–-target waste, pollution, boost navigation, fisheries and blue economy

Funso Olojo, Editor

The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), in partnership with Parts Central Limited, is set to launch a nationwide environmental initiative aimed at tackling pollution, indiscriminate waste disposal and debris choking Nigeria’s inland waterways.

The pioneering programme, which seeks to turn waste recovered from the waterways into economic value, is expected to simultaneously improve navigation, create employment, protect aquatic biodiversity and strengthen Nigeria’s fisheries economy.

Government officials and key private-sector stakeholders across the maritime sector have been invited to the official unveiling of the initiative scheduled for Tuesday, August 18th, 2026, at Bic Garden, Lagos.

The project was conceived under the leadership of the immediate past Managing Director of NIWA, Asiwaju Bola Oyebamiji, and represents an ambitious attempt to introduce a structured and sustainable approach to the management of waste across Nigeria’s inland waterway network.

The initiative will identify major sources of pollution and indiscriminate waste disposal, deploy organised systems for removing waste from the waterways and develop mechanisms for converting recovered waste into economic opportunities.

According to the promoters, the programme is designed not merely as a clean-up exercise but as an environmental and economic intervention capable of supporting communities that depend on the waterways for their livelihoods.

Beyond Cleaning the Waterways

A major objective of the programme is to improve the navigability of Nigeria’s inland waterways by removing debris and other pollution-related obstructions that impede the movement of boats and watercraft.

The initiative is also expected to contribute to the conservation of aquatic biodiversity, much of which remains poorly documented, while creating a cleaner and healthier environment for aquatic life.

Stakeholders believe that cleaner waterways could have significant implications for Nigeria’s fisheries sector, particularly communities whose livelihoods depend heavily on fishing and other water-based economic activities.

The project therefore places environmental sustainability at the centre of the broader economic development potential of Nigeria’s inland waterways.

Blue Economy Gets Fresh Push

The initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s emerging blue economy strategy, which seeks to move Nigeria’s maritime resources beyond their traditional use for transportation and exploit their wider economic potential.

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has consistently advocated the strategic development of Nigeria’s inland waterways as important assets for economic diversification, employment creation and sustainable development.

The partnership between NIWA and Parts Central is expected to provide a practical pathway for translating some of these blue economy objectives into grassroots environmental and economic interventions.

Oyebamiji’s Legacy

The initiative also represents one of the major sustainability programmes associated with the tenure of Oyebamiji as Managing Director of NIWA.

Oyebamiji, who is now the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Osun State, had placed emphasis on improving the capacity and functionality of Nigeria’s inland waterways during his tenure.

The nationwide waterways clean-up programme is expected to build on that environmental and sustainability agenda by providing a structured framework for tackling one of the persistent challenges confronting inland water transportation and the wider aquatic ecosystem.

Stakeholders seek buy-in

In a joint statement, NIWA Lagos Area Manager, Engr. Sarat Braimah, and Managing Director of Parts Central Limited, Henry Olaoluwa Onifade, said the Lagos unveiling was designed to properly brief stakeholders on the initiative and secure their support for its implementation.

They stressed the importance of collaboration among government agencies, private-sector operators, waterfront communities, environmental stakeholders and other participants in the maritime ecosystem to achieve the objectives of the programme.

The partners said the success of the initiative would depend significantly on broad stakeholder participation and sustained commitment to responsible waste management.

With Nigeria’s inland waterways stretching across a vast network of rivers, creeks, lakes and navigable channels, the initiative is expected to provide a platform for a more coordinated national response to waterway pollution while unlocking new opportunities in waste recycling, environmental services, fisheries and other components of the blue economy.

The August 18 unveiling in Lagos will therefore mark the formal beginning of what the promoters envisage as a nationwide environmental intervention to make Nigeria’s inland waterways cleaner, safer, more navigable and economically productive.

–generates N19.84bn in 7 months, beats 2025 full-year revenue by N3.9bn

Gloria Odion Maritme reporter

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Seme Area Command, has intercepted a truckload of 1,306 bags of expired noodles, illicit drugs, 310,000 sticks of cigarettes, foreign rice and 3,300 cartridges of explosive materials in a major crackdown on smuggling and cross-border criminality.

The seized consignments, alongside several vehicles and watercraft, have a combined Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N365.16 million, underscoring the intensity of enforcement operations along the Seme border corridor.

The Command also delivered a major revenue performance, generating N19.84 billion between January and July 2026, already surpassing its entire 2025 collection of N15.94 billion by N3.9 billion.

