By Oluyinka Onigbinde
The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has warned that the high cost and inefficiencies associated with cargo movement through Nigerian ports could undermine the country’s ambition to emerge as a global trading hub.
The National President of ANLCA, Mr Emenike Nwokeoji, who raised the concern at the association’s 72nd anniversary celebration in Lagos on Tuesday, called for a coordinated reform of the port system to tackle congestion, cargo examination delays, access road challenges, truck movement, storage charges, demurrage, detention and multiple regulatory interventions.
The anniversary had as its theme: “ANLCA Celebrating A Legacy Of Professionalism Advancing Trade Facilitation and Shaping The Future Of Customs Brokerage.”
Nwokeoji said Nigeria could not aspire to become a global trading hub while the cost of moving cargo through its ports remained unnecessarily high.
He said every avoidable delay in the port translates into additional costs for businesses, which are ultimately passed on to consumers.
“We must confront the persistent challenges of congestion, cargo examination, access roads, truck movement, storage, demurrage, detention, multiple regulatory interventions, and fragmented processes.
“Every unnecessary hour that a container spends in the port represents an additional cost. Ultimately, the Nigerian consumers bear that cost,” he said.
The ANLCA president therefore called for a coordinated port reform strategy that would hold every government agency, terminal operator and service provider accountable for the speed, transparency and efficiency of cargo movement.
“We therefore call for a coordinated port reform strategy in which every agency, terminal operator and service provider is measured against one central objective: how quickly, transparently and efficiently can legitimate cargo enter or leave Nigeria?
“The port should serve as a gateway to economic prosperity, not a bottleneck to economic growth,” he said.
Nwokeoji also identified the National Single Window as a major opportunity to transform Nigeria’s international trade environment, but warned that the initiative must go beyond simply placing existing processes on a common digital platform.
According to him, the Single Window must genuinely simplify trade by reducing documentation, eliminating duplication, improving transparency, minimising unnecessary human intervention and lowering the time and cost of doing business.
“Technology now provides us with the opportunity to make that vision a reality. However, we must implement it correctly. A Single Window must not become merely a collection of separate windows on one platform. It must genuinely simplify trade,” he said.
He urged the Federal Government to institutionalise the participation of frontline stakeholders in the implementation of the National Single Window, arguing that customs brokers who operate within the system daily understand its practical challenges, weaknesses and unintended consequences.
Nwokeoji said ANLCA welcomed the Federal Government’s economic reforms, particularly efforts aimed at improving the business environment, increasing revenue, promoting non-oil exports, strengthening border security and modernising trade processes.
However, he cautioned that reforms should be judged by their impact at the point of implementation.
“Reforms succeed not merely because they are announced; they succeed when they work at the point of implementation,” he said.
He also stressed that revenue generation and trade facilitation should not be treated as competing objectives, arguing that an efficient trading environment would attract investment, expand the tax base and generate more sustainable revenue.
“We fully appreciate government’s legitimate interest in revenue mobilisation. ANLCA is equally committed to protecting government revenue.
“However, there is an important principle we must never lose sight of: revenue and trade facilitation are not mutually exclusive,” he said.
According to him, unnecessarily obstructing legitimate trade could push businesses towards neighbouring countries, encourage under-declaration and create incentives for informal trade channels.
“Our objectives should therefore be to collect the right revenue from the right transactions through a transparent and predictable system, while facilitating legitimate trade. That is the balance required of a modern Customs administration,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs Folashade Ambrose, described ANLCA as an important component of Nigeria’s Customs and maritime ecosystem.
He said the association plays a critical role in navigating the processes involved in the movement of goods through the country’s seaports and airports, while contributing to trade facilitation and revenue generation.
Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN) and Executive Vice Chairman of ENL Consortium, Princess (Dr) Vicky Haastrup, described customs agents as indispensable partners in Nigeria’s port ecosystem.
Haastrup said terminal operators could not effectively function without licensed customs agents, stressing that customs brokers remain critical to trade facilitation across the country’s seaports, airports and other port corridors.
“Without ANLCA, we cannot function. Whether seaport, airport, wherever you have any ports, you are very key to our trade facilitation,” she said.
She said the efficiency of Nigeria’s ports depends largely on effective collaboration among customs agents, terminal operators, government agencies and other stakeholders in the maritime value chain.
According to her, the professionalism, compliance and engagement of customs agents directly affect the speed and ease of cargo movement.
“For this reason, we regard ANLCA and its members as our partners in progress. We have enjoyed tremendous support and understanding from ANLCA,” she said.
Haastrup said the theme of the 72nd anniversary was appropriate at a time when stakeholders were seeking to build a more efficient, competitive and business-friendly port environment.
She called for the elimination of avoidable delays, improved transparency, greater adoption of technology and stronger compliance to enable legitimate trade to flourish.
She also commended the Federal Government for what she described as an enabling environment for businesses operating in the maritime sector.
On his part, the Chairman, Board of Trustees of ANLCA, Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha, said the association had continued to grow despite the challenges confronting the industry and internal difficulties experienced over the years.
Mustapha said customs brokers were operating in an environment shaped by changing government policies, evolving Customs procedures, technological transformation and disruptions in the global economic order.
He said the future of ANLCA could not be modelled entirely on its past seven decades.
“ANLCA of the next five, 10 and 20 years cannot operate exactly as ANLCA of the past seven decades. We must become professional, more digital, more knowledge/data-driven, and more compliant, so we could be globally competitive,” he said.
Mustapha urged the association to strengthen its voice in national trade and fiscal policy discussions and position its members as professionals recognised for competence, integrity and knowledge.
He also called for increased investment in training, research, digital Customs automation and data-driven trade facilitation.
“Artificial Intelligence is no longer news. Not just coming. It is real, it is here. And the world will not wait for us,” he said.
He further urged ANLCA to strengthen its relationship with the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigerian Ports Authority, government agencies, terminal operators, shipping companies, exporters and other stakeholders across the supply and logistics value chain.
