Headlines
Tears, sorrow and blood on Apapa ports corridor as hoodlums terrorise, extort truck drivers
The 29-year-old, along with his fellow truck drivers, were transporting goods from a warehouse to the Tin Can Port when they were intercepted by a group of miscreants at an illegal checkpoint in Agboju. The thugs demanded a fee of ₦1,000 per truck, but the drivers were unable to comply since they had already expended their funds in settling the demands of previous groups of criminals at prior junctions.
Chidera Ajaekwe sustained serious injury when thugs attacked them when they couldn’t pay the extortion fee.
Enraged, the thugs resorted to using force to compel compliance with their demands. In a violent outburst, one of them threw a big stone at Chidera’s eyes, causing him to collapse. Chidera cried out in agony as his eyes bled. As soon as the thugs saw what they had done, they fled the scene.
Chidera’s colleagues rushed him to the garage, and then to the police station to report the incident. However, when they got there, the police said it was not within their jurisdiction, advising them to visit another police station.
To save his life, his colleagues took him to the hospital, but by the time they got there, his eyes were already swollen, and he had lost a lot of blood.
Today, Chidera still lives in pain that reminds him of the ugly encounter, but his attackers still walk freely on the streets of Lagos.
Chidera’s boss, who identified himself as Kayode, told The ICIR that he had spent over ₦100,000 in treating his eyes and that they had plans to go to a specialist hospital, where they already knew they would expend more money to secure treatment for him.
“The government is not doing well. If we talk about it, they would say it’s the government that put them there. They would be saying they are Sanwoolu boys,” he lamented.
Like Chidera, many truck drivers who frequent Lagos ports have been victims of attacks by these violent toll collectors in Lagos who harass businesses and collect illegal taxes from them. They generally create unwarranted bottlenecks in the import and export businesses conducted at the ports.
The open impunity
Some victims who spoke with The ICIR identified non-state actors at the centre of this sharp practice as Lagos touts, members of the Road Transport Employees Association( RTEAN), Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Maritimes Workers Union(MWUN), National Union of Road Transport Workers(NURTW) and Lagos State Parks and Garages (LASPARK).
While the complicit state actors are officers of the Lagos police, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority and the Federal Road Safety Commission.
This act of impunity by state and non-state actors which continues to frustrate the digital system and port operations has also led to several ghastly accidents which claimed the lives of citizens.
Data collated via independent oral testimonies from over 20 truck drivers operating at Apapa and Tin Can ports shows that there are about 15 channels of extortion along the Tin Can terminal axis and about 21 along the Apapa Port axis, and each truck driver said he pays at least N30,000 daily in settling thugs, popularly called Area Boys, before reaching their destinations.
The roads leading to the ports in Lagos were heavily congested on the bright afternoon of Saturday, November 26, 2022. Numerous trucks and fuel tankers lined up in extensive queues, vying to reach their intended destinations.
Disguised as a truck driver, this reporter embarked on an investigative journey on some of the routes associated with the ports. Findings show that the touts, who mount checkpoints at different stations leading to the ports, make thousands of naira daily from truck drivers.
The reporter visited various stations in Amuwo Odofin, proceeding from there to the Fatgbems junction and Mile-2, before heading to the Tin Can and Apapa ports.
Thug wields dangerous weapon on a public road in Apapa/Credit: Nurudeen Akewushola/The ICIR
During the two-day exercise, The ICIR independently verified about 12 channels where touts and arm-bearing agents enforce the collection of illegal tolls and taxes from truck drivers doing their legitimate business.
As for the thugs, they can easily spot them by the roadside, wielding dangerous weapons like daggers, pipes and pieces of wood. At some stations, they barricade the street with their bench, making it impossible for any truck to pass without their consent.
LASTMA liaising with thugs to fleece drivers
One of the major roads leading to the ports is Fatgbems junction. Although the reporter had earlier visited various points where the racket takes place, this junction stands out as officers of LASTMA connive with area boys to extort the drivers.
This reporter spotted two LASTMA officers working with the touts, who brandished their weapons to ensure that no trucker bypassed them.
This reporter later approached one of the men who wore a LASTMA polo and cap to enquire how much it costs for a truck to pass through the junction. The thickly built dark-skinned man, who appeared to be in his late 30s, said it was ₦2,000.