The seven-month collection represents a 24.45 per cent increase over the Command’s 2025 annual performance.

The Area Controller, Seme Area Command, Comptroller Abdullahi Kaila,who disclosed the seizures while briefing journalists during the display of the seized items, said the enforcement successes were products of intelligence gathering, surveillance, inter-agency cooperation and the vigilance of Customs personnel.

He said the Command would continue to combine aggressive enforcement with trade facilitation to protect the Nigerian economy while ensuring that legitimate businesses operating through the border are not frustrated.

Expired noodles destined for Nigerian market

One of the most disturbing seizures involved 1,306 sacks of expired and waste noodles, each weighing 50kg.

The consignment was intercepted after Customs officers, acting on intelligence, stopped a truck falsely declared to be carrying food items.

Examination of the truck revealed the expired noodles, which had deteriorated and were visibly decomposing.

Preliminary intelligence indicated that the products were allegedly being moved for repackaging and relabelling before being pushed into the Nigerian market.

The interception, according to the Command, prevented potentially hazardous food products from reaching unsuspecting consumers.

The Command stressed that its border enforcement mandate goes beyond revenue protection, noting that Customs operations also serve as a critical line of defence against products capable of endangering public health.

1,268 bags of foreign rice intercepted

Customs officers also intercepted 1,268 bags of foreign parboiled rice, each weighing 50kg, allegedly smuggled into the country through unauthorised routes.

The Command said the illegal importation of rice deprives government of legitimate revenue while undermining domestic agricultural production and investments in Nigeria’s rice value chain.

It warned smugglers and their collaborators that officers would sustain surveillance across identified smuggling routes and flashpoints within the border area.

Cannabis, Tramadol, Tapentadol, Cigarettes Seized

The enforcement operation also yielded significant seizures of illicit drugs and regulated products.

Items intercepted included 373 parcels of Cannabis Sativa, 90 packs of Tramaking 250mg, 69 packs of Royal Tapentadol 250mg and 310,000 sticks of Time/Yes cigarettes.

The Command said the seizure had disrupted illicit supply chains and prevented substances capable of fuelling drug abuse and other social vices from entering Nigerian communities.

The seized pharmaceutical products and illicit drugs are to be handed over to the appropriate regulatory and enforcement agencies for further investigation and necessary action.

3,300 explosive cartridges raise security alarm

The seizure of 3,300 cartridges of explosive materials emerged as one of the most significant security breakthroughs recorded by the Command.

The materials were intercepted while being illegally conveyed through the border corridor.

Given the potential security implications of explosives falling into the hands of criminal networks, the Command said the seizure was particularly significant.

It warned that such materials could potentially be diverted for violent criminal activities, including terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.

The explosive materials have been transferred to the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit of the Nigeria Police Force for safe custody and further investigation.

One suspect linked to the seizure has also been transferred to the police unit.

Vehicles, watercraft impounded

The enforcement operations further resulted in the interception of a number of vehicles and watercraft.

They include a used speedboat, used water bike, 2017 Toyota Land Cruiser, 2016 Toyota RAV4 and 2010 Nissan Versa.

According to the Command, the combined DPV of all the seized items stands at N365,163,709.

The seizures demonstrate the breadth of the Command’s enforcement activities, ranging from prohibited food products and illicit drugs to vehicles, cigarettes and materials with serious national security implications.

Seme Customs beats 2025 revenue in seven months

While intensifying its enforcement operations, the Command has simultaneously recorded a strong revenue performance.

The Command generated N15,941,258,676.01 in 2025, but within the first seven months of 2026, it had already collected N19,840,280,788.50.

The figure represents an increase of N3,899,022,112.49 over the entire 2025 collection.

The Command attributed the revenue growth to improved compliance, stronger engagement with stakeholders, greater operational efficiency and enhanced facilitation of legitimate trade.

The Area Controller said the revenue performance demonstrates that enforcement and trade facilitation are not contradictory, but complementary elements of modern Customs administration.

He said compliant businesses would continue to receive the necessary support to operate in a predictable and efficient border environment, while smugglers would face sustained enforcement pressure.

AfCFTA, border security in focus

The Seme Area Command also reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the Federal Government’s economic reform agenda, particularly through the facilitation of legitimate regional trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The Command said its strategy was to keep legitimate commerce moving while tightening the border against economic saboteurs and transnational criminal networks.

It also acknowledged the contributions of sister security agencies and regulatory bodies to intelligence sharing and joint enforcement operations.

