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CVFF loans useless without jobs—- Shipowners

—I won’t touch it with a long pole–Captain Labinjo

The Eyewitness reporter
The Indigenous ship owners have expressed pessimism over the viability of the loans obtained under the controversial Cabotage Vessels Financing Funds (CVFF).
It could be recalled that the Minister of Transportation, Engr Muazu Sambo, at the weekend, announced the approval of President Muhammad Buhari for the disbursement of CVFF after over 17 years of inception, a decision that elicited mixed reactions among maritime stakeholders.
However, some indigenous ship owners, for whom the funds are meant, were less enthusiastic about the news which they said had become regular rhetorics from the government.
One of the cynics of the CVFF programme and who was less excited by the presidential approval which he said he had before was Captain Niyi Olabinjo, the former President of the Nigerian Indigenous Ship owners Association (NISA).
Speaking at the sidelines of the flag-off ceremony of the third phase of the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) held in Lagos at the weekend, Captain Niyi Olabinjo said he was not excited by the news of presidential approval for the disbursement of the funds.
According to him, collecting the loans will be useless without having jobs to execute.
” I am not excited because getting a ship is just one aspect of the whole process but making sure the ship gets jobs is more crucial.
“Where are the jobs for the vessels that will be purchased by the CVFF loans?
He swore not to touch the loans with a ten-foot pole because of a lack of jobs to execute.
“I won’t apply for the loans, just like many other ship owners who have no jobs.
“Give me one million ships and don’t give me jobs, I would reject it” Captain Niyi Olabinjo declared.
He observed that the beneficiaries of the loans may find it difficult to pay back without jobs to execute.
He said that in other climes, it is not money that is only arranged for ship owners but jobs also.
”Personally, I will not apply. Some people may apply because they have jobs but I don’t have a job.
“Anyone who gets the CVFF, in another two, five to ten years, if he is unable to pay back, the government will start to harass him with the EFCC” he declared.
Captain Labinjo condemned the use of Cabotage waivers when foreigners like Indians, and Pakistani have taken over the Nigerian Cabotage trade, lamenting they are the ones running the tanker business in Nigeria.
“How many local operators have tanker vessels, maybe two or three, they have all gone under” he lamented.
He said the continued use of waivers for about 19 years now shows that the Nigerian Cabotage regime is not growing.
The indigenous operator also frowned at the exclusion of indigenous ship owners in the selection process of the beneficiaries of the funds.
” CVFF is like esusu( contributions) by indigenous ship owners. It is our esusu(money)”.
”How can you select the beneficiaries for disbursement without getting us involved in the process? he queried.
However, Umar Aminu, another foremost indigenous ship owner said he was excited at the news of presidential approval for the disbursement of the funds.
“I was excited because this is what the ship owners have been looking forward to over the years.
”We have been contributing towards the funds since 2007 so it is time for us to access it” Aminu enthused.
He disagreed with Labinjo, saying there are enough jobs for the beneficiaries of the loans to execute to enable them to liquidate the debts at the appropriate time.
He noted that securing the loans under the CVFF will mean more vessels and capacity development for local operators.
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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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