practice.

“So we plead with the Customs to look into this incidence which doesn’t augur well for the rating of our ports.

However, the response of the representative of the Customs Area Controller of Onne port further aggravated the seething anger of the stakeholders who felt the action of the Customs are not in tandem with the international best practices.

The Customs has rationalised this incidence on the need to enforce compliance and ensure non-compliant trade goods do not leave the port.

”The gate is seamless but seamless gate is for compliant traders. We cannot allow non-compliant goods to pass through the gate.

”People who do not comply with cargo clearance guidelines and procedures and bring in what is not allowed cannot enjoy a seamless gate.”, the Onne Customs declared.

However, Bello-Koko could not understand why a container that was alsrady cleared and exited by a unit in the Customs will be stoped at the gate by another unit of the same Customs, a development he said showed lack of synergy among the units in the Customs.

“What we are asking for is a synergy among all the departments in Customs. These are containers that have already being cleared by a certain department in Customs but when they get to the gate, they are confisticated.

”What we are saying is that they should not even load the containers on the trucks if they have any issue with the Customs.

”I counted over 20 containers that are loaded onto the trucks because they have already been cleared only to be detained at the gate. They are blocking the road and creating nuisance.

”We would not encourage and allow any container carrying contraband to be cleared out of the port but what we are saying is the if one Customs unit has cleared it, it does not make sense for another unit to confiscate it.

”But I assure you that we shall sit with Customs and resolve this issue because we cannot allow this to continue”

He however advised the Customs authority to make use of their post clearance audit unit to deal with the issue of already exited containers but later found out to still have an infraction, rather than detaining them at the gate to cause obstruction at the port.

He lamented that this incidence is not restricted to Onne port alone but other Customs locations in the country.

Stakeholders said that detainning exited containers at the gate is an indictment on other units of Customs which have already released and exited the containers.

They hoped to resolve the issue internally at a meeting that will hold next week Tuesday.

Also, the stakeholders accused NIMASA of not participating in the Joint boarding of vessels with other relevant government agencies which they said was in contravection of the presidential order on ease of doing business aty the port.

However, the Head of Onne port NIMASA office rationised why the agency was not participating with other agencies on joint boarding of vessel.

He said that the duties of NIMASA are so technical that the agency cannot afford to go on a joint board of vessel for as short as 30 minutes.

He averred that NIMASA carries out far too more important functions that have international implications on the rating of Nigeria in international community such as maritime safety,marine environmental management and cabotage enforcement which he said has safety implications on the vessels and their crews.

He however disclosed that the agency is ready and willing to participate in the joint baording if the issue of inspection is on commercial activities which the shipping department of the agency will handle.

”NIMASA is the regulatory agency and we are bound by international conventions which we are signatory to and we have to ratify them. So the ease of doing business does not allign with these responsibilities

”The only area where NIMASA can come in is the area of commercial activities which is handled by our shipping department.

”We have told the last port manager that the Port State Control inspectors cannot just go on board of vessel and leave within one or 30 minutes, it is not possible.

”Because it has to do with the safety of the vessels and its crews.There are so many technical issues including marine environmental issues .These are very critical issues which will even affect our rating in the International Maritime Organisation.

”We make it clear to them that if they want us to be on board for that joint inspection, our shipping department which is on the commercial aspect of it is always available.

”But we cannot be on joint inspection on the issue of maritime safety,marine environmental management and cabotage enforcement, that cannot work”, the NIMASA representative declared.

However, the NPA MD would not want any of that.

He said that no agency will be allowed to go on inspection of a vessel different from when others are going.

He emphasised the need to comply with the presidential directive on ease of doing business and promised to escalate the matter to the NIMASA headquarters in Lagos.

He however mandated his lieutenants to find out if this issue of NIMASA intransigency is limited to Onne port alone or it exists in other ports locations.

”The joint boarding is what was agreed by the federal government , if there is a lacuna, we need to solve it upstairs.

