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CJN pledges judiciary’s support for NIMASA in war against piracy

Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, CJN
The eyewitness reporter

The Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman, the Board of Governors of the National Judicial Institute, Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola has stated that the judiciary has a role to play in all legal forms of the fight against piracy, noting that a secured maritime domain was vital to economic development and advancement.

The CJN stated this while declaring the 3rd edition of the Nigerian Admiralty Law Colloquium for Justices of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal and Judges of the Federal High Court, Open in Lagos.

The CJN, who was represented at the event by Hon. Justice Musa Dattjo Muhammad, averred that he was pleased with the 2023 edition of the Nigerian Admiralty Law Colloquium because it was tailored towards effective and efficient adjudication of cases as well as curbing the menace of piracy within the Gulf of Guinea.

 He observed that the Gulf of Guinea was richly endowed and that it was necessary for key players in the maritime sector to continually engage in constructive discussions to achieve the benefits associated with the maritime industry.
 “The Gulf of Guinea encompasses eight African countries, to wit; Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo.
” These countries are home to about 4.5 percent of the world’s proven oil reserves and about 2.7 percent of proven natural gas reserves.
” Two-thirds of these reserves are concentrated within the exclusive economic zone of Nigeria, the center of gravity of the region, whose oil sector accounts for 75 percent of the state’s revenue and about 90 percent of total export.
” The Gulf of Guinea is richly endowed with vast reserves of hydrocarbon, mineral and fisheries resources, making it a strategic area”.

Speaking further, the CJN said that the workshop was apt, as it would create avenues for capacity building and increased maritime domain awareness.

 He affirmed his belief that ultimately, participants at the event would be able to drive conversations on how to maximize the benefits of the maritime sector and also generate ideas and strategies necessary for its sustenance and safety.
He opined that the colloquium was a proactive measure to further expose judicial Officers to fundamental developments in Maritime Security issues, enabling them to be at par with international relevant laws and policies governing the maritime security sub-sector.

The CJN commended the management of NIMASA under the stewardship of Dr. Bashir Jamoh,for his grit and determination in ensuring that the Agency fulfills its mandate.

He noted that under Jamoh, the Agency had recorded notable improvements in maritime security and safety, especially through the effective implementation of the Deep Blue Project which has, among other things, led to the impressive decline in piracy and armed robbery on the sea.

“The legal strategies being adopted by Nigeria to combat maritime piracy and armed robbery in the Nigerian waters have not gone unnoticed.

” This is evident in the creation of Nigeria’s Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences Act (SPOMO) 2019.
“Before the advent of the 2019 Anti-Piracy Act, there were no specific ‘laws to determine the context of piracy in Nigerian waters and legal enforcement in response to maritime insecurity.
“Thus, the 2019 Anti-Piracy Act is an important step in securing the country’s coastline and seas. It has also ensured an increased level of transparency and accountability in the maritime sector, by strengthening the governing institutions to attract investment capital through the implementation of regulatory and fiscal framework for the Nigerian maritime industry.
” This will encourage foreign investors to have a sense of trust in the Nigerian Maritime industry, which will enhance revenue for the government while ensuring a fair return on investment”, the CJN said.

In his remarks, the Chief Justice of the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Hon. Justice John T. Tsoho commended the management of NIMASA for its role in enhancing the development of maritime law and its knowledge.

Justice Tsoho, who was represented by Honourable Justice Adekunle Olayinka Faji, noted that since the Federal High Court was the court with primary jurisdiction in maritime matters, Federal High Court would always support relevant legislations that would ensure efficiency and effectiveness in harnessing the gains in the maritime industry.

“The price of peace and freedom is however vigilance. If we are to harness the gains of a secured maritime domain, we must continue to build capacity and fine-tune our laws.

” It is in this connection that I must state that work has been concluded on the new Admiralty Jurisdiction Procedure Rules and the text has been sent for gazetting.
” It is thus only a matter of days before the new Rules will come into force. The Nigerian Maritime Law Association (NMLA) is also at work on the new Admiralty Jurisdiction Act.
“All these legislative efforts are geared towards enhancing the potentials of our country in the Deep Blue Project and the overall growth of our economy”, he said.

In his opening remarks, the Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, observed that it was gratifying to note, that the Admiralty Workshop had moved so rapidly that so soon, after a dark period when all discourse centered around insecurity and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, NIMASA and all stakeholders in the maritime industry were today sufficiently emboldened to move the trend of engagement to another level, as the maritime industry gave consideration to the vital issue of harnessing the gains of a secured maritime domain.

