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Reprieve for Nigeria as USA commences phased removal of Condition of entry slammed on vessels from Nigeria

The Eyewitness Reporter
The United States of America has granted a three-year relief window in which it will commence the gradual removal of Condition of Entry(CoE) placed on American-bound vessels from Nigeria.
This relief was announced by the United States Coast Guard’s(USCG) Commodore Juliet Hudson in Washington DC during a peer review visit by the NIMASA delegation.
 Hudson announced a bi-annual assessment of compliance level with ISPS implementation at Nigerian Ports working with NIMASA.

In her words, “We will work with NIMASA to review the compliance level of Ports in Nigeria with the provisions of the ISPS Code.

“This will be done twice a year to enable us to update the Port Advisory Security Portal in the White House after which a decision will be taken to completely lift the Condition of Entry.
“We commend NIMASA for ISPS implementation and please deliver this award to your DG,” she said.

Meanwhile, the NIMASA Director General, Dr. Bashir Jamoh also received in the audience, USCG Advisor, Lt. Benjamin Montz who led a delegation to NIMASA.

Jamoh stated that the Agency would continue to prioritise safety and security on the Nigerian waters ways in order to realise the mandate of the Blue Economy.

While acknowledging the support from the American Government in seeing to the implementation of ISPC in Nigeria, the NIMASA DG noted that any support to Nigeria should be extended to other countries in the Gulf of Guinea.

He said that Nigeria plays a vital role in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG), hence called on the USCG to extend support to countries in the GoG region in order to consolidate the gains of the Deep Blue Project in the region, whilst also bolstering the existing ties in the region.

“Nigeria is a major stakeholder in the Gulf of Guinea; you will agree with me that most of the activities in the region revolve around Nigeria.

 “We acknowledge the support you have been giving us; we request that you extend it to other countries in the GoG, as a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and all credit goes to the United States Government”. Jamoh said.

Speaking further, the NIMASA helmsman called on the USCG to assist in the area of training the Agency’s personnel, noting that a gap analysis will be done, and then synchronise with the USCG in order to give the right training to the right personnel.

Earlier in his remarks, the leader of the delegation from the USCG, Lt. Benjamin Montz noted that they are in Nigeria as part of their plans to support the Agency in the area of training, while also collaborating with the Agency to improve safety and security in the country’s maritime sector, with particular reference to port operations in Nigeria.

NIMASA is the Designated Authority responsible for the implementation of the International Ships and Ports Security (ISPS) facility code in Nigeria.

Over the years, the Agency has continued to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to achieve its mandate, with the United States Coast Guard providing the required support and assistance towards the realisation of safer and more secured waterways in Nigeria, and by extension the Gulf of Guinea.
On March 26th, 2013, the Coast Guard announced imposition of conditions of entry on vessels arriving from the Federal Republic of Nigeria with the exception of vessels arriving from certain ports.The policy announced in this notice became effective June 26, 2014.

According to the USCG, the authority for this notice is 5 U.S.C. 552(a), 46 U.S.C. 70110, and Department of Homeland Security Delegation No. 0170.1(II)(97)(f).

” As delegated, section 70110 authorizes the Coast Guard to impose conditions of entry on vessels arriving in U.S. waters from ports that the Coast Guard has not found to maintain effective anti-terrorism measures.

 

“The Coast Guard does not find that ports in the Federal Republic of Nigeria maintain effective anti-terrorism measures with certain exceptions and that Nigeria’s legal regime, designated authority oversight, access control and cargo control are all deficient.

“Our determination does not apply to the ports listed in Table 1 and the listed ports are excepted from the conditions of entry we are imposing.

“In March 26, 2013, Nigeria was notified of this determination and given recommendations for improving anti-terrorism measures and 90 days to respond.

” To date, we cannot confirm that Nigeria has corrected the identified deficiencies.

“Accordingly, beginning June 26, 2014, the conditions of entry shown in Table 2 will apply to any vessel that visited a non-excepted Nigerian port in its last five port calls” the USCG had declared in its notice to NIMASA.

In 2018, the USCG expressed satisfaction with the level of compliance of the Nigerian Ports with the USPS code after a peer review visit.

A year later in 2019, the USCG made. U-turn and slammed sanctions on Nigeria for port security lapses.

The sanctions, which took effect from 12 April 2019, imposed conditions of entry on ships that have visited some port terminals in Nigeria in their last five port calls.

This measure, the US agency had said, was intended to protect the United States from vessels arriving from countries that have been found to have deficient anti-terrorism port measures in place.

It would be recalled that NIMASA was appointed as the Designated Authority(DA) in 2013 for the administration of the ISPS code in Nigeria.

