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The futility of waiting on Mobereola, NIMASA DG, for CVFF disbursement 

Funso Olojo 
Thursday, May 9th, 2024, the new Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), for the first time since his assumption of duties, met with the expectant stakeholders in the maritime industry.
The meeting, held at the prestigious Eko Hotels, attracted core maritime players such as shipping companies, terminal operators, maritime labour, Seafarers, ship owners, Navy and other service providers in the industry.
Three former NIMASA DGs, Dr Ade Dosunmu,  Ferndinad Agu and Barrister Temisan Omatseye,
were also there to offer their advice and lend their support in solidarity with the new helmsman.
The stakeholders came to the meeting with their plates packed full of a menu of expectations and demands.
Mobereola, who was barely two months in the saddle, sat patiently, with broad smiles, as each category of stakeholders came with their bag full of demands.
At a point during about three hours of engagement, Mobereola lost his trade mark smile when the load of expectations from the expectant stakeholders began to weigh in on him.
Maritime security, infrastructural development, ratification of IMO treaties and conventions, empowerment and training of Seafarers, professionalisation and automation of NIMASA services, upgrade of ship registry.
The list is endless.
Mobereola was taking all these demands and expectations in his stride until the issue of disbursement of Cabotage Vessels Financing Funds (CVFF) came up.
At this point, he lost his smile and assumed a more serious expression as he listened with bewilderment to the tale of a long wait, disappointment and frustration of ship owners over the CVFF disbursement.
Then, Barrister Temisan Omatseye, the former NIMASA DG, dropped the clincher when he turned to Mobereola and told him point blank that he would not be able to disburse the controversial CVFF, giving reasons for his pessimism.
“Let me be frank with you sir, you will not be able to disburse the CVFF” Barrister Temisan Omatseye said with a deadpan expression, which further made Mobereola lose his composure.
Little wonder, the NIMASA DG tactically avoided speaking or making any commitment to the disbursement of the CVFF while responding to the array of demands and expectations of the stakeholders.
 He promised to revamp and automate the ship registry, he pledged to run an inclusive administration and be gender sensitive.
As a matter of fact, he promised to defer to the advice and suggestions of the former NIMASA DGs and consider the inputs of stakeholders in forming his policies and programmes as NIMASA DG.
He, however, avoided the issue of CVFF disbursement like a plague as he didn’t make any commitment towards its disbursement.
The decision by Mobereola not to make any commitment towards disbursement of the CVFF, to some stakeholders, was a smart administrative move that will save the new helmsman a load of stress.
To them, making a commitment to the controversial subject will put him under unnecessary pressure from the hapless ship owners who have become weary of long wait.
His commitment will become a yardstick for the assessment of his administration by the critical stakeholders.
The disbursement of CVFF is not only bigger than NIMASA DG but not within his power to determine, so said some discerning industry operators.
The President of the Nigerian Association of Master Mariners, (NAMM), Captain Tajudeen Alao, said that much when he said disbursement of CVFF is a political game which Mobereola is not cut out to play.
“He does not have the power to push for the disbursement of the fund.
“The law is very clear in the Cabotage Act who is in charge and that money is subject to the approval of the National Assembly because it is an income that goes to the Federation Account but it should not be used like that because it’s a purpose driven contribution” the master mariner noted.
Of course, the disbursement of CVFF  has become a political chess game while successive NIMASA DGs were mere pawns on the chessboard.
Since 2002 when the funds debutted from the two per cent deductions from Cabotage contracts, and 2006 when the guidelines for its disbursement were spelt out, no single ship owner, dead or alive, has benefitted from it.
It has never been disbursed.
Former Ministers and NIMASA DGs have all been consumed by the high-wire politics and administrative intrigues surrounding the disbursement of the controversial interventionist funds.
Rotimi Amaechi, the former minister of Transportation, despite his political clout and vibrancy, had to cry out in frustration and asked the ship owners, the supposed beneficiaries, to take their destinies into their own hands when he met a political brick wall.
His successor, Alhaji Sambo Muazu, staked his integrity over the disbursement but lost out, despite his claim of securing the approval of the then President Mohammudu Buhari.
The story was not different from the previous NIMASA DGs who made promises of disbursement but failed.
From Dakuku Peterside to his successor, Dr Bashir Jamoh, the immediate past DG, it was a tale of frustration and forlorn hope.
Of particular instance was Dr Jamoh who showed genuine desire and consuming passion to disburse the funds.
He got to the final stage of the hurdle before the disagreement between NIMASA and the approved primary lending institutions(PLIs) over interest rates chargeable on the loan eventually stalled the process.
He was in the process of resuming the negotiation when he exited the agency after the expiration of his tenure.
So given this scenario, observers noted that it would be futile and a hope stretched too far for indigenous ship owners to wait on Mobereola, a man who is probably not well grounded in the politics of CVFF, for the disbursement of the Funds.
Apart from his innocence and  naivity in the politics of CVFF disbursement, his position is not helped by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, who has not shown any interest and commitment towards the disbursement of the funds.
Any NIMASA DG who will pull the chestnut of CVFF disbursement out of fire must have a strong-willed Minister, someone in the mould of Rotimi Amaechi, to lend his political weight to the battle.
From all indications,  Gboyega Oyetola does not cut the picture of such a strong-willed character that can exert the necessary political pressure to pull off the disbursement of CVFF, notwithstanding his perceived closeness and affinity with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
With such weak political support and lack of commitment towards the controversial subject, indigenous ship owners will be stretching their luck too far if they should expect the disbursement of the CVFF under the NIMASA administration of Dr Dayo Mobereola.
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Customs

