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Exclusive! FG grants SON  Six months provisional stay at Ports

 

Eyewitness reporter
Using a combined instrumentality of propaganda, blackmail and lobbying, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) may have succeeded in its long-time inordinate ambition to return back to the ports.
Confirmed sources in the presidency told our correspondent that the agency may have secured a six- months provisional stay at the Port.
The source, who craved anonymity, said the management of SON was able to lobby and convinced Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, who asked the agency to return to the port for an initial six months period.
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo is the Chairman of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) which oversees the Ease of doing business at Ports.
The modalities for the eventual return of the agency are currently being worked out to synchronize with the existing structure of other agencies at the Port.
Following the approval of the presidency for SON to return to the port, its Director General, Malam Farouk Salim, has been visiting the heads of the relevant agencies at the Port to secure their support and cooperation for a seamless return.
Malam Salim visited the Customs Authority, NPA and other approved agencies at the Port to court their favourable disposition and good reception to the comeback of the SON.
His visit to the Managing Director of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello-Koko, recently was strategic because the NPA is the agency that monitors to ensure the compliance of agencies of government to the directive of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) concerning agencies are allowed in the ports.
At the meeting with the NPA, the SON DG was reported to have discussed the modalities of the agency’s return and how the NPA would ensure it makes it seamless through the provision of office accommodation and other logistics as the port landlord.
The SON was among the mushroom agencies that were weeded out of the ports through the 2011 Presidential Directive to reduce agencies operating at the ports.
After the surgical operations, the over 20 agencies that were then operating at the Port were pruned down to Seven.
They included the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigeria Police, Department of State Service (DSS), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and Port Health.
But later, the NDLEA and NAFDAC came in through the back door through ceaseless lobbying and campaigns.
These now raised the approved numbers of agencies at the ports to nine.
However, since then, SON has embarked on a relentless campaign to also return to the port, taking a cue from the NDLEA and NAFDAC that were initially dropped but later added.
Despite the fruitlessness of its relentless campaigns to stage a comeback, SON was not a deterrent in its desire to return.
However, the campaign reached a crescendo when the incumbent DG of the agency, Malam Salim, was appointed in 2020.
Malam Salim employed a hybrid of methods to get SON back to the port.
The agency used public enlightenment, lectures and seminars where stakeholders were engaged to speak in favour of the agency’s return.
Critical stakeholders such as the leadership of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) became the megaphones of the agency, advocating for its return.
The two leading associations, which observers said should have ordinarily opposed the staged-managed comeback, given its implications on the cost of clearing procedures and other encumbrances, were at the forefront of the campaign to bring back the agency to the port.
SON management also employed an instrument of blackmail in its bid to return to the port.
At one of his numerous press briefings, which were judiciously deployed in its campaigns,, the DG of SON was quoted to have accused the Customs of complicity in the influx of fake and substandard products into the country, a statement which the DG later denied.
However, the long and persistent bid of the agency to return may have finally paid off with the presidential approval for its initial six months trial at the Port.
The officials of the agency whom our reporter contacted for confirmation of the development were not forthcoming, saying it was only the DG who could comment on the matter.
However, one of the officials confirmed that the modalities for the return are being worked out by the presidency with other existing agencies at the Port.
“Let’s keep our fingers crossed, when all the necessary steps have been taken, the DG himself would address the press to give the modalities for the return.
“Right now, I can’t say anything until the DG holds the press conference” the SON source declared.
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Analyses

The invisible toll gates:Why National Single Window is Nigeria’s ultimate economic battleground

Monday Discourse with  Ibrahim Nasiru
Walk into any market in Nigeria today, from the commercial hubs of Lagos to the roadside stalls in Yola, and ask why a bag of rice or an imported spare part costs three times what it did last year.
The typical public commentator will blame global inflation, floating currencies, or macro-economic shocks.
But those who understand logistics know the real truth lies buried under layers of paper, manual stamps, and artificial delays at our seaports.
Nigeria’s international trade is suffocating not from a lack of deep water, but from a deliberate design of convenience.
The recent operational rollout of the National Single Window (NSW) has triggered behind-the-scenes panic among Port cartels, and for good reason.
For decades, keeping our clearing processes fragmented, manual, and dependent on desk-to-desk human interaction was the perfect business model for syndicates.
When cargo dwell times drag on for 21 days, those delays are money in the pockets of the gatekeepers and a death sentence for local businesses.
Let us look at the raw field realities. The push by the Nigeria Customs Service to aggressively crash clearance times down to global 48-hour standards is meeting fierce internal resistance.
Why? Because a unified digital ecosystem means you cannot easily manipulate documentation, hide illicit cargo, or demand “mobilization fees” before signing off a container.
The outcry and protests from certain freight-forwarding syndicates aren’t about technical glitches; they are about the sudden closure of invisible toll gates.
This is exactly why governance at our national gateways can no longer be left to the mercy of transactional bureaucratic habits.
Building deep-sea infrastructure like Lekki Port is a massive physical achievement, but concrete and cranes are useless if the administrative processes at the gate remain backward.
 Real structural reform requires turning our Ports into automated, friction-free pipelines that prioritize production over rent-seeking.
If Nigeria wants to survive this fiscal squeeze, the National Single Window cannot just be treated as another glossy IT project launched in Abuja.
 It requires unyielding administrative enforcement to completely dismantle the corrupt cartels managing the manual desk chains.
The invisible toll gates at our Ports must be completely demolished, and that exact same structural discipline must be scaled across our border stations and trade corridors.
The era of managing international trade with 20th-century paper trails is dying. The future belongs to the builders of automated, transparent systems.
Chief Ibrahim Nasiru, a public affairs analyst,  writes from Abuja 
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Headlines

NANTA Exco embarks on seven-day Ghana retreat, fam trip to deepen regional tourism partnership

Gloria Odion, Reporter

The National Executive Council (NEC) of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) has commenced a seven-day executive retreat and familiarisation (fam) trip to Ghana, hosted by Safari World, as part of efforts to strengthen regional tourism partnerships and expand cross-border travel opportunities.

