Maritimegistplus

Sequel to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive for the immediate removal of critical consignments that have remained trapped at the ports for between 14 and 20 years, the Nigeria Customs Service NCSsaid it has commenced the process of clearance and release of over 300 containers of power sector equipment abandoned at the Nigerian ports over twenty years ago by contractors. The exercise, which the NCS said includes the waiver of accumulated port charges and demurrage, was aimed at unlocking critical infrastructure projects and accelerating the Federal Government’s efforts to improve electricity generation, transmission and distribution across the country. The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, who disclosed this in Lagos on Friday during a press briefing he convened alongside the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, for the flag-off of the release of the first batch of the equipment, said that the Service had commenced the immediate clearance of more than 300 contain...

The Apapa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service in the month of October 2026 had generated the sum of  ₦302,952,570,769.24 representing an increase of ₦20,161,430,521.84 over the ₦282,791,140,247.40 recorded in the previous month of September, showing a month-on-month growth of approximately 7.13 per cent.  The command's October revenue generation marks another significant revenue performance above the ₦300 billion threshold, following the Command’s record-breaking collection of over ₦323 billion in July 2026.  The performance reflects the Command’s continued drive to strengthen revenue generation while facilitating legitimate trade under the leadership of the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Murtala Mu’azu, who assumed duties at the command on 29th September 2026. Since assuming office, Comptroller Mu’azu has prioritised stakeholder engagement, operational efficiency and improved service delivery in line with the policy thrust of the Comptroller-General of Cust...

The Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone ‘A’ of the Nigeria Customs Service within the last four weeks has continued to intensify it's enforcement operations by disrupting 195 smuggling attempts involving prohibited and restricted goods valued at ₦6,194,695,947.05. The Acting Comptroller of the Unit, Deputy Comptroller Oladapo Afeni disclosed this while briefing newsman in his maiden press briefing on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2026, held in Ikeja, Lagos. According to him, the seizures form part of a renewed strategy prioritising intelligence-driven enforcement, improved surveillance, risk-based examination, and closer collaboration with other agencies. In his words, “These seizures go beyond mere statistics, but represent revenue recovered for the Federation, local industries protected, and lives saved from dangerous and substandard goods;  “We will not measure our success by how much we seize, but by how much harm we prevent". Giving a breakdown of the seizures, Afeni said the...

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), alongside 45 others, before the Federal High Court in Abuja over the alleged defection of lawmakers elected on its platform in 2023 to the All Progressives Congress  (APC) and other political parties  The suit, filed through the party's counsel, Lex Firma LP, seeks judicial interpretation and enforcement of constitutional provisions governing the defection of elected legislators from the political parties on whose platforms they secured their mandates. According to an affidavit filed in support of the originating summons, the NNPP is challenging the alleged defection of 45 lawmakers comprising members of the Kano State House of Assembly, the House of Representatives and Senators who were reportedly elected on its platform during the 2023 general elections. The party alleged that the affected lawmakers abandoned the NNPP and joined the other political parties while still occup...

Fidelity Bank Plc has successfully redeemed its 5-Year US$400 million Senior Unsecured Notes at maturity, reaffirming its commitment to meeting its obligations to investors and reinforcing its track record in the international debt capital markets. Issued on 28 October 2021, the 5-year Eurobond matured on 28 October 2026 and carried an annual coupon of 7.625 per cent, payable semi-annually. Fidelity Bank met all scheduled coupon payments throughout the life of the instrument and has now fulfilled its final repayment obligation in full, covering both principal and accrued interest. The redemption was funded from internally generated liquidity as part of the Bank's forward-looking liquidity management strategy. Through a dedicated sinking fund, Fidelity Bank progressively provided for the maturing obligation, enabling the Bank to meet its commitment while maintaining business-as-usual operations and compliance with applicable regulatory liquidity requirements. Commenting on ...

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) says it will not give in to blackmail to backdating the resignation of members,  who failed to complete the process before its letter to INEC on the issue.  The party also warned those approaching some  members of its  leadership to desist as falsifying the records is tantamount to criminality.  This is contained in a  statement signed  by its Founder and Chairman Board of Trustees, Dr Boniface Aniebonam on Sunday. In the statement, the NNPP  insisted that those approaching it now to backdate their incomplete resignation will not be accommodated for obvious reasons.  The party was reacting to controversy within its ranks that some of its  elected members affected by the letter to INEC have approached the leadership to backdate their resignation.  Recall that the NNPP  in a letter to INEC on Monday, Oct. 19, stated that Gov. Abba Yusuf of Kano State, 18 members of the House of Representatives...

The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has urged President Bola Tinubu to extend the mass due retirement of seasoned Customs Officers, expected to retire in  December 2026, by one year.  This is contained in a statement signed on behalf of the president of the association, High Chief Tochukwu Ezisi by the  Secretary General of NAGAFF, Mr Godfrey Emeka Nwosu, in Lagos on Wednesday.  The appeal is contained in an open letter to the President titled: "The Matter of Mass Due Retirement of Seasoned Management Officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS)". The association appealed to the President to extend the tenure of all NCS officers retiring by December 2026 by one year.  It noted that the one year should be used to train and prepare the upcoming young officers taking over from them to face the challenges of international trade in Nigeria.  "Mr President, we write this letter to you from our strategic position in the mar...

L-R: Mr. Uchenna Achunine, Director Business Dev & Partnership at the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF); Pius Olaoye, CFO, Polaris Bank; Abimbola Ozomah, Executive Director, Corporate & Investment Banking, Polaris Bank; Dr. Joseph Onoja, DG NCF; Bukola Oluyadi, Group Head Customer Experience & Value Management, Polaris Bank and Rasheed Bolarinwa, Head, Brand Management & Corporate Communications, Polaris Bank at the Tree Planting Exercise As part of its ongoing efforts to promote climate action, environmental conservation and sustainable community development,  Polaris Bank Nigeria, in collaboration with the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), has reinforced its commitment to environmental sustainability with a tree-planting exercise at the Lekki Conservation Centre, Lagos. The exercise, held recently is focused on the Bank’s nationwide tree-planting initiative launched in 2024. Since its inception, the initiative has recorded the planting of 10,000 trees ...

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), in collaboration with the Customs administrations of the Republic of Benin and the Republic of Cameroon, has intensified discussions with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) on a regional border-modernisation programme aimed at strengthening trade facilitation, improving cross-border efficiency and advancing the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).  The high-level working engagement, held at Afreximbank’s headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, on 12 October 2026, followed a joint benchmarking mission to Beitbridge Border Post in Zimbabwe and subsequent technical assessments of the Mfum–Ekok and Sèmè–Kraké border corridors. The engagement, led by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, brought together representatives of the three Customs administrations, Afreximbank and technical partners to review findings from the assessment missions, identify priority interventions and explore practical pathwa...