Nigeria updates customs leadership and maritime port strategy

Nigeria is seeing shifts in both customs enforcement leadership and maritime policy discussions. Deputy Comptroller Oladapo Olukayode Afeni has assumed command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’. This role oversees enforcement and anti-smuggling operations across the South-West region, a critical commercial artery including Lagos and Ogun states. The unit focuses on intelligence-led interdictions to prevent revenue leakage and the smuggling of prohibited items such as narcotics and unregistered goods.

Separately, the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA) has called on the Federal Government to prioritize the development of efficient deep seaports over a proliferation of under-equipped ports. NCMDLCA President Lucky Amiwero argued that current maritime inefficiencies are causing Nigeria to lose transit and transshipment cargo to regional competitors like Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic, and Cote d’Ivoire. Amiwero proposed a committee of maritime experts to review the entire port system, including the Lekki Deep Sea Port and Lagos Port Complex, to improve regional competitiveness.