Maritime Agencies
LEKKI FREE PORT & TERMINAL: We’re Unique, Not Competing With Other Ports, Says Commercial Manager.E
By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
The Lekki Free Port Terminal (LFPT) recently inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari is now properly positioned to serve as a huge employment provider even as it is set to return Nigeria to the status of a cargo trans-shipment hub in these shores, a position which she lost to neighbouring countries’ ports years ago.
The Port is the first of its kind in cargo operations in Nigeria as it has secured brand-new automation machines to move 30 to 35 containers per hour.
It is out to operate top notch world- class terminal operations where stakeholders are guaranteed value-added services while investors are assured of worthwhile returns on investment. So far, about $100 million has been invested to procure cargo-handling equipments for smooth operations and rewarding customer services.
Kehinde Olubi-Neye, the Chief Commercial Officer, stated this Wednesday, at the Port Complex in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos, during a media parley organized by the port to intimate her stakeholders on plans and projections.
Talking about local content he said it is an entrenched policy as Nigerians are well represented from the management cadre down the line. Among the staff, he said, foreigners are not up to 1%.
One of the major mandates the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) handed to the Port, he announced, is to return Nigeria to the trans-shipment status she lost to neighbouring countries’ ports over the years and maintain same, going forward.
Transshipment refers to the process of a mother vessel dropping or trans-shipping cargo and containers at designated ports on its route as it sails to her final destination.
Lekki Port can serve as a trans-shipment hub to other ports especially in the eastern area and the land-locked nations as it offers great solutions for hinterland networks.
To overcome fears about accessibility, massive progress is being made on roadworks, Olubi-Neye assured.
Inefficiency in the system, unfriendly business practices and low draught level of Nigerian ports contributed to Nigeria losing this status as importers saw need to divert cargoes to other ports.
Already, Lekki Free Port Terminal has the equipment and a draft of 16.5 metres to make the needed difference among other ports.
LFPT boasts of a truck park with holding capacity of 150. “As long as we have an uptake in volume, they will be utilized”.
“We had the opportunity of sitting with the Managing Director of NPA where he reiterated that the Lekki Port should get this cargo and ensure that the transshipment status taken away from the country returns.
He added that NPA regulates prices and is interested in ensuring the cargoes come back.
“We are sure they will provide us with the necessary support,” he enthused.
On seamless movement of trucks around the port vicinity, he assured that the company was conducting truck and driver registration to ascertain the ownership and physical fitness of trucks that come to the port to lift cargo.
“Our gates are automated and are linked with our vehicle booking system where truck drivers are required to book appointments in advance.
“It is also available on mobile phones and provides visibility on gates transactions.
“This also supports the initiative of the Lagos State Government with regard to the comprehensive call-up system for the Lagos Free Zone, Lekki Port, Dangote Free Zone, Dangote Refinery, and the Pinnacle Oil and Gas.
“We are in discussions with the Lagos State Ministry of Transport and other stakeholders on the deployment of the call-up system for the Lekki area and we have confidence that the call-up system for trucks will address concerns prospective port users will have over access to the port,” he said.
Olubi-Neye also commended the Federal Government and the Lagos State Government for road construction around the ports.
He disclosed that LFPT is collaborating with the Barge Owners Association of Nigeria (BOAN).
“We’ve started executing barge operations and this is working. We’ve been able to do significant barge moves totalling over 900 TEUs from Lekki Port to Ikorodu area”.
On concerns about scanners to ease operations, Customs operatives are training to operate the two available for now.
Other entities who took out time to make presentations included the NPA, the Directorate of State Security (DSS), Nigerian Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) and the Nigeria Police.
In his remarks, Ikechukwu Onyemekara who represented the NPA Managing Director acknowledged that the support of the NPA is evident. He pledged that NPA would continue to support LFPT and fast-track the actualization of every assistance needed.
The DSS stated that it has been there from the scratch and would ensure round-the-clock security at all times.
The NEPZA represented by the Zonal Administrator, Garba Hayatu, said her task is to provide a congenial business environment for operators. The Free Zone, he explained, is an affirmative policy of government to diversify revenue generation beyond oil and gas.
The Police said beside the regular force, on ground round-the-clock are the EOD (anti-bomb) and the Police Mobile Force.
“We’ve been on ground to secure personnel and operations here.”
The Port explained that satisfying stakeholders remains her priority. There are robust plans to engage and steadily interface with them for mutual benefits.
On corporate social responsibility, the Port said it is targeting employment of the locals.
“There’s a conscious effort on CSR.”
Areas of focus for assistance include vocational training, infrastructure development, community health, etc. These impactful programmes are going to be in phases.
On business rates, the Commercial Manager said they remain competitive. Truck turnaround time is 40 minutes while cargoes can be released as soon as documentations are completed.
