Leading voices in Nigeria’s maritime sector have raised alarm over entrenched systemic failures and cultural complacency that continue to frustrate the realization of 24-hour operations at the nation’s seaports.
At the 5th JournalNG Port Industry Town Hall Meeting held Thursday in Lagos, a coalition of industry experts, port administrators, freight forwarders, digital service providers, and government stakeholders pulled no punches as they dissected the persistent inefficiencies slowing Nigeria’s progress toward round-the-clock seaport functionality. Themed “Bridging the Gaps to Actualize 24-hour Port Operations,” the forum became a platform to expose deep-rooted structural challenges, poor policy implementation, and weak stakeholder coordination.
Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Consultative Council (NPCC), Mr. Bolaji Sunmola, minced no words in stating that 24-hour port operation is no longer a lofty dream, but an urgent economic necessity.
“The idea of a 24-hour seaport should not be aspirational anymore; it must be treated as a national imperative. With a carefully sequenced strategy anchored on technology, sustainability, and stakeholder alignment, we can reposition our ports as efficient, secure, and economically transformative,” Sunmola declared.
Calling on stakeholders including MDAs, port terminal operators, energy providers, transport unions, and investors to close ranks, he emphasized the critical role of labour unions in achieving round-the-clock services. According to him, unionized workers must be prepared for night shifts, and incentives—including improved wages—must be introduced to facilitate this cultural shift.
Dr. Eugene Nweke, Chairman of the occasion and Head of Research at Sea Empowerment Research Centre (SEREC), highlighted the fragmentation of efforts among port players and regulators in achieving digital transformation. He warned that unless existing platforms are harmonized into a singular digital interface through a national single window, true 24-hour port operations would remain elusive.
“There must be a unified policy framework that supports and mandates 24-hour operations. Right now, port digitization is happening in silos—NPA is doing one thing, Customs is doing another, terminal operators are building their own platforms. Until all these are integrated, we cannot achieve any meaningful change,” Nweke said.
Port Manager of Apapa Port, Mr. Adebowale Lawal, offered a more nuanced view, acknowledging that despite full automation of the Nigerian Ports Authority’s (NPA) processes, some bottlenecks persist. A major challenge, he said, is the inability to complete financial transactions outside of conventional banking hours, particularly during public holidays and festive periods—times when Nigerian ports often grind to a halt.
Ahmed Ogunsola, General Manager of the Trade Modernisation Project (TMP), which serves as the IT consultant for the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), said the absence of an independent regulator to monitor concession agreements and Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) remains a fundamental flaw.
Ogunsola advocated for the urgent deployment of artificial intelligence-driven scanners with the capacity to inspect at least 200 containers per hour. While the TMP is mandated to provide 67 such scanners across ports, he disclosed that only five have been acquired so far—an indicator of the gap between ambition and execution.
In a blunt assessment, Mr. Lucky Amiwero, President of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), warned the federal government against weaponizing the National Single Window as a revenue tool. Instead, he urged its use as a trade facilitation instrument that enables speed and efficiency in port operations.
“There’s an urgent need for capacity building across the board—from freight forwarders to Customs officers and terminal staff. Everyone in the port value chain must be trained on how to work efficiently within a 24-hour framework,” Amiwero stated.
The host of the town hall meeting, Mr. Ismail Aniemu, Publisher of JournalNG, emphasized that Nigeria’s aspiration to operate ports around the clock is attainable—if the right investments are made in lighting, security, road infrastructure, and automation. He called on all industry players to close ranks and push for a paradigm shift in port operations.
“Nigeria is not short on ideas or technical capacity. What we lack is synergy, consistency, and commitment to long-term goals. We must all come together to end the fire-brigade approach that has plagued our maritime sector,” Aniemu said.
The five-hour summit drew an impressive array of stakeholders including representatives from the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN), Nigerian Ports Consultative Council (NPCC), freight forwarders, academics, Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Webb Fontaine, Lekki Port, and others.
With issues of fragmented policies, lack of synchronized digital systems, absence of scanner infrastructure, and resistance to culture change still prevalent, the consensus at the event was clear: Without a bold, collaborative, and transparent drive to address these bottlenecks, Nigeria’s ambition of achieving 24-hour port operations will remain a mirage.
