— as Agricultural, Solid minerals exports plunge

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Lilypond Export Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Ijora, Lagos, recorded export transactions valued at $752.9 million in the third quarter of 2026, representing a 22.14 per cent increase over the $586.152 million recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.

The growth was driven largely by a sharp increase in manufactured goods exports, which more than doubled during the period, offsetting declines in agricultural produce and solid minerals exports.

The Acting Controller of the Command, Deputy Comptroller Olusola Oluyemi Salako, attributed the overall improvement to favourable government export policies, the Customs Service’s commitment to trade facilitation and the support of the NCS management under the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi.

Salako disclosed the figures while briefing the media on the Command’s third-quarter performance on October 28, 2026.

A breakdown of the monthly figures showed that export value rose from $202.604 million in July 2025 to $217.526 million in July 2026, representing a 6.86 per cent increase.

In August, exports increased from $176.628 million to $297.919 million, reflecting a reported growth of 40.71 per cent, while September exports rose from $206.919 million to $237.406 million, representing a 12.84 per cent increase.

Manufactured goods drive export growth

An analysis of the sectoral performance showed that manufactured goods emerged as the leading driver of export growth, with export value increasing from $169.902 million in the third quarter of 2025 to $402.520 million in the corresponding period of 2026.

The performance underscores the growing contribution of manufactured and value-added products to Nigeria’s non-oil export earnings.

Salako said the trend reflected the Federal Government’s drive to encourage domestic processing and value addition rather than continued dependence on the export of raw commodities.

“This performance underscores the growing contribution of manufactured and value-added products to Nigeria’s non-oil export earnings,” he said.

According to the Acting Controller, the Customs Command has continued to sensitise exporters on the need to move beyond the export of raw agricultural produce and embrace processing and value-added production.

He explained that more agricultural commodities were being processed into manufactured and value-added products for export, a development that he said was contributing to the growth in manufactured goods exports and supporting greater foreign exchange repatriation into the Nigerian economy.

Agricultural exports suffer decline

Despite the overall growth in export value, agricultural exports recorded a decline, falling from $346.107 million in the third quarter of 2025 to $310.981 million in the corresponding period of 2026.

Salako, however, maintained that agriculture remained a significant component of the Command’s export portfolio.

He attributed the decline partly to the Federal Government’s increasing emphasis on processing agricultural commodities and improving their value before export.

The policy direction, he said, was intended to encourage domestic value addition, expand manufacturing activities and improve the returns Nigeria earns from its exports.

The Command, he added, would continue to engage exporters and provide guidance on compliance with government policies aimed at strengthening the country’s non-oil export base.

Solid minerals exports plunge

Solid minerals exports recorded the steepest decline among the major export categories, falling from $62.271 million in the third quarter of 2025 to $6.487 million in the same period of 2026.

Salako attributed the sharp drop to government policies discouraging the export of unprocessed solid minerals and requiring greater processing and conversion into derivatives before export.

He also cited efforts to curb illegal mining activities, particularly those involving foreign operators, as another factor contributing to the decline.

The Acting Controller said the Command would continue engaging stakeholders in the solid minerals sector to better understand operational challenges and support legitimate export activities within the framework of existing government policies.

In contrast, exports classified under the other-products category increased from $7.870 million to $32.863 million during the period under review, reflecting improved performance.

Export container throughput rises

Beyond the increase in export value, the Command recorded significant growth in export container throughput.

The number of export containers processed rose from 10,987 in the third quarter of 2025 to 16,345 in the corresponding period of 2026, an increase of 5,358 containers.

The growth points to increased cargo movement through the facility and an expansion in the volume of export transactions handled during the quarter.

The Command also reported increases in export-related collections.

According to Salako, the 2.5 per cent re-export surcharge increased by ₦90.019 million, while the Nigerian Export Supervision Scheme (NESS) charges rose by ₦517.923 million during the period.

He said the increase in collections highlighted the importance of efficient cargo processing, accurate documentation and compliance with established Customs procedures in supporting legitimate trade.