“We’re very competitive with our rates; we’re here to collect global maritime trade in Nigeria. We are unique and not competing with any other port.”
“We are on a journey. I can assure you that our customers are a priority to us. They will always be the first for us and at every point in time, we will regularly engage them,” the Commercial Manager concluded.
By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has restated that she is not opposed to lawful police activities in the ports. However, such operations, the freight forwarding body demands, must be conducted strictly within the purview of exant laws without turning legitimate clearance of cargo into an avenue for unlawful financial gains.
This assertion is contained in a petition to the Inspector-General of the Police (IGP) by the Association’s 100% Compliance Team over alleged extortion, intimidation, harassment and obstruction of lawful trade by officers of the Marine Police Command operating at Nigerian ports.
In the petition dated August 14, 2026, NAGAFF was specific on Lagos Port Complex Apapa, Tin-Can Island Port, bonded terminals and other designated ports where police officers frequently compromise needed integrity with the intention of making personal gains at the expense of good conduct. The alleged conduct, the Association said, constitutes a growing threat to legitimate trade facilitation as it leads to rising prices of imported goods and the cost of doing business in Nigeria.
NAGAFF, the petition said, is ready to provide documented evidences and witness accounts to buttress allegations of the prevalence of a pattern of misconduct involving Marine Police personnel around the nation’s seaports.
Some police officers, the Association alleged, issue container blockage letters to shipping lines and terminals through the Nigerian Shippers’ Council demanding illegal payments before release orders are issued.
Officers demand money or special documents from freight forwarders, drivers and agents as a condition for cargo release and speedy movement of cargo.
Other allegations include verbal abuses, threats, unlawful arrest and detention, seizure of documents and, in some cases, physical assault.
NAGAFF warned that such anti-trade practices often cause avoidable delays, port congestion and supply-chain disruptions, thus undermining the Federal Government’s Ease of Doing Business policy.
The Association informed the IGP that such illegal payments and charges not approved by exant laws eventually increase logistics costs, with avoidable burdens being passed on to importers, exporters and consumers.
NAGAFF drew attention to the Nigeria Police Act 2020, Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000, Nigerian Ports Authority Act, Customs Service Act 2023 and other statutory and legal documents that do not have any provisions for the irregularities in question.
In global trade, NAGAFF informed the IGP, the alleged activities, if unchecked, could damage Nigeria’s trade competitiveness, discourage investment in the maritime and logistics sectors while eroding public confidence in law enforcement agencies.
NAGAFF therefore urged the IGP to order an immediate investigation aimed at halting what it described as unlawful container blockage, extortion, intimidation and harassment at the affected ports.
To monitor compliance and address misconduct in the ports, NAGAFF recommended that a joint task force involving the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and NAGAFF should be established in the first instance while disciplinary action is visited against officers found culpable following investigation.
It further requested clear guidelines defining the lawful scope of Marine Police operations at seaports, as well as clearer jurisdictional boundaries between the Maritime Police and the Commissioner of Police (Ports).
“We are not opposed to legitimate Police operations at the ports. We only demand that such operations be conducted strictly within the purview of our extant laws, without turning legitimate cargo clearance into an avenue for unlawful financial gains,” NAGAFF stated.
The petition which was signed by Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko, National Coordinator, 100% Compliance Team on behalf of NAGAFF, was copied to relevant government departments and agencies.
These included the National Security Adviser, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council and the Senate Committee on Customs. Others were the Nigerian Ports Authority, Nigeria Customs Service and the Directorate of State Services (DSS).
Maritime Agencies
NAGAFF Deplores Foreign Domination of Freight Forwarding, Tasks Indigenous Operators to Form Combines.
By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
The National Assembly has been charged to enact a legal framework compelling consolidation by local freight forwarders to ensure they avoid fragmentations which unwittingly expose them to avoidable dominance by their foreign competitors. Pooling resources together as a formidable business entity, it is canvassed, stands to position them to better contribute to national trade and security.
National Secretary-General of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Godfrey Emeka Nwosu made the call in a policy briefing on the future of freight forwarding in Nigeria, as he describes consolidation as a “strategic imperative” for the industry.
Tochukwu Ezisi, NAGAFF National President
The growing fragmentation of local freight forwarding companies, he painted out, was weakening their capacity to compete with better-capitalized foreign firms. To overcome this development, local operators should urgently embrace consolidation to enable them build stronger and more competitive Nigerian-owned logistics business entities.
Indigenous freight forwarding companies, he canvassed, must come together and consolidate their operations as failure to so could leave them increasingly vulnerable to foreign dominance in Nigeria’s logistics and maritime sector.
It is no longer about the survival of individual freight forwarding entities but about Nigeria’s ability to retain value in-country and internationally to ensure foreign competitors do not render them irrelevant in international trade.