The reporter quizzed him further, pretending that he had six trucks coming towards the junction.“Each vehicle is ₦2,000, not all. For the six trucks, it’s ₦12,000, when you reach up there, you would pay ₦500,” the LASTMA officer responded without hesitating.
LASTMA officer collecting money from truck drivers at Fatgbems
When contacted, the General Manager of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Bolaji Oreagba, denied the open impunity and unprofessional conducts by the officials of the agency.
“Please, that is not correct. No LASTMA official collects tolls along Apapa corridors. Our officers are always in uniform,” he claimed, adding that the agency frowns at the collection of tolls on the road.
At Mile-2 Junction, one would have expected that the presence of two police officers, identified as Ofen and Oliver, would curb the activities of the toll collectors. Rather, they sat comfortably while the thugs forced the truck drivers to cough up illegal levies.
The ICIR gathered that the police officers also take their cut from the money collected by the hoodlums, the reason why they feign ignorance.
The name of the young man manning this station is Belief. While his eyes were bloodshot, one would easily fathom the cause as his breath reeked of Indian Hemp.
When this reporter asked him how much they charge, he said ₦1,000 for a truck and ₦6,000 for six trucks.
Going forward
The next day, this reporter would proceed to Sunrise Junction.
Manning the Sunrise station were four men—two sat, flanked by their standing comrades. The sitting men donned Barcelona jerseys whilst the other two wore Ankara and a green native dress, respectively.
“Each truck is ₦4,000,” one of them responded to this reporter’s questions about the amount he would pay for his trucks to pass through their station.
When this reporter protested that the previous junctions had charged around ₦1,000 per truck, one of them, who identified himself as Baba Oja, explained that their station is an amalgamation of four bodies, namely Road Transport Employees Association( RTEAN), Maritimes Workers Union(MWUN), National Union of Road Transport Workers and Police and that the ₦4,000 would be split amongst them.
“We can only remove ₦500 for you. ₦3,500 per truck,” Baba Oja said.
After prolonged haggling, they eventually agreed that they would grant a waiver to one of this reporter’s four trucks and that he would pay ₦4,000 for each of the remaining three.
At Coconut Junction, this reporter encountered four young men. Two of them slept under a fuel tanker while their comrades sat down, wrapping Indian hemp. They inclined their pipes, which they use to stop vehicles, against the tanker.
“It’s ₦2,000 that you would pay here if you are going. From where you were coming there; you know they said ₦2,000. When you reach there too, you would pay ₦2,000. And there’s another one there; it’s also ₦2,000. There’s another one called Maritime; it’s ₦1,000. This place is called coconut,” said one of them, who identified himself as Wasiu Ila.
This reporter arrived at the Tin Can second gate to find out who charged even higher. They charged ₦5,000 on each truck entering the port.
Upon requesting an audience with them, the thugs directed this reporter to their leader, who identified himself as “Alfa.”
“It is ₦5,000 on each truck. But as they (this reporter’s trucks) are now many, if they follow one another, I would collect ₦4,000 on each,” Alfa said.
Lynched by OPC
Forty-five-year-old Lawal Ahmed would always remember April 27, 2022, as a day of gloom.
Ahmed and his colleagues were transporting containers along the Babangida Road, heading to the Tin Can Port, when they encountered some men he identified as Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) members. The men approached them, asking for ₦2,000 per truck, and expectedly, they cooperated.
The OPC is a Yoruba nationalist and vigilante group dominant in the six states of Southwestern Nigeria and Kwara in the North-central region.
Minutes later, another set of hoodlums under the same umbrella approached Ahmed and his colleagues for money. They told the new faction that they had already paid their colleagues. However, before they realised it, the hoodlums had already punctured their tyres.
This led to an intense argument between the drivers and the thugs. While the drivers grabbed one of the thugs, insisting that they repair their tyres, his companions ran away.
The drivers did not know that the thugs left to fetch arms until they heard the sporadic shots that announced their return. Everyone in the area, including the drivers, scampered for safety, but, unfortunately, Ahmed was not lucky enough to escape.
“The guys trooped down with sticks, guns and cutlasses and started hitting me with them. They descended on me and whisked me away to their zone and my people started looking for me,” said Ahmed while narrating his experience in the hands of the thugs.
Ahmed spent a day in their custody, where they subjected him to different forms of torture before the policemen eventually came to his rescue. He nursed his wounds for several weeks, but his attackers, who were arrested by the police, were released a few days after.
