Maritime lawyer and Senior Partner at Akabogu & Associates, Dr. Emeka Akabogu, (SAN) has raised fresh concerns over Nigeria’s growing loss of cargo traffic to neighbouring countries, warning that the country’s inefficient port processes and unrealistic duty structures are fuelling widespread diversion of Nigeria-bound imports to ports in Togo and Benin Republic .
Speaking on the sideline of the recent annual seminar for maritime journalists and the launch of Maritime Media and Capacity Development Center in Lagos, Akabogu said recent National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data showing Togo as Nigeria’s biggest African trading partner is a clear reflection of the failure of Nigeria’s cargo clearance system, not a genuine surge in bilateral trade.
According to him, neighbouring ports have become alternative gateways for Nigerian importers seeking relief from high duties, multiple checks and avoidable bureaucratic hurdles.
He argued that Nigeria’s import declaration culture including widespread under-declaration remains at the heart of the country’s clearance challenges.
Wrong declarations, he said, create opportunities for compromise and underhand dealings, which in turn weaken regulatory oversight and distort revenue performance. “The cargo clearance chain will only be as efficient as importers and exporters make it,” he stated.
Akabogu said the long-delayed National Single Window (NSW), billed for launch in the first quarter of next year, offers a realistic opportunity to reverse these trends. He explained that a properly deployed system would consolidate all import and export formalities into one platform, reduce human interface, close loopholes that allow cargo to slip through untracked, and provide complete visibility of inbound and outbound trade.
He dismissed past reservations expressed by a former Comptroller-General of Customs that the NSW could negatively affect revenue. According to him, the opposite is true. “The national single window creates the data infrastructure to harness all cargo coming in or going out of the country, a large part of which is currently under-reported,” he said, adding that the platform could help Nigeria recover billions in lost duties diverted to West African ports.
Beyond the digital rollout, Akabogu stressed that Nigeria must confront the reality that its duty regime is driving importers away. He said a system where importers find it “almost impossible” to comply with taxes will naturally lead to diversion and concealment. Reducing duty levels while enhancing transparency, he argued, will reduce incentives for evasion and help Nigeria reclaim significant trade volumes from neighbouring ports.
Akabogu expressed optimism that the Presidency-led committee on the NSW signals stronger political will than previous attempts. He said successful implementation could mark a turning point for the economy, but only if all stakeholders—particularly importers, exporters and regulatory agencies—commit to compliance and transparency.
“It is something positive for the economy if implemented effectively,” he said.