”But we would not allow any agency to go on an inspection of vessel different from when others are going. But we shall speak with your headquarters (NIMASA) on this. We shall also find out if we have the same problems with NIMASA at other ports locations or is it only at Onne port.

”We need to do that immediately and by next week Tuesday, I need you to come back to me with your findings so we can start writing letters.

”But we can’t allow this. This is the reason why everybody complains. The international conventions, whatever it is, we need to find a way to put everything together to ensure that you carry out your functions without fail because you also have obligations , first of all to the nation and then to the international convections.

”Also the ease of doing business, what it does is that it allows everybody to carry out its functions within a time frame together. All the agencies are supposed to carry out whatever functions they have together at the same time with other agencies in the joint boarding.

”We all do it at once and we all come out at once. That is what the Presidential initiative on the ease of doing business said. We need to work together to make this place work and attract investments to the Nigerian ports”, Bello-Koko declared.

He however expressed the authority’s appreciation to all the stakeholders and other sister agencies of government for their support which he said have make Onne port a beautiful bride for shippers.

”We are delighted at the export potentials of Onne ports and its growing fortunes which could not have happened without the cooperation of the stakeholders. Onne port is the future given its boundless potentials, if they are properly harnessed.

”Let me, therefore, seize this opportunity to appreciate the partnership we have enjoyed from you as stakeholders and therefore called for a renewed synergy which is very critical for the optimization of operations of this port.

”I like to especially appreciate the Nigerian Customs Service in Onne for contributing and donating nine 40-footer containers given to the authority for use as security posts at the port and I can assure you of the judicious utilization of this gesture.

”I will also like to appreciate Brawal Shipping for the timely support they provide the authority by the deployment of mobile cranes and trucks in the discharge of our newly acquired marine crafts and the vital construction of palliative walls along the port access road.

”I will also like to thank the West African Container Terminal (WACT), Intels, Deep Off Shores and others who have in one way or the other assisted the authority in providing solutions to problems that have arisen.

”I want to thank the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Police, the DSS and other government agencies who have worked with us when we have security and other challenges at the port”

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Headlines

MARAN trains 20 members at shipping institute, pledges sustained capacity building

Gloria Odion, Maritme reporter

The Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN) has trained 20 of its members at the Chartered Institute of Shipping of Nigeria (CISN) in a renewed effort to deepen maritime journalists’ technical knowledge, strengthen professional competence and improve the quality of reporting on Nigeria’s shipping industry and emerging blue economy.

The Graduate Induction Training Programme, which ended on Saturday, October 10, 2026, exposed participants to the technical, regulatory, operational and environmental dimensions of the maritime industry.

Participants are expected to obtain a Postgraduate Diploma Certificate in Shipping upon successful completion of the programme.

The training covered critical areas, including maritime safety and security, integrated marine environment management, shipping and port management, cargo clearance procedures and documentation, as well as the marine and blue economy.

The initiative underscores MARAN’s determination to bridge the knowledge gap between maritime journalism and the technical realities of the shipping industry, equipping its members with the expertise required to report more accurately and analytically on developments across the sector.

Delivering the first lecture, a CISN lecturer, Mr Patrick Ambakederimo, examined the principles of maritime safety and security, highlighting their significance to efficient shipping operations, the protection of lives and property, and the sustainability of maritime activities.

He discussed the identification and management of risks associated with vessel operations, cargo handling and other maritime activities, emphasising the need for strict compliance with safety regulations, regular inspections, adequate crew training and effective emergency response mechanisms.

Participants were also exposed to the importance of intelligence sharing, effective surveillance, coordinated security operations and adherence to relevant international maritime security standards.

The lecture distinguished between maritime safety, which focuses on preventing accidents and operational hazards, and maritime security, which addresses deliberate threats, unlawful activities and other hostile acts within the maritime domain.

Another CISN lecturer, Mr Sunday Duru, delivered a lecture on integrated marine environment management, examining the need for coordinated strategies to protect marine and coastal ecosystems from the environmental pressures associated with shipping, port operations and coastal development.