“The police could not conquer them because the OPC boys were more than them. It’s the policemen that we knew that usually collect bribes, but here, it’s the OPC boys that are everywhere. They should help us to talk to Gani Adams. The government should invite Gani Adams because anytime the boys want to talk, they usually say it’s Aare that sent them” he noted.
Illegal toll collectors raking millions in Lagos
The maritime industry is the backbone of international trade and the global economy. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), over 90 percent of the volume of international trade in goods is carried by sea.
The sector serves as a significant source of income for the nation and provides employment opportunities for millions of young people. In 2022 alone, Apapa ports generated a remarkable revenue of N1.02 trillion for the nation. The industry generated and remitted N870.39 billion to the Federal Government’s account the previous year, while N518.4 billion was recorded as revenue in 2020.
One of the key players in this supply chain of goods and services is the haulage industry, which caters for the transportation of goods, by road, to ports for export and from ports to various local destinations.
However, despite its economic contribution, the haulage industry and the entire nation’s import and export business are threatened by the activities of these extortionists, which include constant harassment and exploitation.
Some of the truck owners and drivers who source for livelihood at the mercy of these marauding touts narrated how their businesses have fared after losing chunks of their income to the toll collectors spread across the port corridors.
A truck driver, Toyin Akinjobi, narrated how he was beaten blue-black by thugs over his refusal to cough up ₦2,000. They also destroyed his truck.
“The problem we are facing is that from Ijesha to the second gate of the port is that there are area boys at numerous points where they forcibly collect money from us.
“The last trip that I went for, I was beaten mercilessly by the hoodlums because I couldn’t give them money. And they stole some engines in my car.
“The amount we are spending for extortionists is uncountable. Like the trip I went to now; when my call-up didn’t come up on time, the boys collected ₦3,000 while waiting for a call-up. In the morning again, the police and others too also collected ₦2,000 from me before they left.”
While narrating how this has affected his business, 45-year-old Taiwo Alarape, told The ICIR that it costs at least ₦35,000 to settle the extortionists on the road while entering or leaving the ports, depending on what the truck carries.
He narrated how LASTMA officers connived with thugs to beat him and collect a sum of ₦130,000 when his truck developed a fault on the road.
“As it stands, there isn’t much profit in this trade anymore. Personally, I have two wives and four children, but the frequent demands for money by the numerous boys on the road make it increasingly difficult. We spend up to two days on the road, and from Mile-2 to MOB, there could be as many as 15 of them demanding payment.
“There are times that we spend between ₦5,000- ₦10,000 from our earnings as a driver for these boys,” he added.
Kayode, the truck manager whose driver is on the verge of losing his left eye, no thanks to the brutality of the touts, expressed concerns over the inaction of the Lagos State government, which, he believes, has given the touts the immunity to do whatever they wish on the roads.
“The government of Sanwo-Olu should help us evacuate these boys. They are just too many. There’s no amount that we can give to the driver to give these boys that they will not exhaust before they reach the warehouse. The drivers, too, are not animals. When they are moving, they would have to spend so much money. Anybody going to Alaba would spend nothing less than ₦100,000.
“We have made several attempts to report, but what they keep saying is that they don’t have the power. When they make an arrest, and they call them from the top, there’s nothing they can do. We have arrested several people and fought as regards to it but we had to give up.
”The major problem that all of us are facing is this area boys because when the work you do worth ₦200,000 and ₦100,000 ended up in the pocket of thugs on the road, the money would have finished.”
Analyses
National Single Window: Paper on glass(6)
Monday Discourse with Nasiru Ibrahim
The deployment of digital software portals across Nigeria’s maritime gateways has created a dangerous sense of administrative accomplishment.
On paper, policy declarations boast of automated workflows and modern interfaces designed to ease the cost of doing business. On the ground, however, the reality remains stubbornly archaic.
If the presidency and the newly minted National Single Window team believe that true automation begins and ends with front-end digital software portals like the new B’Odogwu Customs System, they are falling for an expensive trap.
True technological transformation cannot simply mean scanning old bureaucracies onto a computer screen. Cosmetic digitization does not eradicate systemic corruption; it merely moves the extortion from the physical Port gate onto a digital dashboard.
The structural flaw undermining our current modernization drive is the “scanned paper” reality. Clearing agents are routinely forced to upload digital documents onto unified portals, only to face the absurdity of printing out those exact same files to present them physically at various Port commands.
