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At Port News Summit, stakeholders decry dominance of foreigners in shipping, logistics business 

–blame government policies for not protecting interests of indigenous operators 

Funso OLOJO 
Stakeholders in the maritime industry have condemned in strong terms the marginalization of indigenous operators in the shipping and logistics business.
They lamented the continued dominance of foreigners which they claimed was aided by government policies that give them unrestricted access into the industry to the detriment of the locals.
Setting the tone for discussion at the summit, held in Lagos on November 4th, 2024 , the convener of the seminar, Prince Wale Oni, the Publisher of Port News, lamented that indigenous operators in the maritime industry have been consigned to the background at the post -concession period where indigenous operators have become onlookers in their own economy.
With a voice visibly subsumed by emotion, Oni claimed Port concession programme has been more of a curse to indigenous operators than a blessing because the foreigners have come to take away their jobs.
“Has the port concession not impoverished Nigerian freight forwarders and terminal operators?
” Why have the terminal operators and foreigners seemingly ganged up against Nigerian bonded terminal operators by denying them container transfers?
“Nigerian operators have lost the plot,  they are mere onlookers” the Port News publisher lamented.
Dr Muda Yusuf, the Managing Director, Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, who presented the lead paper, corroborated the position of Prince Wale Oni and bemoaned that Nigerians are losing all in the port concession arrangement.
He believed there is a need to step up advocacy to reverse the trend.
Dr Yusuf blamed government policies which he said give unresisted access to foreigners into the maritime industry where he said they have taken over the entire value chain from shipping, terminal operations and freight and logistics business.
The former Director -General of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industries believed that government should be intentional about reversing the trend by coming up with policies that will protect and promote indigenous participation in the industry.
He advocated for what he described as economic nationalism where government will give more opportunities and patronage to empower indigenous operators.
” In the United States of America(USA), what makes Donald Trump get electoria victory for the second time was his promise to put America and Americans first.
” In most developed countries of the world, government practise what I called economic nationalism where they put their people first above foreigners”
Dr Yusuf however lamented that the reverse was the case in Nigeria where foreigners call the shots.
He dismissed the long- worn out narrative that what gave rise to foreign dominance in the sector was due to lack of capacity of indigenous operators.
According to him, it is the opportunities and patronage by government that will empower local people and give them capacity.
” If government did not patronise and support Dangote, would be have capacity for what he is doing now” he inquired.
Yusuf further stated that where the indigenous operators have capacity, such areas should be preserved for them while foreigners could be encouraged to go into where the locals lack capacity.
He said in as much as Nigeria seeks for foreign investors, government should not do that at the expense of the indigenous people.
The economist therefore urged the government to restructure its policies which he said have failed the indigenous people and propagate those ones that will protect their interests.
He called for the review of Nigerian Investments  Promotion Commission Act (NIPC) which he said gives unrestricted access to foreigners.
He also wanted replication of local contents laws in the oil and gas sector in the maritime industry.
According to him, the laws have had a positive impart on indigenous participation in the oil and gas sector.
Members of the panel of discussion, moderated by Mr Funso OLOJO, the Publisher of theeyewitness news, also lent their voices against the marginalization of indigenous operators in the maritime industry.
The panel of discussants  included Dr Boniface Aniebonam, the Founder of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders(NAGAFF) and Nigeria National People’s Party(NNPP), Captain Kunle Olayiwola, a former Director in Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency(NIMASA) and Alhaji Haruna Omolajomo, a bonded terminal operator.
The panelists observed that there was no unity among the indigenous operators who undermine their individual efforts to get advantage over one another.
They believed that this lack of unity did not allow them to forge a common front to fight for their economic emancipation and freedom from foreigners.
The panelists also believed that the foreign operators are in the country to do business and will not cede an inch of their dominance to the indigenous operators if the locals do not unite and present a common front to gain back their lost business opportunities.
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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.
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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”.
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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.
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