Funso OLOJO, Editor 

At Nigeria’s south-western border with the Republic of Benin, the battle against smuggling is no longer merely about intercepting bags of rice, petroleum products or second-hand clothing.

Increasingly, it is a battle over the survival of local industries, food security, public health, legitimate trade, national revenue and, ultimately, Nigeria’s economic security.

At the centre of that battle is the Ogun I Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, Idiroko, where Deputy Comptroller Olukayode Oladapo Afeni, the Acting Customs Area Controller, has presided over an increasingly aggressive enforcement campaign.

The numbers tell part of the story.

Under Afeni, the Command’s seizure diary has expanded from narcotics and prohibited food products to petroleum products, tyres, pharmaceuticals, clothing, sugar, fertiliser and even antiquities and wildlife.

But perhaps more significant than the sheer volume of seizures is the philosophy emerging behind them: make the border hostile to illicit trade while making it more accessible to legitimate commerce.

That approach dovetails with the broader economic direction of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, which has consistently presented the Renewed Hope agenda as a programme aimed at strengthening domestic production, protecting investment, improving revenue and securing Nigeria’s economic space.

At Ogun I, those objectives are increasingly being translated into frontline enforcement.

THE AUGUST SCORECARD: ₦3.574 BILLION IN ONE ENFORCEMENT WINDOW

The latest chapter in Afeni’s seizure diary is particularly revealing.
Between June 24 and August 13, 2026, the Ogun I Command intercepted prohibited goods with a combined Duty Paid Value of ₦3,574,435,248.08.

Among the most striking seizures were 6,035 parcels of Ghana Loud/Indica, 2,339 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 70 cartons of basmati rice, 30 bags of foreign sugar, 11,450 litres of Premium Motor Spirit in kegs, another 1,750 litres of PMS in drums and 30 kegs of diesel.

The inventory also included 100 bags of fertiliser, 67 bales of second-hand clothing, 2,674 pieces of new shorts and trousers, 3,760 pieces of new tops, 85 fire extinguishers, 480 cartons of Pure Haven drinks, cosmetics, oats, hair accessories, surgical shoes and 127 new purses.

Yet the cannabis seizure stood out.
The 6,035 parcels of Ghana Loud/Indica were formally handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Idiroko Special Command, for further investigation and necessary action.

Afeni subsequently disclosed that from January 2026 to the August briefing, the Command had handed over 32,412 parcels of hard drugs and 92 sacks of raw Cannabis Sativa to the NDLEA Idiroko Special Command.

That statistic provides perhaps the clearest indication of the changing character of smuggling through the Ogun border.

It is no longer simply a question of economic contraband. Increasingly, it is a question of economic and national security.

BEFORE AUGUST CAME ₦4.63 BILLION

The August seizure did not emerge in isolation.
Between April 1 and June 23, 2026, the Command recorded 146 seizures with a cumulative DPV of ₦4,628,591,970.16, while generating ₦259,777,346.89 during the same period.

The revenue figure represented a remarkable 238 per cent increase over the ₦76.81 million recorded during the corresponding period of 2025.

That performance is significant because the Ogun I story under Afeni has not been exclusively about seizure.

There has also been an attempt to combine enforcement, revenue generation and trade facilitation.

The second-quarter seizure list was extensive: 2,807 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 9,482 parcels of Cannabis Sativa, 62 sacks of raw marijuana, 16,525 litres of PMS, 475 litres of diesel, 7,642 pieces of footwear, 2,427 pneumatic tyres, 63 sacks of foreign sugar, 73 bales of second-hand clothing, fertiliser, imported flour, frozen products and pharmaceuticals.

The Command also handed over 6,981 parcels of Cannabis Indica/Ghanaian Loud and 62 sacks of raw marijuana to the NDLEA, while illicit pharmaceutical products, including 77 cartons of Analgin injections containing 138,600 tubes, were transferred to NAFDAC.

In other words, Afeni’s seizure diary is also becoming a diary of inter-agency enforcement.

THE ₦1.35 BILLION CHAPTER

Earlier, between February and March, the Command intercepted prohibited goods valued at approximately ₦1.35 billion.
That operation produced another revealing catalogue of commodities moving through the border environment.

They included 2,539 kegs of vegetable oil, 4,325 cartons of foreign spaghetti, 1,204 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 2,547 parcels of Cannabis Sativa and 13,625 litres of PMS.

Four live pangolins and two antique artefacts believed to date from the 19th century were also intercepted.The vegetable oil seizure was particularly significant.

Customs described it as part of efforts to protect domestic producers from unfair competition created by smuggled goods.

That is where the anti-smuggling campaign intersects directly with the Renewed Hope economic argument.

For every prohibited consignment that enters Nigeria outside the legal import regime, there is potentially a local manufacturer, farmer, investor or legitimate trader being placed at a disadvantage.

The Customs position, therefore, is that enforcement is not simply about confiscation. It is about protecting the productive economy.

THE RICE WAR

Foreign rice has perhaps become the most visible symbol of the economic contest at the Ogun border.

Again and again, rice appears in Afeni’s seizure diary.
In the April-June enforcement period alone, 2,807 bags of foreign parboiled rice were intercepted.

In the latest June-August operation, another 2,339 bags, alongside 70 cartons of basmati rice, were seized.

Afeni’s argument has been straightforward: the illegal inflow of foreign rice undermines local farmers, domestic rice mills and agricultural investors.

That position aligns the border enforcement campaign with the Federal Government’s broader food-security objectives.
The logic is compelling.

If government policy encourages Nigerians to invest in agriculture and local food processing while smugglers simultaneously flood the market with cheaper prohibited imports, then the border becomes the first point at which that economic policy must be defended.