This duplication completely defeats the purpose of an automated gateway.
True single window success requires the total legal abolition of physical paper documentation within the Port perimeter.
We must transition from an era of “paper-on-glass” to pure, untampered digital data flows. A digital portal is utterly useless if the data it processes is still manually verified, delayed, or altered by human gatekeepers behind the scenes.
To break this cycle, the system must shift from human discretion to algorithmic risk profiling. We must enforce a machine-driven risk engine that automatically routes cargo through green, yellow, or red channels based entirely on hard data and compliance history.
Under this framework, once a container profile passes automated risk evaluation, an individual officer should not possess the arbitrary power to flag it for a manual “re-examination.”
Unauthorized human interventions on automated system routing must be treated as institutional sabotage and criminalized accordingly. Removing human delays from the logistics chain requires stripping human actors of the capacity to stall.
Furthermore, we must aggressively implement a single wallet mandate to clean up the financial architecture of our Ports. A true single window platform must consolidate all customs duties, agency fees, and terminal charges into one single electronic transaction.
This eradication of multi-layered payment checkpoints will instantly dry up the illicit cash demands that fuel the multi-billion-naira demurrage trap.
By deploying automated escrow systems, the central portal can instantly distribute revenues to the respective agency accounts—be it the Nigeria Customs Service, NPA, or NIMASA—only after automated cargo release metrics are met.
The ultimate structural shift, however, requires moving the entire national Port philosophy beyond the physical gate.
Top-tier maritime capitals like Singapore and Rotterdam do not stall their economies by interrogating cargo at the wharf; they rely on Post-Clearance Audits (PCA).
Nigeria must transition to a system where cargo is released instantly within a guaranteed 24-hour window based on automated risk profiles, while reserving heavy verification for robust, off-site corporate audits later.
Until we replace cosmetic upgrades with this level of raw process re-engineering, our software portals remain empty promises. True automation is not a software purchase; it is an uncompromising institutional discipline.
Chief Ibrahim Nasiru, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja
Headlines
Oyetola presents three-year score card as blue economy industry revenue hits ₦1.83trn
Funso OLOJO, Editor
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has declared that Nigeria’s maritime sector has undergone a far-reaching transformation in the three years since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu created the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy in August 2023.
Oyetola, while presenting the Ministry’s three-year scorecard, said the administration had made significant progress in unlocking the economic potential of Nigeria’s 853-kilometre coastline and extensive inland waterways, with the marine and blue economy increasingly emerging as a major driver of revenue, trade, security and employment.
According to him, the reform programme has produced measurable gains in revenue generation, port infrastructure, maritime security, regulation, indigenous shipping, human-capital development, fisheries and inland-waterway safety.
“At the heart of our mandate is a simple but powerful objective: to turn Nigeria’s vast marine resources into sustainable economic value for Nigerians,” Oyetola said.
Revenue climbs 160 per cent
The Minister identified revenue growth as one of the clearest indicators of the sector’s transformation.
Agencies under the Ministry generated ₦1.83 trillion in 2025, representing a 160 per cent increase over the ₦700.79 billion recorded in 2023.
Oyetola attributed the surge to regulatory reforms, stronger revenue assurance, digitisation and the systematic closure of financial leakages.
He said the improved revenue performance was part of a broader strategy to establish a more transparent, efficient and investment-friendly maritime economy.
Nigeria gets first blue economy policy
A major milestone of the reform programme, according to Oyetola, was the approval in May 2025 of Nigeria’s first National Policy on Marine and Blue Economy.
He said the policy provided, for the first time, a unified framework for developing shipping, fisheries, offshore energy, marine biotechnology and other emerging opportunities within the marine economy.
“This policy gives us a clear roadmap. It provides the predictability and transparency investors need while ensuring that our marine resources are developed sustainably,” he said.
The Minister said the policy would guide government intervention while providing greater certainty for private-sector investment across the marine and blue economy value chain.
Ports undergo major transformation
Port modernisation, Oyetola said, remained at the centre of the Ministry’s transformation agenda.
He said the Federal Government was implementing a comprehensive programme to upgrade major seaports, including Apapa, Tin Can Island, Onne, Rivers, Calabar and Warri.
