Maritime Agencies
Information Minister Highlights President Tinubu’s Achievements, says 2025 Is A Year of Consolidation.
By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
For President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, 2025 is a pivotal year to consolidate and build upon the significant achievements recorded in the first 19 months of governance.
Information and National Orientation Minister, Muhammed Idris, made the declaration in Abuja during a ministerial briefing to highlight the President’s achievements so far.
According to a release by Henshaw Ogubike, Director, Public Communication and National Orientation, Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, the Minister emphasized the importance of reflecting on the accomplishments as the administration approaches its mid-term.
“This inaugural briefing for 2025 serves as a reminder of our progress and the context in which these gains are being realized,” the Minister stated.
Key areas of achievement under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s leadership, Minister Idris outlined include fiscal, macroeconomic, and legislative reforms. Others are fuel subsidy removal which he termed a strategic move which has plugged financial leakages amounting to hundreds of billions of Naira annually.
Others achievements are in the area of foreign exchange transparency and stability which has led to the introduction of the Electronic Foreign Exchange Matching System (EFEMS). This has resulted to unprecedented stability in the FX market, clearing billions of dollars in backlogs and boosting foreign investment. The Naira recently reached an eight-month high in the official market, the Minister recalled.
In oil and gas reforms, the Minister said that in 2024, Nigeria became the most attractive destination for oil and gas investments in Africa, securing over $5 billion in Final Investment Decisions (FIDs) even as the Electricity Act of 2024 provides a framework for state governments to establish regulated electricity markets, following a constitutional amendment.
On Local Government Autonomy, a landmark Supreme Court ruling in July 2024 empowered local governments with unprecedented financial autonomy, with an Inter-Ministerial Committee established to ensure compliance.
Speaking on Targeted Interventions, especially concerning Students’ Loan Fund, Minister Idris said over 169,000 students have benefited from NELFUND, receiving N32.8 billion for school fees and upkeep while new Development Commissions have been established for the North-Central, South-East, and North-West regions alongside the creation of a Federal University of Environmental Technology.
The Federal Executive Council, he disclosed, recently approved $1.07 billion from the World Bank for health programs including targeted subsidies for cancer patients.
While a backlog of over 200,000 international passports were cleared within three weeks in 2024,
an investment of over $450 million has been made to develop Nigeria’s CNG value chain.
He announced that in the area of infrastructure development, under President Tinubu’s leadership, Nigeria has become a hub of construction activity. Recent approvals from the Federal Executive Council include over 2.5 trillion Naira for various road projects. These include N1.334 trillion for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, N470.9 billion for access roads to the Second Niger Bridge and N195 billion for the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway reconstruction.
On Defence and Security, he announced that in 2024, security forces neutralized over 8,000 terrorists and bandits, rescued 8,000 kidnap victims, and established a Multi-Agency Anti-Kidnap Fusion Cell in collaboration with the UK’s National Crime Agency.
A Ministry of Livestock Development was established in 2024 to tap into a multi-billion-dollar agricultural opportunity, contributing to significant drops in grain prices.
On December 18, 2024, President Tinubu presented a proposed budget of N49.7 trillion, later increased to N54.2 trillion due to additional revenue projections. The budget, termed the “Budget of Restoration,” prioritizes Security (N4.91 trillion), Infrastructure (N4.06 trillion), Education (N3.52 trillion) and Health (N2.48 trillion).
Minister Idris reaffirmed that President Tinubu’s bold initiatives are fostering greater fiscal capacity, a reformed tax regime, and improved living standards for Nigerians through various support programmes.
“We are witnessing a transformative era where hope is being renewed for all Nigerians regardless of age or gender, across the nation,” he 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.
Seme Customs Arrests 2, Intercepts Explosives, Expired Noodles As Command’s Revenue Hits N19.8bn.
FOU Zone ‘A’ Customs Recovers over N729m Revenue, Intercepts Smuggled Goods Worth N3.24bn.
Key Industry Stakeholders To Focus on Ports Competitiveness as MARAN Hosts MAMAL.
NAGAFF Tasks Bonded Terminals To Suspend All Illegal Fees Collections, Refund N178m.
CGC Restates Position on Illicit Arms, Unveils Intercepted Weapons and Drugs Worth N373m
Topfield College Clinches Overall Position as Customs’ WASA Sports Event ends in Lagos.
ECTS: PTML Customs Mounts an Awareness Campaign
AfCFTA: Nigeria, Cameroon, Benin To Establish Joint Customs Strategic Steering Committee on Beitbridge Communique.
TRANSQuest MAGAZINE @ 21: With Huge Maritime Endowments, Stakeholders Warn, Nigeria Can’t be Poor, Government Must Realign Her Priorities.
CSR: Customs CG Hosts Apapa Students in Sports, Pledges Sponsorship for Outstanding Young Athletes.
Disaster Imminent in Apapa as Widening Cracks Overtake Liverpool-Marine Road Junction. ………. Stakeholders Send SOS to Government.
Tochukwu Ezisi, NAGAFF President, Bags RATTAWU’s Logistics Excellence Award.
Oyetola Vows to Strengthen Local Capacity, Innovation, Responsible Investments As STARZS Celebrates 40th Anniversary.
ABUJA MoU: WE FUNCTION BEHIND A MASK, says Capt Umoren
1. EXECUTIVE PLATFORM. AMES 2024: TIME TO CHANGE GOVERNMENT ATTITUDE TOWARDS SHIPPING DEVELOPMENT IS NOW, AMES President Charges FG.
2023 ELECTIONS：CILT Hosts Seminar on Logistics & Electoral Process
B’ODOGWU TRADE PORTAL: Customs Consolidates, Pilots Form ‘M’ Processing.
APFFLON Seeks Immediate Reform of CRFFN, Replacement of Registrar.
OMIS AWARDS, 2022: Greg Ogbeifun, Industry Gurus For Special Recognition.
JANUARY-MAY REPORT: Seme Customs Hits N2.6bn, Facilitates ₦35.1bn Exports.
HALF YEAR, 2024: Apapa Customs Nets ₦1.024 Trillion, Records 143% Increase.
B’Odogwu: Apapa Customs Collects ₦161b in 3 Weeks, Assures of Improvements .
PHOTO NEWS: Maritime Capacity Development
FG Set To Re-establish National Shipping Line, To Take Advantage of $10 bn Annual Ship Charter Market.
Photo News: Salah Celebration
Sylvanus Ekpo, ex-Editor, Shipping World Magazine, loses Mum
Mama Theresa Enisuoh Due For Burial April 27
Adesuwa Ladoja Becomes MD/CEO, Lagos Free Zone.
MAN, ORON: It’s Encomiums Galore From International Seabed Authority (ISA).
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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 Agencies3 weeks agoECTS: PTML Customs Mounts an Awareness Campaign
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Maritime Agencies5 days agoSeme Customs Arrests 2, Intercepts Explosives, Expired Noodles As Command’s Revenue Hits N19.8bn.
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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 Agencies1 week agoCGC Restates Position on Illicit Arms, Unveils Intercepted Weapons and Drugs Worth N373m