He warned that without stronger indigenous companies, local operators could continue to lose market share and strategic opportunities to foreign competitors.
Going further, the NAGAFF Scribe identified consolidation as a national security imperative as better-organized cargo movements would make it easier for regulatory and security agencies to monitor consignments and detect suspicious activities.
“Consolidated cargo is easier to monitor, reducing risks of smuggling and illicit trade,” he stated.
He called for investment in warehouses, transport corridors and digital cargo management systems, as well as capacity-building programmes for freight forwarders and customs brokers.
This would be complemented by stronger public-private partnerships among government agencies, freight forwarders, shippers and port operators to create an efficient logistics ecosystem.
Nwosu said the freight forwarding sector was a critical enabler of international trade and warned that the dominance of small, fragmented operators had created vulnerabilities that could be exploited by foreign competitors.
According to him, bringing smaller freight forwarding companies together would enable operators to pool resources, cargo volumes, infrastructure and expertise, thereby reducing costs and improving service delivery.
“Consolidating multiple smaller freight forwarding companies into larger, unified firms offers a strategic solution to enhance competitiveness, efficiency and resilience,” he said.
Nwosu explained that consolidation would allow operators to share cargo space and transportation resources, reducing per-unit logistics costs while limiting exposure to under-utilized capacity and empty runs.
He said stronger companies would also be better positioned to invest in warehouses, transportation networks, digital systems and skilled manpower, giving indigenous operators the capacity to compete for larger cargo volumes and contracts.
The NAGAFF official said the benefits would extend beyond freight forwarders to shippers, Customs, port operators and the wider economy.
He said shippers would have access to more affordable and reliable logistics services, while Customs authorities could benefit from more structured cargo movements that would simplify inspection, documentation and clearance.
For port operators, he said, more coordinated cargo evacuation would help improve cargo flow and reduce congestion.
Maritime Agencies
NIWA, Private Agency Target Pollution Elimination, Job Creation To Clean Lagos Waterways.
By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and PARTS Central Ltd are partnering to clean up the country’s inland waterways by identifying sources of indiscriminate accumulation of waste within the inland waterways and environs. The partnership also involves the removal, recycling and conversion of such waste into economic value.
This initiative expected to promote environmental sustainability and create employment opportunities for communities living along the waterways is in line with the comprehensive environmental reform programme introduced by Bola Oyebamiji, former Managing Director of NIWA.
In a joint statement, NIWA Lagos Area Manager, Engr. Sarat Braimah and Managing Director, PARTS Central Ltd, Henry Olaoluwa Onifade said the Lagos unveiling is aimed at briefing stakeholders in Lagos on the benefits of the initiative and to seek their support and buy-in to ensure it succeeds.
Apart from improving inland waterway navigability by eliminating debris, pollution-related accumulations and obstructions, the nationwide initiative is also expected to enhance the conservation of aquatic biodiversity, some of which remain largely undocumented. It will also contribute significantly to the growth of Nigeria’s fisheries economy.
Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has consistently emphasized the need to strategically harness the vast potentials of Nigeria’s inland waterways beyond transportation. He has positioned them as key drivers of economic diversification under the blue economy framework.
This arrangement underscores NIWA’s commitment to innovation and sustainable development.
NAGAFF Petitions IGP On Alleged Police Extortion, Harassment At Sea Ports.
NAGAFF Deplores Foreign Domination of Freight Forwarding, Tasks Indigenous Operators to Form Combines.
NIWA, Private Agency Target Pollution Elimination, Job Creation To Clean Lagos Waterways.
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News3 weeks agoDisaster Imminent in Apapa as Widening Cracks Overtake Liverpool-Marine Road Junction. ………. Stakeholders Send SOS to Government.
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Maritime Agencies3 weeks agoCSR: Customs CG Hosts Apapa Students in Sports, Pledges Sponsorship for Outstanding Young Athletes.
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Maritime Agencies3 weeks agoTRANSQuest MAGAZINE @ 21: With Huge Maritime Endowments, Stakeholders Warn, Nigeria Can’t be Poor, Government Must Realign Her Priorities.
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Maritime Agencies6 days agoSeme Customs Arrests 2, Intercepts Explosives, Expired Noodles As Command’s Revenue Hits N19.8bn.
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Maritime Agencies3 weeks agoECTS: PTML Customs Mounts an Awareness Campaign
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Maritime Agencies3 weeks agoAfCFTA: Nigeria, Cameroon, Benin To Establish Joint Customs Strategic Steering Committee on Beitbridge Communique.
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Maritime Agencies2 weeks agoTopfield College Clinches Overall Position as Customs’ WASA Sports Event ends in Lagos.
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Maritime Agencies2 weeks agoCGC Restates Position on Illicit Arms, Unveils Intercepted Weapons and Drugs Worth N373m