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Excitement grips maritime stakeholders as MARAN holds 34th anniversary celebration

The Eyewitness reporter
Excited maritime stakeholders are waiting with bated breath for the night of excellence when the maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria(MARAN) decides to hold its long-awaited 34th-anniversary celebration slated for this week Friday, December 9th, 2022.
An elated Minister of Transportation Engr Muazu Sambo, who is the guest of honour on the occasion and also to be conferred with the prestigious Diamond Award, has sworn not to miss the event for anything as, according to him, “maritime sector is my first love, and MARAN is my immediate constituency”
According to the association’s event planning committee, the anniversary night of glitz will hold at the high-brow Providence Hotel, GRA, Ikeja.
The event, which will highlight the glorious rise of the foremost maritime media association to stardom since 1988, will attract the creme la creme of the industry who will discuss the topic theme  “16 Years of Port Concession; The Pains and the Gains,”

The epoch-making event is to be chaired by Dr. Ade Dosunmu, former Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

The time for the event and Gala is slated for 4 pm Prompt.

The 34th anniversary and Awards night 2022 of MARAN is expected to be attended by over 250 maritime industry professionals; cutting across the maritime agencies, terminal operators, security agencies, and international and domestic companies operating in Nigeria.Expected to also receive awards at the MARAN night of excellence include; Chairman of SIFAX Group, Dr. Taiwo Afolabi, Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Bashir Jamoh, Capt Emmanuel Iheanacho, Chairman of Genesis Worldwide Shipping, Princess Dr Vicky Haastrup, Chairperson, Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN)

Others are; Presidential flag bearer of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso, Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, Col Hameed Ali, Chairman of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Brig Gen Buba Marwa (Rtd) Founder of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, former President of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Prince Olayiwola Shittu as well as the Chairman of Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) Tsanni Abubakar.Other notable stakeholders to bag the MARAN prestigious awards are; Customs Area Controller, Apapa Customs Command, Compt Yusuf Malanta, Chairman of Wealthy Honey Nigeria Limited, Dr. Kayode Farinto, the Iyalaje Kano and Chairman of Bomarah Group, Hajia Bola Muse, President General of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, frontline Shipowner, Alhaji Aminu Umar.

Others are; Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA) Customs Area Controller, Onne Customs Command, Compt Auwal Mohammed, National Coordinator of 100% Compliance Team of NAGAFF, Alhaji Tanko Ibrahim, former Executive Director Finance and Administration of NPA, Mr. Olumide Oduntan.

Companies and government agencies that are billed to clinch awards include; Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) APM Terminals Apapa, Tolaram Group, proponents of the Lekki Deep Seaport, frontline logistics firm; Settle Systems Nigeria Limited, Grimaldi Shipping Nigeria Limited among others.

The lead paper for the event would be delivered by Barr Hassan Bello, immediate past Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippers Council while the Managing Director of NPA, Mohammed Bello-Koko, Mrs. Jean Chiazor Anishere, Managing Director of Trucks Transit Park Limited (PTT) Jama Onwubuariri and Registrar of NAGAFF Academy, Mr. Francis Omotosho would discuss the paper.

Apart from these, all the maritime agencies, including NPA, NIMASA, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Nigeria Shippers Council (NSC), terminal operators; including TICT Terminal, PTML Terminal, APM Terminals among others have all expressed their desire to be fully involved in the one-day MARAN anniversary and awards,

The committee stated that the conference with the theme: ’16 Years of Port Concession: The Pains and The Gains’ would provide ample opportunity for notable maritime experts and professionals to speak on critical issues affecting the port since 2006.

The planning committee noted that the MARAN Awards celebration comes once a decade and the last edition was held in December 2013.

MARAN is the foremost maritime media association that was formed in November 1988 and has since then remained the umbrella body of all journalists posted to cover or report the activities of the nation’s shipping and allied business.

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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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Economy

Dangote group remits N402.3 billion tax to government coffers in 2024

Gloria Odion 
The Pan African Conglomerate, Dangote Industries Limited and its subsidiaries, have disclosed that it paid over N402 billion in taxes in 2024, making it the highest taxpayer in the country.
Dangote’s Chief Branding and Communication Officer, Anthony Chiejina, declared during a meeting with some senior media executives who visited him in his Lagos Office.
He said Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) and its subsidiaries, namely, Dangote Cement, NASCON, Dangote Packaging Limited among others, remitted a total of N402.319billion for the out-gone year as taxes as responsible business enterprises.
Recall that Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) had in late 2024 recognised  Dangote group and its subsidiary, Bluestar Shipping as the most tax compliant organizations in the country during its Special Day at the 2024 Lagos International Trade Fair organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI).
The Federal Inland Revenue Service is Nigeria’s agency responsible for assessing, collecting and accounting for tax and other revenues accruing to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Chiejina told his visitors that as a responsible business organisation, DIL and its subsidiaries have never shieded away from its obligations either to the government in the form of tax payment at all levels or to host communities in the form of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
According to him, the Group’s corporate strategy has evolved just as its businesses have grown, matured and diversified into new sectors and regions over the last four decades.
He noted that Dangote Group has almost single-handedly taken Nigeria to self-sufficiency in cement and refined petroleum products and is expanding rapidly across Africa.
Dangote Group and its subsidiaries were recognised as number one most compliant in tax payment in the country, just as its subsidiary Dangote Cement, the country’s leading cement manufacturer, at another occasion won three awards at the FMDQ Gold Awards in Lagos as the most active business in the Foreign Exchange market.
Dangote Cement Plc was adjudged as the Largest Commercial Paper Quotation on FMDQ and Single Largest Corporate Debt Issue on FMDQ.
 Also, Dangote Industries Ltd also emerged as the “Most active corporate in the foreign exchange market”.
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Headlines

NIWA Chairman charges Oyebamiji to phase out wooden boats from Nigeria’s waterways

Funso OLOJO 
The newly appointed Chairman of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Hon.Musa Sarkin-Adar, has charged the management team of the Authority led by its Managing Director, Bola Oyebamiji, to phase out wooden boats from Nigeria’s waterways.
Musa Sarkin-Adar, who paid a
 familiarization visit to the management team of NIWA in its Abuja liaison office, in a bid to minimize boat mishaps on the waterways.
He believed it would be a lasting legacy for the present leadership of NIWA if accidents could be minimized on the Waterways.
The Chairman’s advice is however in alignment with the NIWA’ s resolve to stamp out wooden and rickety boats on waterways.
However, Musa Sarkin-Adar further encouraged the NIWA team to do more in connecting other states in the water transportation.
He emphasized on the need for the involvement of the private sector in the development of water transportation, as government cannot do it alone.
In his response, Oyebamiji expressed appreciation for the visit and encouraging words of the chairman and pledged the commitment of of NIWA management to make the nation’s waterways safe and secure.
Oyebamiji also commended the efforts of his management team in the development of the Inland Waterways
Transportation sub-sector.
According to him, he is blessed with an experienced and dedicated team which he cannot take the glory alone.
The Chairman’s visit was attended by all the management staff of the Authority.
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