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‎By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
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‎The Acting Customs Area Controller (CAC), Ogun Area 1 Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, Deputy Comptroller O.O.Afeni says the Festival of Arts For Economic Development (FAED) continues to reflect a shared understanding that sustainable border management goes beyond enforcement to encompass cross-border cooperation, economic empowerment and entrepreneurship development within the border communities.
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‎Deputy Comptroller Afeni spoke at the Idiroko Border, Thursday, while declaring open the international colloquium to mark the 5th edition of the Festival of Art for Economic Development to which the Nigeria Customs Service is a strategic partner.
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‎He said: “The theme, ‘Rebranding Borderline Communities through Creative Empowerment and Entrepreneurship,’ aligns with the Nigeria Customs Service’s commitment to supporting legitimate trade, encouraging value addition, and promoting small-scale enterprises as drivers of economic growth and border stability.

Dr Bonny Abisogun Botoku, Executive Producer, FAED.

‎He acknowledged the important role of the Nigeria–Benin Inter-Border Forum, under the leadership of its Permanent Secretary, Dr. Bonny Abisogun Botoku in advancing preventive diplomacy, structured dialogue and operational cooperation between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin.
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‎”Through the empowerment programmes and entrepreneurship initiatives embedded in this Festival, we see practical pathways to reducing illicit activities, strengthening lawful commerce, and fostering inclusive economic opportunities for our people.”
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Deborah Chiamaka Nwangene, one of the graduating trainees.

‎”The Nigeria Customs Service remains committed to partnerships that promote peaceful borders, resilient economies and sustainable regional integration.”
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‎During a brief press chat, Comptroller Afeni spoke about enforcing government fiscal policies, saying that this must not be by force.
‎”The citizens must be made to know the reasons we are here. This is a way of showing the communities that we care about them. You can see that we have trained some people in the art of garri- making painting tye and dye (adire), etc. It’s a way of empowering the community.”
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‎On suggestions that the seminar is capable of deepening cordial relationship between Benin and Nigeria, the CAC could not agree less.
‎”It is the fifth edition. It has been a situation we see the succeeding version getting better than the previous one. Today, I signed many certificates of people graduating. We’re not just training them; we’re empowering them so that we take them off the smuggling realm and make them better citizens.”
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‎In his presentation, the Executive Producer of the Festival, Dr Bonny Abisogun Botoku described it as more than an event.
‎”It is a movement. It is a statement of belief—that border communities are not problems to be managed, but potentials to be unlocked.”
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‎He recalled that for too long, border communities across Africa have been spoken about only in the language of risks exemplified in smuggling, insecurity, informality and marginalization.
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‎”But those of us who live and work at the borders know a deeper truth. Borders are not just lines on maps. They are meeting points of culture, gateways of trade,
‎and spaces of shared history.
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Sample of garri processed and packaged by a trainee.