The NANTA delegation was received at Safari World Homes in Accra by the Chairman of the Safari World Group, Mr. Ernest Gyekye, who expressed delight at hosting the Nigerian travel trade leaders.

He assured the delegation of a memorable experience throughout their week-long stay.

Speaking on the significance of the visit, NANTA President, Mr. Yinka Folami, described the retreat and familiarisation tour as a strategic initiative aimed at fostering stronger business relationships and promoting collaborative tourism development across Africa.

“This mission is not a leisure trip,” Folami said. “It is a deliberate step to implement and expand our association’s marketing advocacy for Nigerian brands across borders.”

He noted that Nigeria and Ghana share deep historical, cultural and commercial ties that should be leveraged to drive tourism growth on the continent.

“Nigeria and Ghana share history, culture, trade and people. The future of our tourism cannot be built in silos,” he said.

“This retreat is about moving from policy to practice—creating real products, real partnerships and real movement of travellers between Accra and Lagos.”

As part of the programme, the NANTA executives will engage in strategic business-to-business (B2B) meetings with their Ghanaian counterparts, tour key tourism destinations under the Safari World brand, and participate in cultural exchange activities designed to promote stronger bilateral tourism cooperation.

The itinerary spans Safari World’s three flagship destinations, including Safari Homes in Accra, the Aqua Safari riverfront experience, Safari Island Cruise, Safari Nautica, and Safari Recreation and Sports facilities in Ada, as well as the Safari Valley Eco Resort and Safari Eco Park in Dawu.

Operating under the brand promise, “One World, Three Destinations, Over 20 Unique Experiences,” Safari World is leveraging the visit to strengthen its footprint in the Nigerian travel market while positioning Ghana as a premier destination for leisure tourism, conferences, group travel, family holidays and premium tourism experiences.

A major highlight of the visit will be the Executive Dinner scheduled for July 21 at the Safari Valley Eco Resort, where key stakeholders from Nigeria and Ghana’s tourism industries will deliberate on strategies for deepening travel trade and advancing regional tourism development.

The familiarisation tour is expected to provide NANTA’s leadership with first-hand knowledge of Safari World’s tourism offerings, paving the way for the development of attractive travel packages and stronger business partnerships that will benefit Nigerian travellers and the wider West African tourism industry.

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Customs

Ogun Customs spurns claims of Smugglers’ takeover of Idiroko–Sango Ota trading Route

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Ogun I Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has dismissed as false reports alleging that smugglers had taken over the Idiroko–Sango Ota trading route in Ogun State, describing the claims as a deliberate misrepresentation of a traffic incident.
In a statement issued by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Customs (SC) Chado, the Command clarified that the traffic gridlock on the route resulted from the breakdown of an articulated commercial trailer after it fell into a badly deteriorated section of Atan Road, temporarily obstructing the free flow of traffic.
According to the Command, the vehicles caught in the ensuing congestion were legitimate commercial trucks transporting red palm oil to various local markets and had no connection whatsoever with smuggling activities.
It explained that the large number of heavy-duty trucks trapped in the gridlock may have led some members of the public to wrongly conclude that smugglers had taken over the road.
“The reports that smugglers blocked the road are inaccurate. The disruption resulted from a road accident and poor road conditions. The vehicles involved were lawful commercial vehicles transporting red palm oil for legitimate trade,” Chado stated.
The Command urged journalists, social media users and the general public to verify information before disseminating reports capable of creating unnecessary panic or undermining public confidence in security agencies.
Observers within the border trade sector noted that the allegation does not reflect the prevailing security situation within the Ogun I Area Command, where anti-smuggling operations have been intensified under the leadership of the Acting Customs Area Controller, Comptroller O.O. Afeni.
Since assuming office, Comptroller Afeni has strengthened intelligence-driven surveillance, enhanced collaboration with other security agencies and host communities, and sustained pressure on economic saboteurs operating along the Ogun border corridors.
These measures, according to stakeholders, have resulted in significant seizures of prohibited goods and reinforced the Command’s resolve to safeguard Nigeria’s economy and territorial integrity.
Maritime and border trade stakeholders also cautioned against the spread of unverified information capable of undermining the efforts of security personnel or creating a false impression of lawlessness in border communities.
They stressed that while combating smuggling remains an ongoing responsibility, responsible and accurate reporting is equally critical to ensuring that operational achievements are not overshadowed by misinformation.
The Ogun I Area Command reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining its anti-smuggling campaign while facilitating legitimate cross-border trade in line with the statutory mandate of the Nigeria Customs Service.

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