Customs pledges faster processing, stronger compliance

Salako commended compliant exporters, licensed Customs agents, export processing terminals, relevant government agencies and other stakeholders for their cooperation and commitment to the export process.

He said the Command would sustain its support for legitimate trade through improved trade facilitation, timely dissemination of relevant information and consistent enforcement of applicable Customs regulations.

“The Command will continue to support legitimate trade through effective trade facilitation, timely dissemination of relevant information and consistent application of extant rules and regulations. At the same time, we will sustain our commitment to enforcing compliance with all applicable Customs laws and government policies,” he said.

Looking ahead, the Acting Controller said the Command would intensify efforts to sustain export growth through faster and more efficient cargo processing, stakeholder engagement, advocacy and the effective deployment of the Unified Customs Management System (UCMS), also known as B’Odogwu.

He said the system continued to support Customs operations and trade facilitation by improving the management of export transactions.

The Command would also leverage World Customs Organization (WCO) trade facilitation instruments, including the Time Release Study (TRS), where applicable, to identify operational bottlenecks and improve efficiency.

Salako said the third-quarter performance demonstrated the potential of manufactured and value-added products to strengthen Nigeria’s non-oil export base, even as the declines in agricultural and solid minerals exports highlighted the need to address sector-specific challenges.

“Our commitment remains to facilitate legitimate trade, strengthen compliance, enhance revenue collection and contribute meaningfully to the growth of Nigeria’s non-oil economy,” he said.

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) have formalised a partnership to promote the mental health and wellbeing of Nigerian seafarers and cadets, in a move aimed at strengthening welfare standards and improving safety in the maritime industry.

The partnership was sealed with the endorsement of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) focused on training, awareness creation and capacity building to help seafarers identify, manage and cope with the psychological challenges associated with life at sea.

The agreement was reached during a three-day Seafarers’ and Cadets’ Wellbeing Awareness and Train-the-Trainers Programme organised by NIMASA in collaboration with the ITF, with the theme, “Stress: Understanding, Early Management and Coping.”

Speaking at the programme, NIMASA Director-General, Dr Dayo Mobereola, said the partnership would strengthen capacity development and support the integration of seafarer wellbeing modules into maritime training curricula.

Mobereola, who was represented by the Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Mr Jibril Abba, said the initiative was designed to make mental health awareness and wellbeing a permanent feature of preparations for life at sea. Abba also endorsed the MoU on behalf of NIMASA.

According to the Director-General, the wellbeing of seafarers is fundamental to safe shipping, making it imperative to equip maritime training institutions, agency officials and union representatives with the knowledge and skills required to identify stress, manage its effects and provide psychological first aid when necessary.

He stressed that seafarers face significant psychological pressures, including stress, anxiety, depression and burnout, arising partly from the demanding nature of their work and prolonged separation from their families.

To underscore the scale of the challenge, Mobereola cited a 2019 study commissioned by the ITF in collaboration with Yale University, which found that one in four seafarers surveyed showed signs of depression, while approximately one in six exhibited signs of anxiety.

He said the findings reinforced the need for sustained interventions to safeguard the mental health of maritime workers and promote a healthier working environment at sea.

The ITF Africa Regional Secretary, Mr Safiyanu Dauda Mohammed, described the agreement as a significant milestone, disclosing that it was the first MoU of its kind the federation had entered into with any African country.

“It is very exciting for me because it is the first in Africa, and we are starting with Nigeria,” Mohammed said.

He emphasised the strategic importance of seafarers to the maritime industry, noting that their contributions made it necessary to prioritise their welfare and wellbeing.

According to him, addressing the anxiety and depression experienced by seafarers would help strengthen their welfare and support their ability to perform their duties effectively.

Also speaking, the President-General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, Comrade Francis Bunu, welcomed the partnership, describing it as an important step towards ensuring that seafarers remain mentally fit to carry out their responsibilities.