‎”The Nigeria–Benin border is not a dividing line—it is a shared civilization. What we are doing through this Festival is to change the story from suspicion to trust, from survival to enterprise,
‎from isolation to integration.
‎Contrary to the widely-held belief that culture only concerns entertainment,  he explained, culture is power, identity and economic capital.
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‎”Through art, music, fashion, crafts, food systems, and storytelling, communities rediscover pride, cohesion, and voice.
‎Culture becomes a language of peace, dialogue, and diplomacy—especially in border spaces where differences must be managed with wisdom.
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‎”This Festival deliberately places culture at the center of development, not at the margins.”
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‎Distinguished guests at the event included the Onitaege of Itaege, HRM Oba Matthew Ademola Abisoye and other respected traditional rulers, government officials and representatives of security agencies. Others were partners from the Republic of Benin, artists, cultural practitioners and trainees.
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‎By Izuchukwu Ozoemena
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‎If the recent arbitrary increase in charges by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is not reviewed, cargo operations across airports nationwide risk disruption, prompting huge losses in government revenue, airports freight forwarders have warned.
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‎Leaders of major associations operating at the nation’s airports stated this in Lagos, Tuesday. The associations included the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), African Professionals Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON) and NAFFAC.
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‎Featuring at the briefing, among others, were Dr. Segun Musa, Deputy National President of NAGAFF in charge of Air and Logistics, and Mr. Tope Akindele, Chairman, Airport Chapter of ANLCA.
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‎Speaking on behalf of the groups, Dr. Musa traced the controversy to an agreement reached with FAAN in 2010 over the collection of a seven-naira-per-kilogram levy on cargo, which, according to him, was tied to the allocation of land for the development of a cargo village at the airport.
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‎He explained that prior to that agreement, FAAN had been collecting two naira per kilogram, a charge the freight forwarders had challenged on the grounds that FAAN, having concessioned cargo operations to companies such as NAHCO and SAHCOL, was not directly provding cargo handling services.
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‎He said the associations had formally written FAAN at the time, arguing that the two-naira charge was illegal, a move that led to prolonged negotiations that reportedly lasted for about two weeks and disrupted activities at the airport. According to him, an eventual compromise was the introduction of the seven-naira charge in exchange for the allocation of land to build a cargo village, a deal he said formed the basis for the current arrangement.
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‎“The seven naira we are talking about is attached to this land. It is like rent on this land,” Musa said, insisting that FAAN had no right to impose fresh charges without first engaging stakeholders. He argued that, just as the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) relates with terminal operators after concessioning the seaports, FAAN should deal with its concessionaires rather than directly imposing charges on operators.
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‎The freight forwarders also raised financial concerns, claiming that FAAN had already made substantial sums from the seven-naira levy over the years. Musa said that in 2010 alone, FAAN collected over one billion naira from the charge and that from 2010 to date, the cumulative amount would be far higher than the value of the land allocated for the cargo village.
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‎The immediate trigger for the latest dispute, according to the associations, is FAAN’s decision to increase the existing charges without consultation, a move they said was followed by a threat letter warning of possible demolition of their secretariats. The groups described this as coercive and counterproductive, stressing that they were not opposed to a review of charges but it must be done through dialogue.
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‎Instead of imposing higher fees, they argued, FAAN should work with operators to create an enabling environment that would increase cargo throughput, which in turn raise revenue. “The more cargo we have, the more revenue they generate,” Musa said, adding that the present approach would only hurt all parties involved.
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‎Mr. Tope Akindele, Chairman of ANLCA Airport Chapter, said the ongoing standoff had already begun to affect revenue generation. He noted that cargo activities had slowed in recent days because many operators were staying away from work in protest. According to him, if a concessionaire that used to make about one billion naira weekly is now making roughly half of that, continued disruption could lead to even worse outcomes for government revenue.
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‎He stressed that the associations were not trying to sabotage government earnings, noting that any revenue yet to be paid due to the slowdown would still be collected once normal operations resume. “We want government daily revenue to continue. We are not frustrating government revenue. We are ready to continue paying, but let us dialogue within the shortest time so our job can commence,” he said.
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‎Akindele also argued that globally, increments in charges are usually benchmarked around 25 per cent, adding that this was the standard the associations were willing to consider. Beyond that, he said, stakeholders should jointly explore ways to increase cargo volume rather than rely solely on higher levies.
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‎Other speakers at the briefing raised concerns about what they described as multiple layers of charges on the same cargo. They pointed out that cargo handlers and airlines already collect various fees per kilogram, which are ultimately linked to FAAN, and argued that imposing additional charges on freight forwarders amounts to double or even triple taxation within the same cargo chain.
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‎One of the speakers claimed that aside  payments to cargo handlers and airlines, some charges could reach as high as 30 naira per kilogram in certain instances, warning that piling more levies on operators would further increase the cost of doing business and weaken the competitiveness of Nigeria’s air cargo sector.
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‎The associations also recalled that the original dispute over the legality of the levy had not been fully resolved in court, but was set aside in favour of a mutual understanding aimed at keeping the industry running. They warned that if FAAN proceeds unilaterally or attempts to formalise the new charges without broad stakeholder agreement, the matter could return to the courts.
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‎The freight forwarders called on the Minister of Aviation to intervene and prevail on FAAN to open talks with stakeholders. They stressed that they were not protesting, not carrying placards, and not seeking confrontation, but were instead asking for engagement that would lead to a mutually beneficial resolution.
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‎They warned that if cargo operations at airports across the country were to grind to a halt, the wider economy would suffer, describing such a scenario as a “lose-lose” situation for operators and government alike. Despite the tension, they said they had advised members nationwide to continue working and avoid actions that could escalate the situation.
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‎The associations assured the Federal Government that once negotiations begin, normal operations would resume immediately, with the existing status quo maintained pending the outcome of discussions. They also reiterated their willingness to work with FAAN and other government agencies to grow cargo volumes and, by extension, government revenue.
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‎“We are here to appeal. We are not here to threaten or to protest or to cause a breakdown of law and order,” Musa said. He added that most operators depend on daily airport activities to feed their families and sustain their businesses.
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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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