“70k Per Container”: Nigeria Customs to Charge Fine for Late Cargo Clearance

• Shippers will now have to pay an additional N70,000 per container in storage fees for needless delays in cargo clearance at seaports
• Collaboration between the NCS and other port service providers is essential to ensuring a timely cargo evacuation
• It reaffirmed the Service's commitment to improving port efficiency, expediting cargo clearance, and facilitating trade

Legit.ng journalist Zainab Iwayemi has 5-year-experience covering the Economy, Technology, and Capital Market.

Unnecessary delays in cargo clearance at seaports will now cost shippers an extra N70,000 per container in storage fees paid to terminal operators, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has said.

This revelation was made by Babatunde Olomu, the Customs Area Controller of the Apapa Port Command, when Nigeria celebrated the 2025 International Customs Day (ICD) with the international community.

The World Customs Organization (WCO) organized the international event with the topic "Customs Delivering on its Commitment to Efficiency, Security, and Prosperity."

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Olomu emphasized that in order to guarantee a prompt cargo evacuation, cooperation between the NCS and other port service providers is crucial.

He reiterated the Service's dedication to boosting trade facilitation, accelerating cargo clearance, and increasing port efficiency.

“If we can minimize delays and streamline clearing processes at the ports, the revenue generated will significantly increase,” he stated.

Olomu further noted the financial burden on shippers caused by delays, saying,

“Each day a container spends at the port incurs a storage fee of approximately N70,000. Over one or two weeks, the financial impact of these delays becomes significant,” he said.

He gave stakeholders his word that the Apapa Port Customs Command would give priority to effective procedures in accordance with important programs like the B'Odogwu platform, Authorized Economic Operators (AEOs), and Advanced Ruling.

Additionally, he urged command officers to continue working together and efficiently.

Bukar Kaumi, the Chief Port Security Officer of Lagos Port Complex Apapa, praised Olomu's leadership and highlighted his actions to address port access roads, traffic, and freight agent complaints.

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Additionally, Dr. Olakunle Olaniran, Director of Ports Inspection at the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), commended the collaboration between the agency and Customs.

He added that collaborations like these are essential to Nigeria's development and that the recent cooperation between the two agencies is exceptional and deserving of celebration.

Thomas Ogbudu, the Assistant Commander of Narcotics at the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency's (NDLEA) Apapa Office, also praised the Customs command for its steadfast cooperation with the NDLEA in the fight against drug smuggling via the seaports.

Customs announces 30 days free clearance

Legit.ng reported that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has issued new guidelines that limit the amount of time goods can remain at ports around the country to 30 days.

In keeping with the federal government's ease of doing business efforts, the measures are intended to improve trade facilitation.

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The NCS announced new rules governing the stay duration for import and export shipments at port terminals in a statement signed by Assistant Comptroller of Customs Abdullahi Maiwada, the agency's spokesperson.

Source: Legit.ng