Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, Mohammed Bello-Koko

Federal Government’s efforts towards boosting non-oil exports received a boost as the Nigerian Ports Authority NPA has designated the Lilypond Container Terminal, Ijora as the final processing hub for all non-oil export consignments being shipped through the country’s seaports in Lagos.

Under this arrangement, all non-oil export consignments including agro and allied products, mineral products and iron bars, among several others arriving from the hinterlands and other city centres would be taken to the terminal where final sorting, packaging and weighing would be carried out to avoid delays associated with double examination.

Port Manager, Lagos Ports Complex, Apapa, Mrs. Olufunke Fumilayo, who spoke during a joint media briefing with the Apapa Area 1 Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, said designating the terminal as the final export processing centre was one of the authority’s initiatives towards boosting non-oil export activities through the seaports.

According to her noted that all export products processed, packaged and examined by all the relevant security agencies at the centre would be taken to the designated seaport terminal, where they will be loaded directly on board a waiting vessel without further delay. To make this possible, all cargo owners and truckers should ensure that they conclude all documentations with Customs, shipping companies and terminal operators, among others before taking the consignments to the seaports.

She however disclosed that the NPA has discovered that some trucks laden with export products would park their trucks on Creek Road while waiting for the Technical Delivery Orders TDO, a development, she said negates all efforts being made by the NPA in collaboration with other government agencies to ensure that export cargoes do not encounter any delay at all.

She pleaded with truck drivers and cargo owners to adopt approved and generally acceptable ways of handling cargo documentations whether for exports or imports so as to make the ports more efficient and reduce the cost of doing business.

On the need for collaborations, she noted that the successes recorded so far at the seaports were made possible due to the synergy that exists between all the agencies at the ports, assuring that plans are on to further strengthen this synergy with a view to enhancing port efficiency for the overall benefit of Nigeria’s economy.

The PM cited the arrest of some Stowaways on board some ships as well as the seizure of some hard drugs and the subsequent arrest and prosecution of the suspects as some of the benefits of the collaborations that exist between the agencies.

“Collaboration is the key focus; I dare say that activities at the ports have been highly successful due to these collaborations. We were invited to a meeting by the management of the NPA where it was disclosed that Lilypond Terminal, Ijora has been designated as the export processing centre for all export cargo meant for the seaports in Lagos”, the Port Manager also said.

Recall that the Customs Area Controller, Apapa Area 1 Command, Comptroller Ibrahim Yusuf had during the joint media briefing hinted that non-oil export activities at the command for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 recorded a major boost, growing by 110per cent in tonnage compared to the figures recorded in the preceding 2020.

Details of export statistics from the command for the review period show that a total of 5.4million metric tonnes of non-oil goods with a Free On Board value of $641million (about N245billion) were exported through the command as against the 1.3milion metric tonnes with an FOB value of $340million in the previous year.

In addition to Federal Government’s policy and export incentive schemes, experts believe that the astronomic rise in export volumes might be due the export trade facilitation measures adopted by Customs and NPA.

For instance, under the Electronic Call-up system also called ‘eto’, NPA designated a total of 17 truck parks with capacity of over 3,500 trucks for the haulage of various kinds of cargo including imports and exports, under which it gives preference to export cargo. Out of the 17 truck parks, four with a capacity to take 900 containers were designated for export cargo.

The authority is also currently working with relevant government agencies including the Nigerian Export Promotion Council NEPC and other stakeholders to provide a more conducive environment for export cargo.

The PM said: “While the NPA is working with the NEPC to arrive at even more conducive environment for the operation of export cargo, we wish to state that export cargo truckers should ensure they complete all documentations required by the Customs, terminal operators and shipping lines before approaching the ports. Failure to complete all the documentations, the truck in question would be denied access into the ports”.