Speaking further, Jamoh, who was represented by the NIMASA’s Executive Director of Finance and Administration, Hon. Chudi Offodile, stated that a well-developed blue economy would be strong enough to service Nigeria’s annual budget because it encompasses all economic activities associated with the oceans and seas.

 However, he observed that despite these endowments and abundant resources in the nation’s oceans and seas to back her economic diversification and development drive, Nigeria was yet to take full advantage of the emergent ocean economy to expand its revenue base.

According to him, “Since the concept of the blue economy began to gain traction decades ago, maritime nations have been harnessing the full benefits of the ocean economy by protecting their oceans and seas, which is why NIMASA is working tirelessly to secure our waters and the Gulf of Guinea.

“The time has come for us as a nation to build on the successful achievement of security in the Gulf of Guinea and work intentionally to harness the profitability of our maritime space”.

Present at the Colloquium was the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Z. Gambo, who was represented by Rear Admiral BJ Gbassa, the Chief Justice of Lagos State, Hon. Justice Kazeem Alogba, the Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), Professor Muhammed Tawfiq Ladan, Sir Hon. Justice Biobele Abraham Georgewill, the Chief Justice of Anambra State, Hon. Justice Onochie Anyachebelu, Dr. Emeka Akabogu, Mike Igbokwe, SAN, amongst other Justices and Maritime stakeholders.

Themed, “Beyond Maritime Security Threats In The Gulf of Guinea: Harnessing the Gains of a Secured Maritime Domain”, the 3rd edition of the Nigerian Admiralty Law Colloquium was organised by NIMASA in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) and the National Judicial Institute (NJI), for Justices of the Supreme Court and Appeal Court and Judges of the Federal High Court of Nigeria.

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Analyses

The invisible toll gates:Why National Single Window is Nigeria’s ultimate economic battleground

Monday Discourse with  Ibrahim Nasiru
Walk into any market in Nigeria today, from the commercial hubs of Lagos to the roadside stalls in Yola, and ask why a bag of rice or an imported spare part costs three times what it did last year.
The typical public commentator will blame global inflation, floating currencies, or macro-economic shocks.
But those who understand logistics know the real truth lies buried under layers of paper, manual stamps, and artificial delays at our seaports.
Nigeria’s international trade is suffocating not from a lack of deep water, but from a deliberate design of convenience.
The recent operational rollout of the National Single Window (NSW) has triggered behind-the-scenes panic among Port cartels, and for good reason.
For decades, keeping our clearing processes fragmented, manual, and dependent on desk-to-desk human interaction was the perfect business model for syndicates.
When cargo dwell times drag on for 21 days, those delays are money in the pockets of the gatekeepers and a death sentence for local businesses.
Let us look at the raw field realities. The push by the Nigeria Customs Service to aggressively crash clearance times down to global 48-hour standards is meeting fierce internal resistance.
Why? Because a unified digital ecosystem means you cannot easily manipulate documentation, hide illicit cargo, or demand “mobilization fees” before signing off a container.
The outcry and protests from certain freight-forwarding syndicates aren’t about technical glitches; they are about the sudden closure of invisible toll gates.
This is exactly why governance at our national gateways can no longer be left to the mercy of transactional bureaucratic habits.
Building deep-sea infrastructure like Lekki Port is a massive physical achievement, but concrete and cranes are useless if the administrative processes at the gate remain backward.
 Real structural reform requires turning our Ports into automated, friction-free pipelines that prioritize production over rent-seeking.
If Nigeria wants to survive this fiscal squeeze, the National Single Window cannot just be treated as another glossy IT project launched in Abuja.
 It requires unyielding administrative enforcement to completely dismantle the corrupt cartels managing the manual desk chains.
The invisible toll gates at our Ports must be completely demolished, and that exact same structural discipline must be scaled across our border stations and trade corridors.
The era of managing international trade with 20th-century paper trails is dying. The future belongs to the builders of automated, transparent systems.
Chief Ibrahim Nasiru, a public affairs analyst,  writes from Abuja 
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Headlines

NANTA Exco embarks on seven-day Ghana retreat, fam trip to deepen regional tourism partnership

Gloria Odion, Reporter

The National Executive Council (NEC) of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) has commenced a seven-day executive retreat and familiarisation (fam) trip to Ghana, hosted by Safari World, as part of efforts to strengthen regional tourism partnerships and expand cross-border travel opportunities.

