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‎By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
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‎The 100% Compliance Team of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) which appeared inactive for over six months is now reformed and better focused to perform her duties strictly in line with her mandate.
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‎The Team Coordinator, Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko, disclosed this in Lagos, Friday, during the official unveiling of a new office complex at Eleganza Plaza, Apapa.
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‎“Today, we commission the new secretariat of the 100% Compliance Team and we are ready to take this Team to a higher pedestal”.
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‎He said that for over six months, the interventionist outfit went into some kind of hibernation to take a comprehensive review of internal issues especially concerning her operations and the overall conduct of her operatives with a view to performing better.
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‎”From today”,  he pledged, “you will start seeing the effects of a new Compliance
‎Team”.
‎On stakeholder concerns that some operatives of the Team do not live above board in their conduct even as it is said  that he who goes for equity must come with clean hands, Tanko said among every twelve, there must be a Judas.
‎On the question of discipline, every society is made up of the good, the bad and the ugly, he posited
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‎”We are doing everything possible to sanitise the system and to continue to maintain discipline”.
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‎Tanko who promised that the Team is now ready to build into the training programme of the NAGAFF Academy said  as part of the rebirth now unveiled,  Customs Area Commands are now to support regular refresher courses for freight forwarders especially in the aspect of classification. He assured that going forward, the Team’s programmes and activities are to benefit from full digitalization.
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‎He announced that the Team is set to acquire a new office in Port Harcourt which it plans to open come February.   “We are working hand- in-hand with the Economic and financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Anti-Corruption Practices Commission (ICPC) to make Nigeria stronger. We shall also expand this new place to accommodate the TDI that will also hopefully open in February.”
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Dr Boniface Aniebomam, NAGAFF Founder

‎Earlier in his post-inauguration remarks, NAGAFF Founder, Dr Boniface Okechukwu Aniebonam extolled the willingness of NAGAFF leaders to add value, describing it as the driving force behind the association. Those running the Compliance Team, he cautioned, must understand the limit of their position. “The saying ‘See something, say something’ is very observatory.”
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‎” Do note that the Port is a Customs Port. If Customs has not released your cargo, do not make trouble until it is done; if it is released on the ground of expediency, also remember that other sister agencies are also there to intervene. The NAGAFF approach is centred on dialogue, communication, diplomacy and discussion.
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Chief Tochukwu Ezisi, NAGAFF National President