Seme Customs cracks down on smugglers 

— intercepts prohibited items worth 
N501.8m
-rakes in ₦9.8b revenue in three months 
Funso OLOJO, Editor 
The Seme Command of the Nigeria Customs service has renewed its onslaught on smugglers and other traders in illicit trade as its officers have intercepted various smuggled goods and other illicit products.
The Area Controller of the command, Comptroller Abdullahi Kaila, while giving the performance report of the command on Monday, May 25th, 2026, disclosed that the seized goods consist of narcotics, pharmaceutical products, edible items and petroleum products worth N501,845,772.
Giving the breakdown of the seizures made within three months of his assumption of office at the command, Comptroller Kaila said they included 1000 parcels of Cannabis Sativa, substantial quantities of unregistered pharmaceutical products, including codeine-based cough syrups and various sexual enhancement drugs lacking certification from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
The products seized include one carton containing 55 bottles of Ultimate Plus Maca Syrup (100ml each), 88 packs of 99 Bullets Herbal Medicine (30ml each), 10 cartons of Ultimate Plus Maca Sildenafil Citrate 200mg, 14 cartons of Super Sexy Sildenafil Citrate 200mg, 14 cartons of Machine Man Sildenafil Citrate 200mg, quantities of Bottom Up Sildenafil Citrate 200mg, 100 packs of Tramaking, and 100 packs of Tempendol.
Others seized items include 2,000 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 340 kegs of 25 litres each of foreign vegetable oil, 103 kegs of 30 litres each of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), 993 cartons of foreign spaghetti, and 250 bales of used clothing and the Duty Paid Value of all the aforementioned intercepted items is 501,845,772 Naira.
The seized narcotics and banned Pharmaceutical items have been handed over to the relevant authorities for further actions.
In a similar vein, the Command within the period under review grossed revenue in excess of N9.796billion which represents an increase of N7.610 billion collected with the corresponding period in 2025.
Comptroller Kaila attributed the achievement to strengthened compliance mechanisms, improved stakeholder cooperation, intensified anti-revenue leakage measures, enhanced operational efficiency, and the strategic deployment of the B’Odogwu Unified Customs Management System.
He also praised the renewed dedication and vigilance demonstrated by officers and men of the Command which resulted to the commendation feat.
” We remain committed to sustaining these gains through institutional reforms, intelligence-driven monitoring, and transparent trade procedures capable of guaranteeing continuous revenue growth without obstructing legitimate trade activities.
“As one of Nigeria’s most strategic and busiest land border formations, the Seme Area Command occupies a critical position in regional and continental trade integration frameworks, particularly under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the Area controller disclosed.
He however warned illicit traders to steer clear of the command which he said was not the hiding place for economic sabotage.
“Let me use this opportunity to issue a strong warning to smugglers and their collaborators that the Seme Area Command will not serve as a safe haven for illicit trade.
“The Command has significantly strengthened its intelligence network, enhanced surveillance capacity across land and maritime routes, and intensified collaboration with relevant security and regulatory agencies to combat trans-border crimes and economic sabotage.
“To compliant traders and legitimate business operators, I wish to reiterate that compliance remains the safest, fastest, and most cost-effective pathway for conducting international trade”
” At Seme Area Command, we remain resolute in our commitment to facilitating lawful trade while ensuring strict enforcement against illicit activities capable of undermining national economic interests” Comptroller Kaila declared.
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Headlines

Beyond The Communique: Can West Africa’s $27 billion port rhetoric Outrun gridlock?

