The congestion in the port of Lagos is so serious that the cost of these trucks to transport a container 20 kilometers inland in Nigeria may exceed US$4,000; the economic recession triggered by the epidemic and the recent turbulence in the commercial capital of Nigeria have exacerbated the port’s long-term Since the crisis. Dozens of container ships are stranded at sea due to congestion, and hundreds of trucks stay on the road for days or weeks, waiting to enter and exit the port.
A few days ago, the Nigeria General Administration of Customs (NCS) headquarters in Apapa Port, Lagos, seized a total of 318 containers, of which 133 containers were unregistered drugs.
Mohammed Abba-Kura, the regional head of the command headquarters, introduced the details of the seized items. He said: “The seized items contained 133 containers of unregistered drugs, including the drug tramadol; 58 3 containers of semi-boiled rice; 30 containers of vegetable oil; 31 containers of second-hand clothing and shoes; 13 containers of used tires and other sundries.
"According to this, the headquarters seized a total of 318 containers with a tax value of more than 21 billion naira. This figure tripled from the total seizure of 112 containers in 2019, and the total value of smuggled goods seized in 2019 was the total tax value. 12.5 billion naira," he said.
Aba Kula added that, in accordance with the Nigerian government’s current circulars, trade guidelines and fiscal policy measures, the Apapa Command has strengthened its efforts to combat smuggling operations by economic disruptors through reliable sources of intelligence and continued cooperation with other agencies.
Abba Kula further stated that compared with the figure of 423.6 billion naira in the same period in 2019, between January 2020 and December 2020, smuggled goods worth 518.46 billion naira have been seized to supplement federal fiscal revenue, which is a significant increase 94.937 billion naira, an increase of 22.3%.
Abba Kula attributed this achievement to the customs staff who strictly implemented the government's fiscal policy. "Export-related figures have also increased, from 260,000 tons in 2019 to 1.31 million tons in 2020, and the FOB price of export items has also risen from US$132 million to US$340 million. The main export products include steel bars, agricultural products and minerals. ."
It is also worth noting that due to severe port congestion, a large number of stranded container cargoes have a worrying ripple effect on Lagos port operations. There are more than 4,000 container cargoes overdue in the Apapa Port Complex (LPC) and Tinkan Port in Lagos; stakeholders in the industry call on the General Administration of Customs (NCS) to auction approximately 4,000 containers, thereby Relieve congestion in the port of Lagos in the new year.
