• Trains maritime police to curb clearance bottlenecks

By Grace Edet

The Nigerian Shippers’ Council has intensified efforts to tackle the country’s prolonged cargo clearance delays—currently averaging 21 days, and considered one of the longest globally, by strengthening collaboration with the Maritime Police Command through a new capacity-building programme.
The workshop with the theme: “Facilitating Port Efficiency: The Strategic Role of the Maritime Police”, held yesterday, in Lagos.
Declaring the training open on behalf of the Council’s Executive Secretary/CEO Pius Akutah, the Director, Regulatory Services Department, Margaret Ogbonnah, said the event marks “a high-point” in the port regulator’s long-standing partnership with the Nigeria Police, especially as the Federal Government pushes for more efficient port operations under the blue economy reform agenda.
In his remarks, the ES noted that the country continues to lag behind regional and global peers in cargo clearance speed.
“While it takes only 6 hours to clear a containerised cargo in Singapore and seven days in Lomé, it takes an average of 21 days or more in Nigerian ports. This has contributed to Nigeria’s low global perception index on Ease of Doing Business,” he said.
He explained that despite several government interventions, reductions in dwell time have been hindered by a combination of operational gaps and human-factor-related delays.
Akutah said the Council has received reports from port stakeholders about various forms of interference affecting cargo movement, including detention orders placed on cargo already cleared through due process, operational disruptions linked to multi-layered enforcement activities, and accidents involving personnel of shipping companies and terminals
He emphasised that such actions—whether arising from misunderstandings or procedural oversights, tend to extend dwell time and increase demurrage and storage charges for businesses.
“Investigations often showed that some actions were carried out without the knowledge of the appropriate authorities within the Maritime Police Command,” he said.
This, he added, prompted both institutions to engage the Inspector General of Police in 2018, resulting in a directive that only letters signed by the AIG or duly designated officers should be acted upon, thereby streamlining enforcement communication at the ports.
“Together, we have achieved quite a lot, but we cannot rest on past achievements. Our focus must be firmly on attaining international best practices,” Akutah said.
Represented by the Assistant Commissioner of Police Administration, Ports Authority Police, Western Command, ACP Olufikayo Fawole, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (Maritime Command), AIG Chinedu Oko, commended the NSC for sustaining a collaborative platform that supports law enforcement efficiency within the maritime environment.
“Modern port security goes far beyond traditional policing. The efficiency of our ports depends significantly on how effectively law enforcement interfaces with operators, regulators, freight forwarders, shipping lines, and the wider supply chain,” he said.
He stressed that the Maritime Police play a critical role in securing maritime assets, deterring cargo-related crimes, preventing pilferage, and ensuring that legitimate trade flows without avoidable friction.
“Your professionalism and integrity directly influence the confidence of shippers, investors, and the international maritime community,” he told participating officers.
Delivering the technical paper on behalf of the AIG, DCP Chukwuemeka Obasi said the efficiency of the country’s ports is inseparable from the security framework supporting them.
He outlined three key reform pillars guiding police operations toward improved port efficiency. The first focused on operational streamlining by harmonising enforcement roles with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigeria Customs Service, NIMASA and other agencies to eliminate duplication.
The second emphasised technology integration, particularly the deployment of digital surveillance systems, cargo-monitoring platforms and intelligence tools under initiatives such as the Deep Blue Project. The third pillar centred on strengthening stakeholder collaboration by enhancing joint task forces and port security committees to ensure more coordinated maritime security responses.
However, he noted persistent challenges including overlapping mandates among agencies, limited patrol and surveillance logistics, legal bottlenecks in prosecuting maritime offences, and ethical concerns that can undermine efficiency.
To address these, he recommended joint security frameworks, expanded specialised training, smart surveillance, legal reforms, and stronger accountability systems, insisting that policing must support, not obstruct, trade facilitation.
In closing, the NSC boss reaffirmed that port efficiency cannot be achieved by one institution alone.
“Our mandate as Port Economic Regulator is to ensure efficiency, but it requires synergy with the Maritime Police and all stakeholders. This training is part of our commitment to educating officers and promoting global standards in port operations,” he said.
He commended officers of the Council and the Maritime Police Command for their role in organising the programme and urged participants to apply lessons learned to their daily operational decisions.
With Nigeria still grappling with a 21-day average cargo dwell time, the NSC says eliminating procedural bottlenecks, improving security coordination, and strengthening professionalism within port corridors remain central to restoring competitiveness. The Council and the Maritime Police believe that enhanced capacity, technology-driven enforcement and regulatory collaboration will be key to improving trade facilitation and supporting the country’s blue economy ambitions.

By Grace Edet

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has approved the appointment of Barr. Adenike Adeyele Iyelolu as the Registrar of Ships for the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Her appointment, which is for a four-year tenure, follows the recommendation of the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dayo Mobereola.
In line with the NIMASA Act 2007, the Registrar of Ships will report directly to the Director General for the effective administration of the Nigerian Ship Registry.
The Act provides that “the Registrar of Ships shall, with the approval of the Minister, be appointed by the Director General from among the staff of the Agency.”
Iyelolu who is currently a Deputy Director in the employ of NIMASA is an accomplished legal and maritime governance professional with over twenty-five (25) years of post-call experience spanning maritime and legal practice, arbitration, procurement, contract administration, corporate governance, and institutional leadership amongst others.
Barr. Iyelolu’s appointment comes following the retirement of the former Registrar of Ships, Barr. Tajudeen Giwa, after years of commendable service.

By Grace Edet

The country risks losing competitiveness in global trade unless it urgently modernises its multimodal transport laws, strengthens enforcement systems, and improves inter-agency coordination, maritime industry stakeholders and legal experts have warned.
The concerns were raised at the 16th Annual Lecture and AGM of the Nigerian Maritime Law Association (NMLA) in Lagos, where regulators, maritime lawyers, security officials and policymakers examined the legal gaps slowing Nigeria’s logistics and Blue Economy ambitions.
The event, themed “The Future of Multimodal Transportation in Global Trade”, focused on evolving carriage regimes and the urgent need for legal certainty.
NMLA President, Funke Agbor (SAN), said the gathering reflects the industry’s growing resolve to address outdated frameworks. She described it as a “rich congregation of ideas, bridging theory and practice, strengthening our profession’s capacity and reinforcing the role of maritime law within Nigeria’s dynamic and growing maritime industry.”
According to her, Nigerian maritime laws must be “fit for purpose, modern, integrated and enforceable.”
Delivering the keynote on behalf of the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, Oyindamola Ade-Alli of the Lagos State Waterways Authority warned that the country’s transport systems are evolving faster than the laws guiding them.
Oduwole noted that “Transport systems across sea, road, air, rail, and inland waterways are evolving faster than the legal frameworks that support them. As maritime lawyers and policymakers, we must bridge this gap.”
She stressed that Nigeria’s Blue Economy aspirations—including ports, maritime services, inland waterways, fisheries, and offshore activities—depend heavily on investor-friendly and technology-enabled legislation. Citing the Rotterdam Rules as a model, Oduwole called for a framework that supports single multimodal contracts, electronic documentation, fair liability structures, and transparent enforcement.
Enforcement, she said, must be “transparent, predictable and technologically enabled.”
During a panel session moderated by Michael Abiiba of Bloomfield LP, participants dissected the country’s fragmented transport laws.
Bankole Sodipo (SAN) criticised the lack of a unified multimodal framework.
“We have issues such as lack of a single policy framework. Sometimes, who is going to be in charge is unclear,” he noted, warning that multiple laws across air, rail, road and maritime sectors create liability confusion.
Deputy Director of Legal Services at NIMASA, Aderonke Adekanye, said the Agency recognises the challenge and is working to strengthen collaboration. She emphasised that effective multimodal policy execution requires alignment with existing federal policies and deeper cooperation among regulators.
On judicial interpretation, Justice Ayokunle Olayinka Faji of the Federal High Court noted that the court has broad jurisdiction but faces uncertainty arising from the absence of a comprehensive law.
“Even though there is no tough court here, our jurisdiction extends from the time goods are placed on the ship to delivery to the consignee, whether or not there is an intervening land transportation,” he explained, urging judicial activism to bridge legal gaps.
AIG Chinedu Oko of the Marine Police outlined enforcement setbacks, including weak prosecution, cargo theft, and logistical constraints. He stressed the need for improved training and inter-agency synergy.
“One of the best ways to tackle this issue is to ensure personnel are trained on evidence gathering, from when we get to the crime scene to how we handle and present evidence,” he said.
Stakeholders agreed that Nigeria’s future in global trade and economic development depends not only on infrastructure but also on robust legal frameworks, clear carriage regimes, effective enforcement, and technology adoption.