Headlines

Nigeria missing as Kenya, five other nations vie for IMO Sec. Gen

Kitack Lim, the out going IMO Sec. Gen.

—- Kitack Lim steps down as IMO Sec, Gen in December

The eyewitness reporter with agency report

There is an ongoing scramble among six countries to succeed the outgoing Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Mr. Kitack Lim who steps down in December this year.

A new Secretary General would be elected in June, this year.

Stakeholders in Nigeria’s Maritime industry bemoaned the continued failure of Nigeria to clinch the coveted Category C of the IMO which they lamented has continued to rub the country of lucrative positions in the global maritime body.

Among the member -countries of the IMO who wants to succeed South Korean technocrat is Kenya, which is sponsoring its IMO representative, Nancy Karigithu.

Up to six names are expected to be put forward as the next Secretary-General of the world’s supreme shipping body by Friday, replacing South Korean Kitack-Lim who steps down at the end of the year, with no European candidate so far.

Two of the front-runners are high-ranking officials from within the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), expected to be proposed by Panama and Kenya, with Turkey’s candidacy getting a boost from rival Greece.

Panama has proposed Arsenio Dominguez, the current IMO head of marine environment, while Kenya wants the top job to go to Nancy Karigithu, the country’s IMO representative.

Dominica and Bangladesh may also submit names, with the Caribbean state proposing World Maritime University president Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, while a Danish candidate may also be in the running.

The 40-member IMO Council, of which Cyprus is a member, will elect the next Secretary-General in July.

This decision will then be submitted to the 33rd session of the IMO Assembly on November 27-December 6, when the 40 new members of the Council will also be elected.

A candidate from Cyprus is regarded as ‘highly unlikely’, despite former deputy minister for shipping, Vassilis Demetriades, being approached by European members of the IMO.

“I was sounded out by several European members, due to the lack of any other European candidate,” Demetriades told the Financial Mirror.

He said he was assured of support from a number of European members, but the fact remained that candidacies are put forward by IMO member states, not individuals.

“The fact that I was considered, is a great honour for me, and recognises my previous 12-year career within the European Commission, as well as Shipping Deputy Minister for Cyprus,” he said.

“The EU is my family. I did my duty and served the previous administration quite well, I believe.”

A Cypriot candidate would throw a spanner in the works of Greek-Turkish rapprochement after Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu received official support from Athens for Suat Hayri Aka, the former undersecretary for maritime affairs at the Turkish transport ministry.

In turn, Nicos Dendias was given assurance from Ankara regarding Greece’s membership for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Raising concerns that a Turkish Secretary-General of the IMO would be to the detriment of the Cyprus shipping sector, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Monday that, “the Republic of Cyprus is a member state of the IMO and is elected to a very high position by the Organisation’s plenary session.

“There is no issue with the probable election of a Turkish Secretary-General of the Organisation,” he said.

He added that “the Secretary General of the International Maritime Organisation operates based on the Statutes of the said Organisation.”

“Beyond that, the elections are in June, nominations are still being submitted, and Friday is the last day.

“There was an exchange of support between Greece and Turkey, and I understand it was agreed when Mr. Dendias visited Turkey because of the earthquakes.

“The potential strengthening of relations between the two countries is something that we will also capitalise on.

“Everybody realizes that the Republic of Cyprus cannot support Turkey’s candidacy, simply because Turkey does not allow ships flying the Cypriot flag to approach its ports.

“It would not be possible on our part to support such a nomination,” Christodoulides concluded.

The Cypriot president was expected to raise the issue of the Turkish embargo on Cyprus-flag ships and cooperation of the two maritime nations during his first meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on March 13, soon after his election.

He told shipping executives during a meeting in Limassol a few days earlier that the importance of Cyprus and Greek shipping is crucial to the EU.

“When we talk about European shipping, in effect, we are talking about Cyprus and Greek shipping.

” Through joint actions, we need to upscale the priority with which the EU deals with maritime matters.”

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.

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”.

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.