Duru stressed the importance of collaboration among government agencies, maritime operators, environmental organisations, coastal communities and other stakeholders in addressing environmental challenges confronting the maritime industry.

He identified marine pollution, oil spills, improper waste disposal, plastic pollution and the degradation of coastal ecosystems as critical concerns requiring sustained attention.

He also highlighted the importance of environmental monitoring, pollution prevention, proper waste management and effective enforcement of environmental regulations in safeguarding Nigeria’s marine resources.

Other courses covered shipping and port management, cargo clearance procedures and documentation, and the marine and blue economy.

These sessions were designed to broaden participants’ understanding of the commercial and operational processes underpinning shipping and port activities, while exposing them to the economic opportunities available in fisheries, coastal tourism and other ocean-related industries.

Speaking on the initiative, MARAN President, Oluyinka Onigbinde, reaffirmed the association’s commitment to sustained capacity building as a strategy for producing a corps of maritime journalists equipped to report the industry with greater accuracy, depth and professionalism.

Onigbinde maintained that effective maritime journalism required more than the ability to gather information and write news reports, stressing that journalists must understand the policies, regulations, commercial transactions and operational processes that shape the industry.

According to him, a technically informed maritime press would be better positioned to interrogate policy decisions, scrutinise industry practices, hold stakeholders accountable and explain complex maritime issues to the public.

He said MARAN would sustain its professional development initiatives through strategic partnerships with maritime institutions, government agencies and private-sector operators, creating more opportunities for members to acquire specialised knowledge and practical industry experience.

The association, he added, would continue to explore training programmes that expose members to emerging trends in shipping, port operations, maritime security, international trade and the blue economy.

Onigbinde stressed that continuous professional development was essential to strengthening the credibility of maritime journalism and improving public understanding of the sector’s contribution to national economic growth.

He expressed optimism that the knowledge acquired by participants would translate into improved reporting, particularly in the coverage of port efficiency, shipping operations, maritime safety, environmental sustainability and government policies affecting the industry.

The training comes at a time when Nigeria is intensifying efforts to improve port competitiveness, strengthen maritime security, promote environmental sustainability and unlock the economic potential of its marine resources.

For MARAN, the programme represents an investment not only in the professional development of its members but also in the quality of public discourse on the maritime industry.

By equipping journalists with a deeper understanding of the sector’s technical and commercial realities, the association hopes to promote more informed reporting, strengthen accountability and enhance public appreciation of the maritime industry’s role in Nigeria’s economic development.

Customs

MACI hails Customs’ anti-corruption framework, demands full implementation

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Media Anti-Corruption Initiative (MACI) has applauded the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, for introducing a comprehensive anti-corruption framework aimed at identifying institutional vulnerabilities, strengthening internal controls and promoting integrity across the operations of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

The initiative, which MACI described as a significant milestone in the fight against corruption within the Service, is anchored on three key documents signed by the Customs chief: the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Internal Corruption Risk Analysis and Mapping (ICRAM), the ICRAM Handbook and the Integrity Action Plan (IAP).

In a statement jointly signed by MACI President, Funso Olojo, and Project Coordinator, Lod Onyeji, the organisation described the development as a “pivotal moment in the fight against corruption within the Nigeria Customs Service.”

Mr Olojo, who commended the initiative of the Customs, noted that the stance of the agency on corruption is in alignment with the aims and objectives of MACI which is an advocate for corruption- free society.

The signing ceremony, held on October 6th, 2026, at the NCS Headquarters in Abuja, also witnessed the inauguration of the ICRAM Steering Committee, which is responsible for identifying, assessing and mapping corruption risks across the Service’s operations.

According to the statement, the framework represents a proactive institutional approach to tackling corruption by identifying vulnerabilities in Customs processes and establishing measures to prevent abuse of office, improve accountability and strengthen public confidence in the Service.