The Command said the illicit drugs and unregistered pharmaceutical products would be formally handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) as appropriate.

It further commended the media for its role in keeping the public informed about Customs operations and promoting transparency and accountability.

The Command warned smugglers operating along the Seme corridor that the border would not provide a sanctuary for economic sabotage, illicit trade or cross-border criminality.

Bergmans subsidiary wins 20-year continental customs modernisation contract 

Gloria Odion, Maritme reporter

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has hailed the emergence of Nigeria’s homegrown Customs modernisation model as a continental benchmark following the selection of a subsidiary of Nigerian-owned Bergmans Security Consultant and Supplies Limited to execute a 20-year, multi-billion-dollar AfCFTA Customs Modernisation Project.

The development, according to the President, represents a major vote of confidence in Nigeria’s growing capacity to develop indigenous technology and expertise capable of powering Africa’s emerging trade architecture.

The project will be implemented by AfriTrade CMP Limited, a subsidiary of Bergmans, and is expected to deploy digital and physical infrastructure for customs processing, cargo tracking, border management and trade-data exchange across participating African countries.

Tinubu’s commendation was contained in a State House statement issued yesterday, Monday, August 10th, 2026, by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

The President said the continental deal was particularly significant because another subsidiary of Bergmans, Trade Modernisation Project Limited, is already implementing Nigeria’s Customs Modernisation Programme in partnership with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

He described the development as evidence that solutions developed and tested in Nigeria could now be scaled across the continent.

“What has been built and tested in Nigeria is now providing a model for the continent. This is how African integration should work: Africans building African solutions for African markets,” Tinubu said.

He added that Nigerian institutions and businesses could play a pivotal role in building the technology and infrastructure required to make the African Continental Free Trade Area work effectively.

“Under our Nigeria First policy, we will continue to create opportunities for capable Nigerian businesses to compete at home, across Africa and globally,” the President said.

Tinubu specifically commended Bergmans, AfriTrade CMP Limited, Trade Modernisation Project Limited, the Nigeria Customs Service, Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi and Nigerian professionals whose work, he said, had earned continental confidence.

The President said the development also reflected the transformation taking place within the Nigeria Customs Service under Adeniyi, particularly in the areas of digitalisation, institutional reform, trade facilitation and indigenous technology deployment.

AfCFTA endorsement

The continental endorsement gathered momentum during the recent visit of the Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, Wamkele Mene, to the NCS Headquarters in Abuja, where he inspected the Customs Service’s modernisation platform.

Mene visited the headquarters alongside members of the Senate Committee on Customs led by Senator Jibrin Isah, following a two-day retreat on customs modernisation and reforms.

After witnessing the system in operation, the AfCFTA Secretary-General described B’Odogwu, Nigeria’s indigenous Unified Customs Management System, as a model with potential for wider adoption across Africa.

Mene disclosed that non-African companies had also offered similar solutions but said AfCFTA had opted for an African solution, underscoring the continent’s determination to develop its own expertise and infrastructure.

The endorsement effectively elevates B’Odogwu from a Nigerian Customs digitalisation initiative to a potential template for the continent’s evolving customs administration.

Senator Isah also expressed the Senate committee’s support for the modernisation programme after witnessing the technology in operation, saying members had become ambassadors of the initiative.

B’Odogwu at centre of transformation

First piloted in October 2024, B’Odogwu has become a major component of the NCS modernisation programme, supporting the digitalisation of customs processes and integrating critical functions including cargo tracking, data infrastructure, surveillance, risk management and non-intrusive inspection.

The system is also being integrated with the National Single Window, which was launched in March 2026 as a unified digital gateway for cross-border trade processes.

The integration is expected to improve the speed and transparency of cargo clearance while reducing inefficiencies and strengthening data exchange among agencies involved in international trade.

For Nigeria, the AfCFTA development goes beyond the commercial value of the continental project.

It represents a rare opportunity for the country to export technology, expertise and institutional know-how, rather than merely participate in Africa’s expanding trade market as a consumer.

The development also reinforces the argument that investment in indigenous technology and institutional reform can produce solutions with commercial value beyond Nigeria’s borders.

With AfCFTA seeking to dismantle barriers to intra-African trade, modern customs infrastructure will remain critical to achieving faster cargo clearance, improved revenue collection, effective border controls and seamless exchange of trade information.

The emergence of Nigerian-developed customs technology at the centre of that continental ambition could therefore mark a significant shift in Nigeria’s role in Africa—from being principally a market for imported technology to becoming a provider of strategic trade infrastructure for the continent.