By Kayode Olopade
A maritime expert and media professional, Otunba Olufemi Orioye, has commended the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for tightening its enforcement regime against bonded terminals, Customs warehouses and Free Trade Zones with unresolved cargo transactions.
Orioye described the directive by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, suspending further transire processing for 103 facilities with outstanding transactions as a necessary step towards strengthening cargo accountability, protecting government revenue and curbing the movement of prohibited and restricted goods into the country.
He said the measure had reinforced the principle that goods under Customs control must remain traceable and properly accounted for until all statutory requirements had been satisfied.
According to him, bonded terminals remain important to the facilitation of legitimate trade, but the privileges extended to their operators must be accompanied by strict compliance, transparency and accountability.
Orioye said weaknesses in the movement of cargo from ports to bonded facilities and, subsequently, into the domestic market could create loopholes for smugglers and other criminal networks to exploit.
He cited the recent interception of 56 containers containing prohibited goods at the Port Harcourt II Area Command, Onne, with a reported duty-paid value of about ₦5.53 billion, as an indication of the need for sustained and more sophisticated cargo-monitoring mechanisms.
The maritime expert argued that effective Customs enforcement would not only increase government revenue but also protect Nigerian manufacturers and farmers from unfair competition arising from illicit imports.
He added that tighter control of the cargo chain would strengthen consumer protection by limiting the entry of dangerous, counterfeit and unregistered products into the Nigerian market.
Orioye, however, urged the NCS to place technology, digital cargo tracking and automated reconciliation at the centre of its enforcement strategy.
He said Customs should be able to track consignments from the point of arrival through their movement to bonded facilities and ultimately to their authorised destinations.
“Cargo accountability should not depend solely on physical inspections or post-transaction investigations. A technology-driven system should provide Customs with real-time visibility of consignments throughout the supply chain,” he said.
He also welcomed the restoration of operating privileges to bonded facilities that had successfully completed the required reconciliation process.
According to him, compliant operators should be protected from unnecessary disruption, while deliberate breaches of Customs regulations should attract appropriate sanctions.
Orioye further called for deeper collaboration between the NCS and agencies including the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and other security and regulatory bodies.
He said closer inter-agency cooperation was particularly important in dealing with sensitive consignments involving pharmaceuticals, narcotics, food products and other prohibited or restricted items.
The maritime expert stressed that the ultimate objective of Customs enforcement should extend beyond the seizure of illicit goods to dismantling the networks that facilitate smuggling.
He advocated the establishment of a transparent, technology-driven and accountable cargo-control framework capable of facilitating legitimate trade while making it increasingly difficult for criminal operators to exploit regulatory gaps.
Orioye commended Adeniyi and officers of the NCS for what he described as renewed determination to protect Nigeria’s economic interests.
He urged the Service to sustain its enforcement drive while ensuring that legitimate businesses continued to enjoy efficient and predictable trade facilitation.
He said securing Nigeria’s ports, bonded terminals, warehouses and other Customs-controlled facilities was ultimately about protecting the nation’s economy, legitimate businesses and consumers.
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