The programme covers channel improvements, modern cargo-handling infrastructure and increased digitisation of terminal operations, aimed at improving efficiency and enabling Nigerian ports to handle larger volumes of international trade.
The reforms have also attracted international recognition.
The World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence ranked Tin Can Island Port 10th and Lagos Port Complex, Apapa, 12th among the world’s 20 most improved container ports between 2020 and 2025.
Oyetola said government had also made progress in tackling congestion around the Apapa port environment through the electronic truck call-up system, dedicated holding bays and expanded inland barging.
The acquisition of modern tugboats, pilot cutters and dredging equipment by the Nigerian Ports Authority, he added, had further strengthened port operations.
“We have moved from managing congestion to building a port system that can compete globally,” Oyetola said.
He said the Federal Government was also pursuing an expansion of port capacity through deep-seaport projects in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Bayelsa, Ondo, Lagos and Rivers states.
The operationalisation of inland dry ports, including the Funtua Inland Dry Port in Katsina State, is similarly expected to take cargo-handling and clearance services closer to businesses in the hinterland and reduce pressure on coastal ports.
Regulation, lower costs for port users
The Minister said regulatory reforms had also delivered tangible benefits to businesses operating in the maritime sector.
According to him, the new Nigeria Ports Economic Regulatory Authority framework will strengthen economic regulation of the port sector, while interventions by the Ministry and its agencies have saved port users more than ₦86 billion in unjustified demurrage.
He added that nearly 300 commercial disputes had been resolved through Alternative Dispute Resolution.
Oyetola said government had introduced measures to eliminate unauthorised shipping charges and strengthen freight and foreign-exchange verification in an effort to reduce leakages and curb capital flight.
He said the objective was to create a maritime business environment where legitimate operators could compete on a level playing field while Nigerian businesses were protected from avoidable costs.
Maritime security records major gains
Improved port efficiency, Oyetola said, had been accompanied by significant gains in maritime security.
Nigeria has maintained zero piracy in its territorial waters for four consecutive years, according to the Minister, with maritime security assets deployed under the Deep Blue Project helping to secure the country’s waters.
He said the achievement had eliminated costly piracy-related surcharges on vessels calling at Nigerian ports while strengthening Nigeria’s reputation as a safer maritime corridor.
Nigeria also regained its seat on the International Maritime Organization Category C Council in November 2025, following a 14-year absence.
Through the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, the country also secured the lifting of the 12-year United States Coast Guard Condition of Entry restrictions affecting vessels arriving from Nigerian ports.
“These achievements demonstrate that Nigeria is not only reforming its maritime sector at home; we are reclaiming our rightful voice and influence internationally,” Oyetola said.
Indigenous shipping gets renewed attention
Oyetola said the Federal Government remained committed to increasing Nigerian participation in the shipping industry.
He disclosed that plans were at an advanced stage to revive a national shipping carrier through a public-private partnership, while the long-awaited process for disbursing the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) had commenced.
The fund, he said, would enable Nigerian shipowners to acquire modern vessels and strengthen indigenous capacity.
“We cannot build a truly blue economy if Nigerians remain spectators in their own maritime industry,” he said.
Human-capital development has also received increased attention, with seafarer training and sea-time placements expanded to create more opportunities for Nigerians seeking careers at sea.
According to Oyetola, the interventions have contributed to an increase of more than 80 per cent in average seafarer earnings.
He added that the Ministry, through the Nigeria Port Economic Regulatory Agency, facilitated a ₦200,000 monthly minimum wage for maritime and shipping workers.
Blue economy expands beyond ports
Oyetola said the Ministry’s transformation agenda extends beyond shipping and ports to fisheries, inland waterways, marine safety and environmental sustainability.
He said the Ministry supported the Federal Government’s Naira-for-Crude policy by streamlining marine logistics for domestic refineries.
On inland waterways, safety interventions have included the distribution of thousands of lifejackets and plans to replace unsafe wooden boats with modern fibreglass vessels.
The fisheries sector, he said, recorded further growth, with fish production reaching 1.4 million metric tonnes in 2025.
Nigeria also achieved 100 per cent compliance with Turtle Excluder Device requirements among inspected commercial shrimp trawlers, helping to protect marine biodiversity and preserve access to international markets.
Oyetola said the interventions reflected the Ministry’s broader philosophy that economic development and environmental sustainability should reinforce rather than undermine each other.
Digitisation and new institutions
Institutional reform has also featured prominently in the Ministry’s three-year programme.