The Comptroller-General, Adeniyi, disclosed that the framework was developed in collaboration with the World Customs Organisation (WCO) and partner administrations, including His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) of the United Kingdom.

He explained that the documents provide practical guidance for Customs officers operating at seaports, land borders and airports, equipping them with procedures and controls designed to promote integrity, transparency and accountability in the discharge of their responsibilities.

MACI noted that the introduction of the framework followed a pilot programme conducted across seven Customs Commands and Units, covering 66 processes spanning regulatory activities, core Customs operations and support functions.

The exercise culminated in the development of a comprehensive Integrity Action Plan containing 101 action items and 295 sub-actions designed to address identified corruption risks and strengthen institutional safeguards.

Key measures outlined in the plan include increased automation and improved audit trails, stronger supervisory mechanisms, clearer accountability structures, effective segregation of duties, regular staff rotations and targeted training programmes.

The framework also seeks to strengthen controls governing interactions between Customs officers and stakeholders, an area considered critical to reducing opportunities for corrupt practices and improving compliance with established procedures.

MACI commended the Customs leadership for adopting a risk-based approach to corruption prevention, noting that identifying and addressing institutional weaknesses before they are exploited is essential to building a transparent and accountable public institution.

The organisation, however, stressed that the effectiveness of the initiative would ultimately depend on the consistent implementation of the prescribed measures across all commands and operational units of the Service.

It therefore urged Customs management, officers, stakeholders and relevant partner institutions to support the full implementation of the framework to ensure that the initiative delivers measurable improvements in institutional integrity.

MACI expressed confidence that effective implementation of the ICRAM framework and Integrity Action Plan would strengthen internal controls, reduce corruption risks, promote ethical conduct and enhance public trust in the Nigeria Customs Service.

The organisation emphasised that the new framework should not merely remain a collection of policy documents but should translate into tangible changes in operational practices, staff conduct and the overall culture of accountability within the Service.

Headlines

NIMASA flaunts automation process of Nigerian ship registry at 2- day webinar with stakeholders

Funso OLOJO Editor

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) will host a two-part stakeholder webinar on October 6 and 8, 2026, to showcase the ongoing automation of the Nigerian Ship Registry as part of efforts to modernise ship registration services and enhance the competitiveness of the Nigerian flag.

The webinars will provide shipowners, operators, maritime professionals, financial institutions, insurers and other stakeholders with insights into the new digital registration platform and its potential to significantly improve the speed, transparency and efficiency of ship registration and related services.

The automated system is designed to enable 24/7 access to registration services, streamline application and approval processes, and facilitate faster issuance of electronic certificates, thereby reducing administrative delays associated with conventional paper-based procedures.

A key feature of the platform is its capacity to provide secure, real-time tracking of ship mortgages and related registry transactions. This will strengthen transparency and provide greater visibility for stakeholders, including financial institutions and other parties involved in vessel financing.

The automation initiative is also expected to make interaction with the Nigerian Ship Registry more seamless for local and international shipowners, while improving the Agency’s ability to deliver efficient, responsive and globally competitive flag-state services.

Speaking on the initiative, the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of NIMASA, Dr Dayo Mobereola, said the automation of the Ship Registry was part of the Agency’s broader commitment to transforming the Nigerian flag and creating an enabling environment for increased participation in the global shipping industry.

“The automation of the Nigerian Ship Registry represents a significant step in our commitment to providing efficient, transparent and globally competitive services to shipowners and other maritime stakeholders.

“Our objective is to make the Nigerian flag more accessible, responsive and attractive through technology-driven processes that meet international standards,” Mobereola declared.

The ongoing user-testing phase is focused on validating the platform’s functionality, security and user experience ahead of its official deployment.

NIMASA said the webinars would also provide an opportunity for stakeholders to understand the platform, experience its key features and provide feedback as the Agency moves towards full implementation.

The Agency is inviting shipowners, ship managers, maritime professionals, financial institutions, insurers, legal practitioners, classification societies and other interested stakeholders to participate in the webinars.