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Alumanah Takes Charge at Seme Border, Promises End to Unnecessary Delays and Officer Misconduct

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Victoria Silvanus A new leadership has emerged at the Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, with Deputy Comptroller N. Olisa Alumanah assuming office as Acting Customs Area Controller and promising a more disciplined approach to border operations. For traders, transporters, importers and other businesses operating along the Nigeria-Benin corridor, the change in leadership comes with expectations of improved trade procedures, reduced delays and a more transparent relationship between Customs officers and legitimate traders. Alumanah made the commitment on Wednesday at the ECOWAS Conference Hall, Seme, during a handover ceremony where he officiallthmoreook over from the outgoing Assistant Comptroller-General Abdullahi Shuaibu Kaila. In his maiden address, the new Controller made it clear that his administration would not sacrifice legitimate trade in the name of enforcement, nor compromise national security and government revenue in the interest o...
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Behind Every Family Is a Woman: COWA Takes Breast Cancer Fight to Seme Border

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Victoria Silvanus In a society where many women spend their days caring for their families, managing businesses and supporting their husbands, taking care of their own health often comes last. But the Customs Officers' Wives Association (COWA) is reminding women that they cannot afford to neglect their health, particularly when it comes to breast and cervical cancer. Taking the message beyond the walls of hospitals and lecture halls, COWA chapters across the Nigeria Customs Service have been engaging women, educating communities and encouraging early medical checks as part of the 2026 Breast Cancer Awareness campaign. The global theme, "Every Story Is Unique, Every Journey Matters," captures the personal struggles of women living with cancer, survivors and families affected by the disease. At the national level, COWA adopted the campaign message, "Inspect, Detect, Protect," to encourage early detection and preventive healthcare. At its na...
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: 'I Was Not Aware of Any Task Force': Tin Can Port PRO Faults Report

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The management of Tin Can Island Port, Apapa, Lagos, has denied reports that it established a new task force to control traffic around the port gate, insisting that the publication misrepresented the position of the management and its spokesperson. The denial followed a report by Harboursandport.com claiming that the port management had set up a task force to tackle traffic congestion around the Tin Can Island Port gate. However, the Port's Public Relations Officer, 'Sola Adesanwo, dismissed the report as misleading, alleging that the publication wrongly attributed comments to him during a telephone conversation with the reporter. Adesanwo explained that when the reporter called him to confirm whether a new task force had been setup, he made it clear that he was unaware of any such development. According to him, he had only recently returned from his annual vacation and was attending to official duties involving the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council...
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“Chinese Traders, Nigerian Markets: Who Is Protecting the Nigerian Entrepreneur?”

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FROM LAGOS TO KANO: CHINESE TRADERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT AS NIGERIAN MERCHANTS DEMAND PROTECTION OF LOCAL BUSINESSES More than 50 years after Nigeria’s indigenisation policy, traders are asking a familiar question: Who should control the Nigerian market? Victoria Silvanus A fresh battle over the control of Nigeria’s commercial markets is unfolding, from Lagos to Kano, as Nigerian traders increasingly question the growing presence of Chinese business operators in the country’s retail sector. What began with protests by auto spare parts dealers at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex has now taken on a wider dimension, following reports that phone traders in Kano confronted Chinese nationals over allegations that they were selling directly to consumers at prices local retailers  At the centre of the dispute is a demand that Chinese traders should remain within their warehouses, manufacturing and wholesale operations rather than compete directly with Nigerian traders in ...
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From Record-Breaking Revenue to a New Mission: Mu’azu Takes Charge at Apapa Customs

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Victoria Silvanus A new chapter has begun at the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Apapa Area Command as Comptroller Murtala Mu’azu officially assumed office as the 33rd Customs Area Controller, promising to build on the achievements of his predecessor while tackling delays that frustrate legitimate businesses at the nation's busiest seaport. The handover ceremony, held on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, brought together government agencies, security services, terminal operators, shipping companies, customs brokers and other port stakeholders who gathered to bid farewell to retiring Controller, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, and welcome the new helmsman. For Mu’azu, the assignment comes with both opportunity and pressure. Apapa Command is not just Nigeria’s flagship Customs command; it is also the country's biggest revenue-generating command. Under Oshoba's leadership, the Command set remarkable records, collecting ₦323 billion in July 2026 and achieving a single-day rev...
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One Dead, two on danger list as Truck Pulls Down Pedestrian Bridge Tin-can Port

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pic 1: the consignment that damaged the bridge packed at exit gate of tincan , Abuja bus stop.  Pic 2: The damage pedestrian bridge at First gate Tincan gate Victoria Silvanus The pedestrian bridge at firstgate  Stop along the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway has collapsed for the third time after it was struck by a truck conveying a cleared consignment from the port, leaving one person dead and raising fresh concerns about safety along the nation's busiest port access corridor. The victim reportedly sustained severe injuries during the incident and later died, while several commuters and motorists narrowly escaped what witnesses described as a major tragedy. Eyewitnesses said the truck's cargo hit the bridge while travelling along the expressway, causing part of the structure to come crashing down onto the roadway and disrupting traffic movement. Following the incident, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) reportedly seized the truck and the consignment and ...
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Customs Brokers Urge Compliance, Seek Stable Policies to Boost Seme Border Trade

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Victoria Silvanus Freight forwarders under the aegis of the Nigeria Licensed Customs Brokers, Seme Border Chapter, have called on traders and other stakeholders to embrace compliance with trade regulations, engage only verified Customs professionals, and reject illicit trade practices, stressing that sustainable business growth depends on transparent and lawful trade procedures. The appeal was made during a sensitisation programme on trade facilitation procedures, anti-smuggling awareness, and the consequences of illicit trade held at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex, Lagos. The programme attracted officials of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), market leaders, traders, freight forwarders, foreign business operators, particularly Chinese nationals, and licensed Customs brokers. Participants were e...
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