The NANTA delegation was received at Safari World Homes in Accra by the Chairman of the Safari World Group, Mr. Ernest Gyekye, who expressed delight at hosting the Nigerian travel trade leaders.

He assured the delegation of a memorable experience throughout their week-long stay.

Speaking on the significance of the visit, NANTA President, Mr. Yinka Folami, described the retreat and familiarisation tour as a strategic initiative aimed at fostering stronger business relationships and promoting collaborative tourism development across Africa.

“This mission is not a leisure trip,” Folami said. “It is a deliberate step to implement and expand our association’s marketing advocacy for Nigerian brands across borders.”

He noted that Nigeria and Ghana share deep historical, cultural and commercial ties that should be leveraged to drive tourism growth on the continent.

“Nigeria and Ghana share history, culture, trade and people. The future of our tourism cannot be built in silos,” he said.

“This retreat is about moving from policy to practice—creating real products, real partnerships and real movement of travellers between Accra and Lagos.”

As part of the programme, the NANTA executives will engage in strategic business-to-business (B2B) meetings with their Ghanaian counterparts, tour key tourism destinations under the Safari World brand, and participate in cultural exchange activities designed to promote stronger bilateral tourism cooperation.

The itinerary spans Safari World’s three flagship destinations, including Safari Homes in Accra, the Aqua Safari riverfront experience, Safari Island Cruise, Safari Nautica, and Safari Recreation and Sports facilities in Ada, as well as the Safari Valley Eco Resort and Safari Eco Park in Dawu.

Operating under the brand promise, “One World, Three Destinations, Over 20 Unique Experiences,” Safari World is leveraging the visit to strengthen its footprint in the Nigerian travel market while positioning Ghana as a premier destination for leisure tourism, conferences, group travel, family holidays and premium tourism experiences.

A major highlight of the visit will be the Executive Dinner scheduled for July 21 at the Safari Valley Eco Resort, where key stakeholders from Nigeria and Ghana’s tourism industries will deliberate on strategies for deepening travel trade and advancing regional tourism development.

The familiarisation tour is expected to provide NANTA’s leadership with first-hand knowledge of Safari World’s tourism offerings, paving the way for the development of attractive travel packages and stronger business partnerships that will benefit Nigerian travellers and the wider West African tourism industry.

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Customs

Ogun Customs spurns claims of Smugglers’ takeover of Idiroko–Sango Ota trading Route

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Ogun I Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has dismissed as false reports alleging that smugglers had taken over the Idiroko–Sango Ota trading route in Ogun State, describing the claims as a deliberate misrepresentation of a traffic incident.
In a statement issued by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Customs (SC) Chado, the Command clarified that the traffic gridlock on the route resulted from the breakdown of an articulated commercial trailer after it fell into a badly deteriorated section of Atan Road, temporarily obstructing the free flow of traffic.
According to the Command, the vehicles caught in the ensuing congestion were legitimate commercial trucks transporting red palm oil to various local markets and had no connection whatsoever with smuggling activities.
It explained that the large number of heavy-duty trucks trapped in the gridlock may have led some members of the public to wrongly conclude that smugglers had taken over the road.
“The reports that smugglers blocked the road are inaccurate. The disruption resulted from a road accident and poor road conditions. The vehicles involved were lawful commercial vehicles transporting red palm oil for legitimate trade,” Chado stated.
The Command urged journalists, social media users and the general public to verify information before disseminating reports capable of creating unnecessary panic or undermining public confidence in security agencies.
Observers within the border trade sector noted that the allegation does not reflect the prevailing security situation within the Ogun I Area Command, where anti-smuggling operations have been intensified under the leadership of the Acting Customs Area Controller, Comptroller O.O. Afeni.
Since assuming office, Comptroller Afeni has strengthened intelligence-driven surveillance, enhanced collaboration with other security agencies and host communities, and sustained pressure on economic saboteurs operating along the Ogun border corridors.
These measures, according to stakeholders, have resulted in significant seizures of prohibited goods and reinforced the Command’s resolve to safeguard Nigeria’s economy and territorial integrity.
Maritime and border trade stakeholders also cautioned against the spread of unverified information capable of undermining the efforts of security personnel or creating a false impression of lawlessness in border communities.
They stressed that while combating smuggling remains an ongoing responsibility, responsible and accurate reporting is equally critical to ensuring that operational achievements are not overshadowed by misinformation.
The Ogun I Area Command reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining its anti-smuggling campaign while facilitating legitimate cross-border trade in line with the statutory mandate of the Nigeria Customs Service.

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