In this sense, a bag of seized foreign rice is no longer merely a Customs seizure. It represents a direct intervention in the competition between illegal imports and domestic production.

WHEN SMUGGLERS FIGHT BACK

Afeni’s seizure diary also records an increasingly dangerous side of the border war.
In one June operation, Customs officers intercepted a truck carrying 113 bags of foreign parboiled rice along the Itori-Wasimi-Abeokuta corridor.

According to the Command, the driver ignored the officers’ signal to stop and attempted to ram the patrol vehicle before he was apprehended.

In another operation, 630 bags of foreign rice were intercepted along the Afamin-Igbogila axis.

Earlier enforcement operations had also involved resistance and attacks on Customs personnel.

This suggests that the enforcement environment around the Ogun border cannot be treated as an ordinary regulatory exercise.
The stakes are evidently high enough for some operators to risk confrontation with armed government personnel.

That makes the Command’s emphasis on intelligence, technology and collaboration with sister agencies particularly important.

FROM PATROLS TO INTELLIGENCE

Perhaps the most important change in the Afeni approach is the apparent movement away from purely reactive patrols towards intelligence-led enforcement.

The August operation, according to Customs, was strengthened by intelligence gathering, technology and collaboration with sister security agencies.

That is significant because border smugglers are themselves adapting.

Their methods increasingly involve concealment, multiple routes, small consignments, night movements, abandoned structures, bush paths and waterways.

The Customs response, therefore, has had to become more sophisticated.

The objective is no longer simply to wait for contraband to appear at a checkpoint. It is to identify the networks, understand the routes and intercept consignments before they reach the Nigerian market.

That represents a fundamentally different model of border enforcement.

BUT THERE IS ANOTHER SIDE TO THE STORY

Interestingly, while the seizure diary has expanded, so has the Command’s legitimate trade profile.

Between April and June, Ogun I facilitated 20,972 metric tonnes of exports with a Free-On-Board value of ₦1.049 billion — a dramatic improvement over the corresponding period of 2025, when no export activity was recorded.

By the August briefing, the Command reported 10,110 metric tonnes of exports, valued at ₦2.594 billion FOB, with white talc, crushed thermal coal and CNG identified among the major export commodities.

That development deserves attention.
A successful border command cannot simply become a wall. It must become a filter.
The illegal must be stopped; the legitimate must be facilitated.

So far, the figures suggest that Ogun I is attempting to pursue both sides of that equation.

THE AFENI EQUATION

The emerging Afeni equation can be reduced to four words:
Enforcement. Revenue. Security. Trade.

The enforcement figures are substantial.
The revenue numbers show improvement.
The volume of narcotics handed over to the NDLEA demonstrates the security dimension.

And the rising export statistics point towards the trade-facilitation component.

The interconnectedness of the four is clear.
A secure border encourages legitimate commerce.

Legitimate commerce generates revenue.
Revenue strengthens government capacity.
And strong enforcement protects legitimate operators from unfair competition.

This is the economic-security argument behind the Ogun I experience.

A COMMAND UNDER PRESSURE

Yet the Afeni record should not be romanticised. It should be understood for what it is.

The persistence of large-scale seizures itself demonstrates that the smuggling economy remains alive.

Every seizure is evidence of successful enforcement, but it is also evidence that somebody remains willing to attempt the illegal movement of the goods.

The continued appearance of rice, petroleum products, narcotics, clothing and other prohibited commodities means that the underlying economic incentives driving smuggling have not disappeared.

Perhaps this is where the larger policy question arises:
Can enforcement alone permanently defeat smuggling?
Probably not.

Border communities need legitimate economic alternatives. Traders need predictable procedures. Exporters need efficient processing. Security agencies need sustained inter-agency cooperation.

And the Customs Service must continue to ensure that legitimate trade is not inadvertently caught in an enforcement net designed for criminal networks.

Afeni’s challenge, therefore, is bigger than producing impressive seizure statistics.
It is to help transform Idiroko from a border corridor defined by illicit commerce into a gateway for legitimate Nigerian production and exports.

THE RENEWED HOPE TEST

The real test of the Renewed Hope agenda at the border is not how many bags of rice Customs can seize.

It is whether those seizures ultimately contribute to a market environment in which Nigerian farmers can produce competitively, local manufacturers can survive, legitimate traders can operate profitably, government can collect its lawful revenue and criminal networks can no longer exploit the border as an economic highway.

By that measure, Afeni’s diary offers an interesting case study.

From the ₦1.35 billion seizure chapter of February-March, to the ₦4.63 billion recorded between April and June, and then the ₦3.574 billion seizure window stretching from June 24 to August 13, the operational tempo has remained high.

And behind those numbers is an increasingly diversified enforcement portfolio: drugs, rice, petroleum products, vegetable oil, tyres, pharmaceuticals, clothing, sugar, fertiliser, wildlife and antiquities.

More importantly, the Command has coupled seizures with drug handovers, inter-agency operations, revenue collection and legitimate export facilitation.

That may ultimately prove more significant than any single seizure.

THE DIARY CONTINUES

As August 2026 closes, one conclusion appears difficult to dispute:
The Ogun I border is no longer being treated merely as a Customs collection point. It is increasingly being managed as an economic-security theatre.

For smugglers, the apparent message from Idiroko is unmistakable: the routes are being watched, the networks are being pursued and the cargoes are increasingly vulnerable to interception.

For legitimate businesses, however, there is another message: the border is expected to become a safer and more predictable channel for lawful commerce.

And for the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope agenda, that distinction is critical.
Because the ultimate measure of success is not the size of the seizure warehouse.

It is the size of the legitimate economy that emerges when the smuggling economy is squeezed out.
For now, Afeni’s seizure diary is still being written.
And at Idiroko, the pages are filling up fast.

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

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.