Oyetola said the Ministry had digitised its internal operations through an Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) to improve efficiency, transparency and accountability.
He also disclosed that the Ministry helped resolve a 16-year impasse that paved the way for the operationalisation of the Regional Maritime Development Bank (RMDB) in Nigeria.
According to him, the development would improve access to financing for businesses and projects across the maritime value chain.
Foundation for the next phase
Oyetola said the achievements recorded over the past three years should be regarded as the foundation for a much larger economic opportunity.
He said the ultimate objective was to establish a maritime ecosystem in which efficient ports support trade, stronger security attracts shipping, Nigerian businesses capture a greater share of the maritime value chain, coastal and inland communities benefit from new economic opportunities, and marine resources are developed sustainably.
According to him, the combination of rising revenues, a new national policy framework, port modernisation, improved maritime security, stronger regulation, investment in human capital and renewed international engagement had placed Nigeria’s marine and blue economy on a stronger trajectory.
“The blue economy is no longer an untapped frontier. It is becoming a major engine of national prosperity, regional competitiveness and sustainable growth,” Oyetola said.
Headlines
NIHOTOUR promotes culinary, cultural exchange at Nigeria-China food festival
Gloria Odion, Reporter
The National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), in collaboration with the China Cultural Centre in Nigeria, has used the 2026 Nigeria-China Food Festival to promote culinary diplomacy, cultural exchange and stronger people-to-people relations between the two countries.
The festival, held on August 27 at the China Cultural Centre in Abuja, was themed “From Farm to Feast” and formed part of activities marking 55 years of diplomatic relations between Nigeria and China.
The event brought together more than 200 participants, including hospitality professionals, chefs, tourism stakeholders, government officials, diplomats, entrepreneurs and cultural practitioners from both countries.
A major attraction of the festival was the presentation of 14 Chinese dishes representing seven regions of China alongside 12 Nigerian dishes reflecting the country’s six geopolitical zones.
The diverse selection offered guests an opportunity to experience the distinctive ingredients, preparation techniques and culinary traditions of both countries while learning about the communities and cultures behind the food.
For NIHOTOUR, the festival also served as a platform to showcase Nigerian cuisine as an important component of the country’s tourism proposition and draw attention to the wide range of people and enterprises that make up the food and hospitality value chain.
Speaking at the event, the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of NIHOTOUR, Aare Abisoye Fagade, reaffirmed the Institute’s commitment to developing the skills and human capacity needed to strengthen Nigeria’s hospitality and tourism industry.
Fagade said such initiatives could help create opportunities for young people, professionals and entrepreneurs while promoting Nigeria’s rich culinary heritage to domestic and international audiences.
The theme, “From Farm to Feast,” also highlighted the extensive value chain behind every meal—from farmers and food producers to processors, chefs, hospitality operators and businesses that ultimately serve consumers.
NIHOTOUR used the occasion to emphasise the tourism potential embedded in Nigeria’s diverse culinary traditions. Each of the country’s six geopolitical zones has distinctive dishes, ingredients and methods of preparation that can be developed into authentic cultural and tourism experiences.
The Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Nigeria, Mr. Zhou Hongyou, underscored the importance of food in promoting cross-cultural understanding and strengthening people-to-people relations.
Also in attendance was the Cultural Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy and Director of the China Cultural Centre in Nigeria, Mr. Yang Jianxing.
Their participation reinforced the role of cultural diplomacy in deepening the longstanding relationship between Nigeria and China.
Beyond the food presentations, the festival featured cultural activities and opportunities for interaction between Nigerian and Chinese participants. It also opened avenues for potential collaboration in hospitality, tourism, culinary training, cultural exchange and enterprise development.
The event comes at a significant point in Nigeria-China relations, with both countries commemorating 55 years of diplomatic ties. While bilateral relations have expanded into areas such as trade, investment, infrastructure and education, cultural initiatives provide an important avenue for strengthening the relationship at the people-to-people level.
NIHOTOUR said it would continue to pursue partnerships capable of advancing Nigeria’s hospitality and tourism sector, strengthening professional capacity, supporting enterprise development and creating opportunities across the tourism value chain.
Through initiatives such as the Nigeria-China Food Festival, the Institute is positioning food and hospitality not only as avenues for economic development but also as powerful instruments of cultural diplomacy and international engagement.
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