‎NAGAFF President, Chief Tochukwu Ezisi recalled that when the NAGAFF 100% Compliance Team was inaugurated four years ago, the industry was at crossroads. There were compliance gaps, procedural inconsistencies even as operational shortcuts worked against efficiency and operational trust.
‎”Many wondered whether a single team could truly shift the culture of an entire industry.”
‎He said with the birth of the Compliance Team, the level of regulatory compliance among freight forwarders nationwide went up while infractions, delays, penalties and operational setbacks took the back seat.
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‎He explained that strengthened collaboration with key government agencies, especially the
‎Nigeria Customs Service, promoted ethical conduct and professionalism and has  contributed significantly to improved revenue assurance for the Federal
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‎The Compliance Team has equally enhanced the reputation of NAGAFF as a responsible, forward-thinking, and compliance-driven organization.
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‎ Chief Ezisi set ambitious targets for the repositioned NAGAFF 100% Compliance Team to include full Digital Compliance Integration as the goal is to become the most digitally-compliant freight forwarding body in Nigeria.
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‎The group is also out to reduce compliance infractions by 60% within two years through training, monitoring and proactive engagement even as institutional collaboration is enhanced.
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‎”We must deepen our partnership with Customs, NPA, SON, NAFDAC, and other regulators to promote transparency, fairness, and predictability in port operations.
‎NAGAFF will also establish a National Compliance Intelligence Network to  help detect detect risks early, identify patterns of malpractice, and protect members from avoidable pitfalls.
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‎By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
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‎For the umpteenth time, the Ports Terminal Multi-services Limited (PTML) Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has made it clear that it remains a no-go area for unlawful trade under any guise.
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‎As a Command, the PTML Customs has an unshaken commitment to implement the Revised Kyoto Convention, which is a World Customs Organisation (WCO) instrument for trade facilitation while using available manpower and technology to exercise the required control for import and export trade.
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‎The Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Joe Anani stated this at the Command Headquarters in Apapa, Friday, while handing-over seized arms and ammunition to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW).
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‎The seizures consist of five (5) pistols of different makes, one (1) Crossman pump master rifle, 132 Remington live cartridges, 51 9 mm Lugar live ammunition and four (4) 9mm magazines.
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‎Others were forty (40) 9mm, NIM FC 30-30 blank and hollow ammunition and one hundred and eighteen (118) of 9mm empty shells.
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‎”These arms and ammunition were uncovered in 25 different occasions by our officers during the examination of imported vehicles between 2022 to 2025.”
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‎”These seizures are a fallout of the collective due diligence of the Command and other sister agencies in the port.”
‎The handing-over, he explained, follows  the approval of the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR psc(+).
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‎Present at the event was the South- West Coordinator, National Center for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) and his entourage. Others were the Management of Port and Terminal Multi-services Limited, sectional heads and  heads of other sister agencies.
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‎He explained that under the NCS Modernisation Project which was pioneered by the PTML Command, the Unified Customs Management System (UCMS), also known as B’Odogwu, has raised the bar for productivity.
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‎”I am pleased to announce that this Command will receive scanners soon as part of the modernisation project and our capacity to detect concealments, like these arms and ammunition would be greatly enhanced.”
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‎Appreciating the Command’s compliant stakeholders for their cooperation at all times, he described them as l part of the Command’s success story.
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‎The CAC announced that two days to the end of January, 2026, the PTML Command collected  a total revenue of ₦44,058,849,416.65. This figure surpasses N40,497,594,223.89 realized in  January, 2025 by N3,561,255,192.76, marking an  8.8% increase in revenue.
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‎On behalf of the CGC, Comptroller Joe Anani formally handed over the seizures to the National Center for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) for appropriate action.
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‎By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
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‎In a renewed effort to add more bite and ensure strict compliance to laws and regulations guiding Nigeria’s freight forwarding industry, the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) will, come January 30, relaunch and recommission her Compliance Team at its new office location at Eleganza Plaza, Apapa.
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‎Mr Bartholomew Okeke, Chief of Staff to the NAGAFF Compliance Team, disclosed this in Apapa, Tuesday.
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‎Mr. Okeke explained that the Compliance Team, inaugurated in February 2021, serves as NAGAFF’s enforcement and intervention arm.
‎The interventionist body executes legitimate directives of the National President to ensure that freight forwarders and relevant government agencies comply with extant rules and regulations.
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‎“Where there is infringement from either practitioners or government agencies, we intervene. That is why it is called the Compliance Team. We are not confrontational by default; we are interventionist,” he said.
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‎ Following the takeover of the former office by the plaza management for other uses, he explained, it became necessary to relocate to another block within the same complex. So, the exercise goes beyond reopening an office.
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‎“We are not just recommissioning an office; we are relaunching ourselves more forcefully. We want people to know that we are not just back—we are forward-looking and fully committed to ensuring that all extant laws guiding the freight forwarding industry are strictly observed,” Okeke stated.
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‎On challenges faced by the Compliance Team in the past, Okeke identified non-compliance by both operators and some government agency personnel, often driven by personal interests.
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‎“There are people among government agencies who are out for their own pockets. When we confront such issues head-on with facts and institutional backing, they comply. We are connected to relevant authorities and we escalate issues of non-compliance appropriately,” he said. He assured that going forward, the Compliance Team plans to adopt a more engagement-driven approach rather than confrontation.

‎“The next phase is deeper engagement with agencies and stakeholders. It’s not all about fighting; it’s about facilitating trade. We want practical engagement, dialogue, and a think-tank approach to address challenges head-on,” he explained.
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‎On the level of compliance in the industry, Okeke said automation and reduced human interference have improved adherence to procedures, placing compliance at about 60 percent.
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‎“It’s not satisfactory yet, but we are moving forward. Our target is at least 90 percent compliance. There is no foolproof system, but our job is to educate, re-educate, and ensure reasonable compliance,” he added.
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‎ Being the umbrella body of freight forwarders in Nigeria, NAGAFF boasts of the largest membership in the sector, he reaffirmed.
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‎“When NAGAFF speaks, the industry listens. We represent the industry optimally,” he said, adding that continuous training remains central to the association’s philosophy of operating strictly on the side of the law.
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‎ Okeke recalled NAGAFF’s opposition to arbitrary increases in terminal and shipping line charges, including protests and engagements with the Nigerian Shippers’ Council that led to stakeholder meetings and moderated outcomes.
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‎“We do not shy away from defending our members and the economy. Whenever there are arbitrary charges, we are at the front line,” he explained.
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‎NAGAFF has over 1,000 members across various chapters nationwide, with the Compliance Team present in all major ports.
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‎Following the recommissioning, the Compliance Team plans to embark on advocacy visits to the Eastern Ports and Port Harcourt to reinforce its message of compliance and alliance-building.
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‎“There must always be room for discipline. We are the mirror of NAGAFF, and we must uphold its image,” Okeke said.
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‎Friday’s recommissioning ceremony will be graced by top dignitaries including the NAGAFF National President, Chief Tochukwu Ezisi, the Founder, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, the Board of Trustees Chairman, Customs representatives, and other key stakeholders.
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