The Monday Discourse with Nasiru 
The dust has settled on the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) conference hosted by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in Lagos last week.
 For three days, 18th to 20th May 2026, Maritime Executives, Regional Ministers, and Portuguese Administrators traded optimism, signed agreements, and toasted to the future.
The headlines if not hallucinating, were intoxicating: a staggering $27 billion committed to Regional Port Infrastructure, grand declarations of transforming into sustainable “Blue Economy” engines, and lofty goals to replicate the seamless digital models of Rotterdam and Singapore.
Yet, for the average importer, shipping line agent, or haulage driver navigating the chaotic access roads of Apapa, Tin Can, or Luanda, the disconnect between boardroom rhetoric and dockyard reality remains jarring.
While the Lagos conference successfully demonstrated Nigeria’s diplomatic hosting prowess under the leadership of NPA Managing Director, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, it also exposed a deeper regional vulnerability.
West and Central African ports are masterful at planning, but historically abysmal at executing.
If this $27 billion infrastructure boom is to be anything more than a monumental paper tiger, regional leadership must pivot immediately from policy curation to aggressive, unforgiving execution.
On paper, the sub-region is undergoing a maritime renaissance. We are told of Guinea’s massive $20 billion Simandou-Morebaya project, Cote d’Ivoire’s $2 billion Port San Pedro expansion, and Nigeria’s own $1.5 billion Lekki Deep Sea Port, alongside fresh pledges to modernize aging brownfield terminals.
But a Port is not merely a collection of deep berths, breakwaters, and expensive gantry cranes. It is an intricate, living logistical ecosystem.
Building a multi-billion-dollar Deep-Sea Port while leaving the surrounding multimodal transport network broken is an exercise in futility.
Lekki Deep Sea Port, despite its state-of-the-art infrastructure, still struggles with optimal evacuation routes.
True regional competitiveness will not be won by the nation that signs the largest infrastructure contract; it will be won by the nation that successfully connects its berths to functioning rail lines, Inland Dry Ports (IDPs), and uncongested highways.
Until cargo can move from a vessel to an inland destination seamlessly, these multi-billion-dollar investments are simply monumentally expensive parking lots for containers.
The conference highly praised the “Rotterdam-Singapore data-exchange model” as the blueprint for eliminating West Africa’s notoriously high cargo dwell times.
 In Nigeria, officials proudly showcased the roll-out of the National Single Window initiative and the Port Community System.
But let us be objective: West African ports do not suffer from a lack of digital concepts; they suffer from a lack of institutional compliance.
For years, “Single Windows” have been launched, rebranded, and relaunched, yet manual interventions persist.
Why? Because automation directly threatens the lucrative, entrenched economies of corruption, extortive  human contact, and bureaucratic bottlenecks.
 Replicating Singapore requires more than buying expensive software; it requires the political will to strip corrupt agencies of their physical inspection monopolies.
If Customs administrations and border agencies can still demand the physical, manual opening of containers despite digital clearances, then the “Paperless Port” remains an expensive mirage.
A commendable takeaway from the Lagos summit was the celebration of Nigeria’s Deep Blue Project, which has successfully suppressed piracy in the Gulf of Guinea for three consecutive years.
This is a massive victory for regional security. However, security is only a facilitator of trade, not trade itself.
While the waters may be safer from pirates, the land corridors remain plagued by a different kind of piracy: systemic extortion at border checkpoints, overlapping regulatory charges, and severe cargo diversion.
It is an open secret that landlocked neighbors like Niger, Chad, and Mali often bypass geographically closer Nigerian ports in favor of Beninese, Togolese, or Ghanaian corridors.
 Why? Because the total cost of cargo clearance, measured in both time and bribes, makes Nigerian routes economically punitive.
Decentralizing operations to Nigeria’s Eastern Ports, as proposed by the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, will fail to yield results if the same predatory regulatory culture is simply exported from Lagos to Port Harcourt, Warri, Onne, and Calabar.
If the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa wants to avoid meeting next year to lament the same old problems, the AGENDA must change today.
First, the NPA and its regional peers must tie Port Key Performance indicators (KPIs) strictly to cargo dwell times, not revenue generation.
A Port’s primary job is efficiency, not tax collection. Second, the implementation of the National Single Window must be backed by executive enforcement that legally penalizes any agency insisting on manual intervention outside automated channels.
Finally, regional integration must move past the ECOWAS protocol paperwork. There must be a unified, digitized tracking system that allows a container cleared in Lagos to move to Niamey without facing a dozen predatory checkpoints.
The Lagos communique was a beautiful piece of literature. But literature does not offload vessels, clear containers, or lower the cost of doing business.
 West Africa’s maritime sector does not need more summits, boards, or committees. It needs an execution squad.
Until we match our boardroom eloquence with dockyard discipline, the “Ports of the Future” will remain a luxury we can only read about in conference brochures.
Chief Ibrahim Nasiru , a Public Affairs Analyst, writes from Abuja
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Analyses

Beyond The Lagos Communique: Can West Africa’s $27 Billion Port Rhetoric Outrun Gridlock?

Ibrahim Nasiru
The Monday Discourse with NASIRU focuses on the take away from the just concluded PMAWCA board meeting in Lagos.
Last week, maritime leaders gathered in Lagos for the PMAWCA conference, celebrating a staggering $27 billion infrastructure boom and drawing up plans to replicate the seamless digital models of Rotterdam and Singapore.
But for the average importer, agent, or truck driver trapped in the chaos of Apapa or Tin Can, the disconnect is jarring.
West African Ports are masterful at planning, but historically abysmal at executing.
A multi-billion-dollar Deep Sea Port is just an expensive parking lot for containers if the surrounding rail and road infrastructure remains broken.
True competitiveness will not be won by the nation that signs the largest contract; it will be won by the nation that actually clears a container without corruption, extortion, or manual delays.
It is time to move past courtroom style policy curation and deploy an execution squad.
Read full details tomorrow on why West Africa’s maritime sector needs dockyard discipline over boardroom eloquence.
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