“We need seafarers to be mentally sound while doing their job, and that is why today is a very significant day for the seafarer in Nigeria,” Bunu said.

Other stakeholders at the event included the National President of the Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association, Chief Engineer Bob Joseph Yousou; ITF Wellbeing Coordinator, Dr Asif Altaf; and ITF Inspector, Mr Hamani Amadou, among others.

The programme comes amid growing recognition of the mental health challenges confronting seafarers, whose jobs often involve demanding working conditions, extended periods at sea and prolonged separation from family members and loved ones.

These conditions can increase the risk of psychological distress, making early identification, appropriate support and effective coping strategies essential components of seafarer welfare and maritime safety.

Through the MoU, NIMASA and the ITF are seeking to strengthen institutional collaboration and build the capacity of maritime stakeholders to provide more effective mental health support for seafarers and cadets.

The partnership also underscores the importance of integrating wellbeing into maritime education and professional development, recognising that the physical and psychological fitness of seafarers is central to safe and efficient shipping operations.

The initiative reinforces the shared commitment of both organisations to advancing seafarer welfare through sustained training, greater awareness and improved access to mental health support, underlining the principle that a healthy seafarer is a safe seafarer.

Monday Discourse with Ibrahim Nasiru

At the African Ports Conference (COPAF 2026) in Casablanca, Morocco, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, dropped a piece of unvarnished realism that should govern all future maritime discourse on the continent.

Speaking on the theme of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, Dantsoho issued a vital warning: African ports must establish effective, uncompromised digital foundations before they rush to deploy artificial intelligence (AI).

In an era where public officials routinely weaponize trendy buzzwords like “AI,” “Big Data,” and “Smart Governance” to perform administrative progress, Dantsoho’s perspective is a refreshing return to structural logic.

Smart ports, he rightly argued, must be measured by tangible operational realities—faster vessel turnaround times, shorter cargo dwell times, lower costs, and watertight revenue accounting—not by the sheer volume of technology purchases.

The numbers coming out of Nigeria’s maritime sector suggest that getting the basic digital foundations right yields immediate economic dividends.

The deployment of foundational tools like the “Eto” truck call-up system, alongside initial frameworks for the Port Community System, catalyzed a staggering 24.8 per cent increase in Nigeria’s cargo throughput.

This foundational digitisation is precisely why the World Bank’s Container Port Performance Index recently recorded strong upward trajectory rankings for both the Tin Can Island and Apapa Ports.

But as Nigeria embarks on its massive $1 billion Lagos ports modernization program, we must face the hard, structural truth that lies beneath these celebratory statistics.

Digitisation is not merely about software procurement; it is about political will and institutional harmonization.

For over a decade, Nigeria’s biggest maritime bottleneck has not been a lack of computers, but the fierce, territorial resistance from various state agencies refusing to plug into a single, unified data ledger.

A “Smart Port” cannot exist in a vacuum where customs, immigration, terminal operators, and security agencies run isolated, analogue silos designed to preserve bureaucratic fiefdoms and rent-seeking opportunities.

If the $1 billion modernization fund is spent buying sophisticated AI predictive maintenance tools and automated vessel planning systems while the National Single Window remains structurally sabotaged by agency politics, we will simply end up with a highly automated system that accelerates corruption and bottlenecks.

You cannot run a predictive AI algorithm on data that is manually altered or hidden by a human clearing agent at the wharf.

Dantsoho is entirely correct: we must build the digital plumbing before we chase the AI crown.

Going into 2027, the yardstick for evaluating the NPA’s modernization program must not be the number of smart cameras or automated gates installed.

The true metric of success will be the complete, legally enforced integration of all port stakeholders into a single data ecosystem.

Until the data flows seamlessly and transparently from the vessel to the final exit gate without human friction, any talk of an “AI-driven smart port” is mere window dressing.

We must fix the foundations first, or watch a billion dollars clear out into the ocean of unfulfilled potential.

Ibrahim Nasiru, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja.