The House of Representatives on Tuesday unveiled plans to investigate the activities of terminal operators across the nation’s ports.
Chairman of the House Committee on Customs and Excise, Hon. Leke Abejide, disclosed this at the Apapa Command in Lagos State while addressing stakeholders as part of the oversight visit to Customs formations under Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
Hon. Abejide, who alleged that it was unfortunate that terminal operators hinder revenue generation rather than complementing government efforts, lamented that they were not living up to the terms of the concession agreement they entered into with the Nigerian government.
He specifically criticized the prolonged delays by terminal operators in the clearance of goods by Customs agents, forcing them to pay heavy demurrage, which he said does not benefit the government.
According to him, terminal operators have become one of the biggest problems faced by the Nigerian Customs Service, even though they are supposed to collaborate with the service to facilitate the smooth clearance of goods.
While noting that some of the big shipping companies and terminal operators operating in the country behave like demi-gods, doing whatever pleases them at the expense of Nigerians, Hon. Abejide stressed that the time has come for drastic action to address the situation.
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He said: “Stakeholders in the business are losing a lot of money due to delays not caused by them or the Customs Service. The painful part is that these operators are not losing anything. It is these stakeholders who are losing.”
“The demurrage that accumulates and has to be paid is not going to the government. It is going to the terminal operators, and we will invite them to the National Assembly to address this situation once and for all.”
Responding to a series of complaints against one of the terminal operators, APMT, Hon. Abejide said: “APMT is not here to help Nigeria. They are actually here to harm this country.”
“The electronic call-up system is a fraud because it is not helping our economy. We can no longer condone this, and so, we must do something about it.”
Hon. Abejide, visibly angry by the developments, disclosed that the committee would investigate the concession arrangements with APMT, which he said is supposed to expire soon, with a view to finding credible Nigerians to take over the operation of the terminal.
He also explained that the implementation of the 4 percent Free On Board (FOB) collection by NCS was suspended to allow for further stakeholder engagement and enlightenment before its full implementation.
He further lamented that some NCS officials implementing the FOB were still collecting other charges, which the Customs and Excise Act has outlawed, creating confusion about its implementation.
He said the 4 percent FOB would return after the enlightenment, as it was designed to benefit the service and its stakeholders, saying: “With waivers, the Customs is losing so much money. But with the FOB, the big companies that run away with our money will no longer be able to do that.”
Meanwhile, both the Apapa and Tin Can Commands assured lawmakers that they are working to surpass the 2025 revenue target set by the federal government.
While the Apapa Command said it generated about N753.8 billion in the first quarter of 2025, the Tin Can Command realized about N347.9 billion during the same period.
In his address at the Tin Can Island Command, the Coordinator of Zone A Command, ACG Charles Orbih, stated that the zone remains the bedrock of the NCS’s revenue generation in the country, having generated 79.18% of the total N6.107 trillion collected in 2024.
He said: “The Apapa and Tin Can Island Port Commands stood out as the highest contributors among all Customs formations nationwide.”
“What is even more encouraging is that we have not rested on our laurels. Our revenue profile from January to date indicates that we are well on track to surpass last year’s record.”
“This remarkable achievement is a testament to the dedication of our officers and men, who work tirelessly, sometimes in challenging conditions, to ensure that government revenues are collected efficiently.”
In his presentation, Customs Area Controller, Mr. Frank Onyeka, stated that the revenue collected by the command was N1.256 trillion, representing 88.88% of the N1.413 trillion target given to the command for 2024.
“For 2024, I am delighted to announce that the command has a total sum of N347,935,672,475.50 for the period covering January to March.”
“This figure represents a significant increase compared to the same period in 2024, where we recorded N303,791,379,473.67, marking an improvement of over N44 billion and an approximately 14.54% increase.”
“The first-quarter collection also represents 91.2% of the total revenue target expected in the first quarter of 2025, which is N381,167,499,869.64, as well as 22.81% of the annual revenue target of N1.524,669,999,478.52.”
Similarly, Controller of Apapa Area Command, Mr. Babatunde Olomu, explained that the command has been at the forefront of revenue generation, contributing over 50% of the total revenue collection of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
He said: “We are optimistic about surpassing last year’s total collection, as evidenced by our first-quarter report. It is noteworthy that this command achieved a record-breaking daily revenue collection of N18.9 billion on Friday, March 14, 2025, which stands out as the highest in the 135-year history of the service.”
Also speaking at the PTML Command, Customs Area Controller Mr. Tenny Daniyan said the command generated N88.209 billion between January and March 2025.
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