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Headlines

NIWA partners ICPC to strengthen internal transparency in its operations  

Gloria Odion, Maritime Reporter 
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has announced new strategies aimed at improving its operational system and enhancing collaboration with key stakeholders as part of efforts to boost efficiency and accountability.
Speaking at a post event Press Conference at NIWA Headquarters Lokoja, the Acting Managing Director, Umar Yusuf Girei, while answering questions from journalists stated that, the organization convened a two -day Executive and Anti-Corruption training with the theme “Strengthening Integrity and Revenue System in Inland Waterways Management” organized for Board Members, Management and Area Managers and also 2026 NIWA Management Retreat in Abuja.
The Acting MD noted as part of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,with the support  Adegboyega Oyetola, Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, the Authority is focused on aligning institutional goals in ensuring better service delivery to Nigerians.
He further said, as part of its anti-corruption drive, the Management held discussions with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to explore measures for strengthening transparency within its operations.
Girei therefore, assured staff that the ongoing reforms under his watch would translate into improved service and better working conditions.
“NIWA remains committed to continuous improvement and stakeholder engagement and the reforms are expected to enhance both internal performance and public confidence”. he stated.
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Headlines

Navy appoints new Maritime Guard Commander for NIMASA 

Gloria Odion,  Maritime Reporter 

The Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, has approved the appointment of Commodore Reginald Odeodi Adoki as the Commander of the Maritime Guard Command at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
Commodore Adoki takes over from Commodore H.C Oriekeze who has been redeployed.

Commodore Adoki, a principal Warfare Officer specializing in communication and intelligence,  brings onboard 25 years experience in the Nigerian Navy covering training, staff and operations.

 As a seaman, he has commanded NNS Andoni, NNS Kyanwa and NNS Kada.
It was under his command that NNS Kada under took her maiden voyage, sailing from the country of build (the United Arab Emirates) into Nigeria.
He was commissioned into the Nigerian Navy in 2000 with a BSc in Mathematics.
 He has since earned a Masters in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos and an M.Sc in Terrorism, Security and Policing at University of Leicester, England.
He is currently pursuing a Ph.D in Defence and Security Studies at the National Defence Academy (NDA).
He is a highly decorated officer with several medals for distinguished service.

Welcoming the new MGC Commander to the Agency, the Director General, Dr Dayo Mobereola, expressed confidence in Adoki’s addition to the team, emphasising that it will further strengthen the nation’s maritime security architecture given his vast experience in the industry.

The Maritime Guard Command domiciled in NIMASA was established as part of the resolutions of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian Navy to assist NIMASA strengthen operational efficiency in Nigeria’s territorial waters, especially through enforcement of security, safety and other maritime regulations.

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Customs

Customs collects N1.585 trillion from 51 compliant traders under AEO programme 

Funso OLOJO,  Editor 
The Authorized Economic Operator (AEO), one of the trade facilitation tools introduced by the Nigeria Customs Service in 2025, has begun to yield bountiful harvests with the revenue growth of ₦362.79 billion recorded in 2025.
According to the AEO scorecard released by the Service, the facilitation tool grossed the sum of N1.585 trillion after certification, an increase revenue from N1.222 trillion before certification.
This represents the growth of N362.79 billion(29.68 per cent) for 51 AEO – certified entities as at October, 2025.
The Programme, according to the NCS,  also contributed 21.77% to its total revenue collection of ₦7.281 trillion in 2025, while customs duties paid rose by 85.66% due to enhanced compliance and increased volumes of legitimate trade.
According to AEO Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Report, the Programme achieved an average compliance rate of 85.45 per cent with the highest at 100 per cent and the lowest at 60 per cent.
“The evaluation applied rigorous methodologies to ensure objectivity, transparency, and alignment with the World Customs Organisation (WCO) SAFE Framework of Standards and the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.
“In the area of trade facilitation, AEO participation reduced average cargo clearance time from 168 hours to 41 hours, representing a 75.60% time saving.
“Company operating costs declined by 57.2 per cent while demurrage payments dropped by 90 per cent, limiting capital flight to foreign-owned port service providers and strengthening foreign exchange retention.
” Overall trade efficiency improved by 77.11 per  through digitalisation, simplified procedures, and targeted risk management” the Customs declared in the AEO scorecard.
However, the Service singled out with Eight companies for commendation due to their integrity and compliance under the programme.
The companies include Coleman Technical Industries Limited, WACOT Rice Limited, ROMSON Oil Field Services Ltd, WACOT Limited, Chi Farms Ltd, CORMART Nigeria Ltd, PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc, Nigerian Bottling Company Limited and MTN Nigeria Communications Plc.
The Service lauded them for a cumulative voluntary remittance of over a billion naira into the Federation Account following their self-initiated transaction review and disclosure.
“These actions reflect the strengthening of post-clearance audit mechanisms and a growing culture of voluntary compliance within the trading community.
Nevertheless, the Service suspended a firm under the programme for its non- compliance and display of lack of integrity.
The suspended firm engaged in false declaration of consignments contrary to programme obligations.
“Consequently, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, directed the immediate suspension of the company’s AEO status in accordance with the AEO Guidelines, the WCO SAFE Framework of Standards, and Section 112 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.
The NCS reiterated that the AEO Programme is founded on trust, transparency, and continuous compliance.
“While compliant operators will continue to benefit from expedited clearance and reduced inspection, appropriate sanctions will be applied where violations are established.
“The Service remains resolute in safeguarding national revenue, facilitating legitimate trade, and preserving the integrity and global credibility of Nigeria’s AEO framework” the NCS concluded in the report.
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