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Oyetola solicits support and cooperation of stakeholders as he flags off inspection of Lagos ports

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy,  Adegboyega Oyetola
The Eyewitness Reporter
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy,  Adegboyega Oyetola, has begged the critical stakeholders in the maritime industry to support his efforts at making an impact as the pioneer Minister of the new ministry.
Oyetola, who made the plea during his maiden visit to the Apapa port complex Monday, said he was in a hurry to hit the ground running and make an impact in the sector.
He affirmed that he had no business in the ministry if he could not make an impact, asking the agencies of government in the sector and other critical stakeholders to join hands with him to deliver on the mandate of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the sector.
The former Osun State governor said going by the decay in infrastructure he saw at the ports, there was an urgent need to commence infrastructure renewal of ports across the country so as to save them from imminent collapse.

He also encouraged terminal operators to invest in the development of facilities at the ports.

The Minister assured that enough scanners would be deployed to the ports to avoid unnecessary delays, noting that where the scanners already exist, he would interface with concerned government agencies to ensure their proper usage for efficiency at the ports.

Speaking further, Oyetola said: “As you are all aware, we all have a duty to reposition this sector for the welfare and wellbeing of Nigerians and to contribute to the economic growth of our nation.

” By doing this, we will be leaving a lasting legacy for generations to come. I, therefore, enjoin you to be good ambassadors of this newly created ministry by displaying the highest level of character at your respective duty posts.

“Your attitude to work must change. We must imbibe the ethos of hard work, discipline, decency, and selflessness as this is the only way we can deliver on Mr. President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

“Nigerians expect a lot from the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy. We must not fail them.

” We must increase our contribution to the country’s GDP. We have identified some of the low-hanging fruits that will make an immediate impact.
“We shall vigorously pursue them. I am in a hurry to make an impact. I have no business heading the Marine and Blue Economy Ministry if I can not make an impact.
“I want to make an impact. But I can not do it alone. I need your cooperation. I need your support.
” We have the potential to grow our economy and create more jobs through this novel ministry.

“We must put everything to work to deliver on the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President.

“We fully understand the crucial importance of our ports to the nation’s economic development and international trade.

“We shall, therefore, work towards improving the operations of our ports. Some of the access roads to our ports are in bad shape.
” We shall liaise with the Federal Ministry of Works to ensure some of these roads are fixed in no distant time to ease our operations at the ports.

“We shall very soon commence the infrastructure renewal of our ports, including pursuing the rail-to-port project as part of efforts to decongest our ports.”

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Headlines

Customs Steps Up Nationwide Green Tax Awareness Ahead of July 1 Rollout

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intensified its nationwide sensitisation campaign ahead of the July 1, 2026 implementation of the Green Tax Surcharge and related fiscal adjustments, aimed at promoting environmental sustainability and encouraging the importation of cleaner vehicles.

The awareness campaign, held on Friday July 26th, 2026 at the Apapa Area Command, brought together Customs officers, licensed customs agents, freight forwarders, importers and other key stakeholders under the theme: “Implementation of the Green Tax Surcharge and Related Fiscal Adjustments.”

Representing the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, the Zonal Coordinator, Zone A, Mohammed Babadende, said the exercise was designed to ensure stakeholders fully understand the policy before its implementation.

“This sensitisation is designed to ensure that every stakeholder clearly understands the policy before implementation. Our objective is to eliminate uncertainty, promote voluntary compliance and guarantee uniform application of the Green Tax Surcharge across all commands,” Babadende stated.

Delivering a technical presentation, the Comptroller in charge of Tariff, System Audit and Coordination, Murtala Muazu, explained that the Green Tax Surcharge is different from conventional fiscal measures and would therefore require a separate assessment process.

He disclosed that the Service has simplified implementation through the HS Code declaration platform to facilitate seamless compliance by importers and clearing agents.

Muazu also revealed that the Federal Government has reduced import levies on vehicles from 20 per cent to 10 per cent, while import duty on used vehicles has been slashed from 15 per cent to five per cent to cushion the impact of the new environmental surcharge.

Area Controllers who participated in the sensitisation urged importers, licensed customs agents and the trading public to embrace the initiative, stressing that the reduction in import levies would lower the cost of doing business, promote legitimate trade and ultimately reduce transportation costs.

Stakeholders welcomed the policy but called for sustained public enlightenment to deepen understanding and ensure seamless compliance ahead of the July 1 commencement date.

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Headlines

Beyond Lagos: The untold realities of Nigeria’s Eastern corridor seaports

Monday Discourse with  Ibrahim Nasiru
When the World Bank and S&P Global recently released the 2025 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI), the headlines understandably erupted in celebration.
For Tin Can Island and Apapa to land in the global Top 20 for performance gains is undoubtedly a historic milestone.
Yet, for seasoned maritime analysts and industry stakeholders, a glaring question remains: what about the rest of Nigeria’s coastlines?
While the satellite data accurately captures a localized turnaround in the Lagos pilotage districts, it simultaneously masks a stark regional imbalance.
The narrative of Nigerian maritime modernization cannot begin and end in Lagos.
 To truly turn the tide, the conversation must expand to the Eastern Corridor encompassing Onne Port, Port Harcourt Port, Calabar Port, and Warri Port.
The fundamental issue is that the World Bank’s CPPI relies strictly on automated vessel AIS data tracking.
It registers a win when ship turnaround times shrink at a berth, but it completely shuts out the structural and geographical deficiencies that prevent large vessels from even sailing into Eastern waters in the first place.
Modern deep sea shipping lines require drafts starting at 15 meters.
While multi-billion naira investments and natural depths allow Lagos and the expanding Lekki Deep Sea Port to receive mega-vessels, Calabar Port remains severely hindered by an un-dredged channel hovering around a shallow 6 to 7 meters.
Port Harcourt suffers from similar shallow constraints. Without aggressive, patriotic capital dredging projects, the devils in the details ensure that these regional Ports remain underutilized, regardless of how much digitization is deployed on paper.
It is easy for policymakers to announce massive financial interventions.
Critics are entirely right to point out that the Federal Government’s massive Port modernization plans must yield measurable metrics on the ground, not just political headlines.
However, recent data shows that commercial viability is waiting to be unlocked.
In overall cargo throughput metrics, Onne Port has consistently proven that the Eastern flank possesses massive economic power when given the operational room to breathe.
The roadmap for greenfield developments like the Ibom deep seaport and others exists, but real execution under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework will be the ultimate judge of these investments.
The current operational reality forces an unnatural economic bottleneck.
 Importers in the South-East and South-South regions frequently clear their goods in Lagos, only to transport them across hundreds of kilometers of volatile highways back to Eastern markets.
This layout drives up logistics expenses, completely wiping out the macro efficiencies celebrated in recent National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) trade surplus figures.
The next institutional hurdle for the Managing Director of the NPA, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, is the implementation of a unified, cooperative Port development strategy.
This requires more than just launching an electronic call-up system; it demands a deliberate re-alignment of tariff structures that actively incentivizes shipping consortia to divert traffic to regional hubs.
Ultimately, a Port system is only as strong as its weakest link. Celebrating the World Bank validation of Apapa and Tin Can is fair, but treating it as a nationwide victory is premature.
Until the institutional bottlenecks, channel depths, and security challenges of the Eastern Corridor seaports are solved with the same urgency applied to Lagos, Nigeria’s maritime sector will continue running on half its cylinders.
True maritime competitiveness is not won by building an elite logistics island in one state, but by unlocking the full economic potentials of the nation’s entire coastline.
Chief Ibrahim Nasiru, a public affairs Analyst, writes from Abuja
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Features

Beyond Lagos ports: Why NPA should position Eastern ports for global recognition

Chief Nasiru Ibrahim

Monday Discourse with Ibrahim Nasiru focuses on why government should look beyond Lagos ports and position Eastern ports for global recognition.

Our feature last week on the World Bank Top 20 ranking for Tin Can and Apapa Ports sparked an intense industry debate.

The biggest question raised: What about the rest of Nigeria’s coastlines?

Dropping tomorrow morning, June 29th, 2026,we go beyond the Lagos headlines to break down the hidden operational realities of Nigeria’s Eastern Ports.

Don’t miss “Beyond Lagos: The Untold Realities of Nigeria’s Eastern Corridor Seaports”

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