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‎By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
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‎In what signposts the highest monthly revenue generation by any customs command in the history of the Nigeria Customs Service, the Apapa Command, last October, hit a record-breaking ₦304b collection. This is contained in a release by the Command image maker, Superintendent of Customs J.T. Ayagbalo, on behalf of the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba.

Barr Metu delivering his lecture on ‘Badagry: Nigeria’s Gateway to ECOWAS Trade Facilitation’

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‎”This record which beats the ₦264b collected in the month of October 2024 has brought the total collection by the command for the first ten months of this year to ₦2,402,141,493,747.06″.
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‎With this, the release  says, the command has surpassed the total collection it achieved in 2024 two months before the end of 2025.

Chief Okey Iroegbu, Publisher, ‘The Baggage Maritime Magazine’ in his welcome remarks.

‎Comptroller Oshoba who commended the officers and stakeholders for their contributions to the spectacular achievement described it as the beginning of more revenue generation exploits on his watch.
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‎The latest revenue feat, the  CAC stated, is an initial proof that Apapa Command is ready to process higher volume of trade which will translate to greater collection for government.
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‎He informed that officers and men have been sensitized ahead for a regime of Drive Through Scanning that would process an average of 150 containers per hour from the quayside which will be revolutionary in the annals of trade facilitation in any West African port.

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‎Rising from an in-house training for newly promoted Deputy Comptrollers and Assistant Comptrollers of Customs, Apapa Command, the CAC explained, is set to deliver optimally in line with the directives of the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR.
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‎” I commend my officers and our compliant stakeholders for this revenue collection milestone, but it’s not our final destination. While we are deploying all tools of trade facilitation as directed by the CGC, including the  One-Stop-Shop (OSS) which harmonizes all customs procedures and processes to save time and promote efficiency, we are also preventing revenue leakages.
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‎” We have a zero compromise stance in the application of demand notices (DN) for the recovery of uncovered shortfalls in revenue and my officers are very vigilant checking any attempt to misapply Harmonised System (HS) Code for duty evasion.
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‎” To accentuate the importance we attach to trade facilitation, I have personally paid unannounced visits to some parts of the port access roads where I urged truckers, freight forwarders and licensed customs agents to cooperate with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) by prioritising the movement of their cleared consignments out of the ports
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‎”I have also visited the Port Manager to strengthen our collaboration towards making Apapa Port very efficient. If cleared consignments fail to exit, new ones coming for examination or scanning would be slowed down and this affects trade directly while impeding on the NCS revenue collection and trade facilitation mandates.
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‎CAC Oshoba beckoned on all stakeholders to support the Command to consolidate and build on the existing  achievements recorded in revenue collection and trade facilitation.
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‎”We are ready to do better,” Comptroller Oshoba assured.
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‎By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
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‎Tantita Security Services Limited (TSSL), the security outfit keeping surveillance over oil and gas installations and other critical assets in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region, has secured an approval to deliver a technical lecture on Drone Security at the  2026 edition of the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC). This lecture will spotlight the use of drone technology in offshore oil platform protection.
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‎The presentation, scheduled for next year’s global gathering of energy innovation will showcase Tantita’s pioneering efforts in leveraging unmanned aerial systems to monitor and secure Nigeria’s vast offshore assets.
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‎Confirming the development, the  company’s Executive Director of Technical and Operations, Captain Dr. Warredi Enisuoh, noted that the approval from  OTC reflects growing international recognition of Tantita’s operational successes and technological innovation.
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‎Tantita’s lecture will delve into real-time surveillance, threat detection, and collaborative frameworks for maritime security, aligning with OTC’s broader focus on digitalization, sustainability, and cross-sector innovation in offshore energy.
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‎The 2026 conference is expected to attract thousands of global stakeholders, including engineers, policymakers, and investors, offering a platform for knowledge exchange and strategic partnerships.
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‎By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
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‎As renewed tanker and truck build-up begin to show up on the ports access route in Apapa, there are strong indications that the infamous traffic gridlock that once crippled business  activities in Apapa and environs is gradually resurfacing, threatening to paralyze movement and port operations once again.
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‎ Port workers now battle renewed evening congestion as truckers and tankers swarm the port access roads daily, preventing other road users from seamless transit.
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‎Investigations by the Network of Nigerian Maritime Journalists (NNMI) reveal that while Apapa roads remain relatively free during the day, a long trail of trucks begins forming by evening from both the Costain and Mile 2 entry points.
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‎From the Ijora-Olopa Bridge to Apapa and from Coconut Bus Stop to Tin Can Island’s gates, trucks line up in droves, allegedly paying between N30,000 and N50,000 to secure a spot in the queue.
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‎ Officials of key government agencies, investigations show, are complicit in the illegal toll collection as they allegedly look the other way as the situation worsens.
‎These agencies include  the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and the Nigeria Police.
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‎The most affected areas include Wharf Road, Warehouse Road, Commercial Road, Burma Road, and Creek Road.
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‎Speaking on the development, Moses Fadipe, former National Coordinator of the Port Standing Task Team (PSTT), attributed the resurgence to the return of vested interests who previously profited from the chaos. The Lagos State Government, he noted, knows what steps to take to prevent a full-blown crisis.
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‎Martins Enebeli, President of the Nigerian Institute of Shipping (NIS) and the Nigerian Licensed Ship Chandlers Association (NILSCA), blamed government insincerity for the relapse.
‎He urged authorities to prioritise rail transport for cargo evacuation from Lagos ports and to revive Eastern and Delta ports to ease pressure on Apapa.
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‎“Bonded terminals should be relocated far from the ports and connected by rail. Government must stop concentrating port operations in the West while neglecting other regions,” Enebeli stated.
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‎ Speaking anonymously, a senior official confirmed that a syndicate involving both state and non-state actors is profiting from the tolls collected from truckers, exacerbating the traffic crisis.
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‎Meanwhile, stakeholders have been  unanimous in their call for urgent federal government intervention to dismantle the alleged racketeering network and restore sanity to Apapa’s transport corridors.
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