Nigeria eeds efficient Deep Seaport, not proliferation of ports — NCMDLCA President

Stanley Ihedigbo

National President, National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Lucky Amiwero, has said Nigeria does not need a proliferation of seaports but should instead focus on developing an efficient deep seaport capable of handling the country’s cargo and transshipment business.

Amiwero said the development of multiple seaports without adequate infrastructure, cargo destinations and supporting industries was contributing to inefficiencies in Nigeria’s maritime sector.

He spoke on Monday in Lagos during the unveiling of publications documenting his interventions in various national economic issues to mark his 73rd birthday.

The NCMDLCA president called for the establishment of a committee of maritime professionals to undertake a comprehensive review of Nigeria’s port system, including the Lagos Port Complex, Tin Can Island Port, Lekki Deep Sea Port and Calabar Port.

According to him, such a review would help address challenges confronting the ports and create a system capable of enabling Nigeria to compete more effectively with countries in the West and Central African sub-region.

“There is a need for us to really set up a committee to look at the whole thing — Lekki Deep Sea Port, Apapa Port, Tin Can, Calabar Port — so that we can redesign our port system,” he said.

Amiwero said Nigeria was losing transit and transshipment cargo to neighbouring countries, including Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic and Côte d’Ivoire, despite having a significant share of cargo within the West and Central African sub-region.

“We have almost 78 per cent of the cargo within the West and Central African sub-region. Where are we benefiting? We have a lot of ports,” he said.

Comparing Nigeria’s port system with Ghana’s, Amiwero argued that Ghana’s smaller number of ports had not prevented it from attracting significant cargo because of the efficiency of its facilities.

“How many ports does Ghana have? Just one. The other one is a fish port. Their throughput is higher than Nigeria’s because of efficiency,” he said.

He therefore advocated the development of one major deep seaport capable of functioning as a transshipment and load centre for Nigerian cargo.

“If you don’t build seaports, in a country like Nigeria, you only need one seaport. One deep seaport, which is a transshipment centre, a load centre, so that the seaport can now accommodate Nigerian goods,” he said.

The maritime stakeholder also raised concerns about infrastructure at the Lekki Deep Sea Port, particularly its rail connectivity and capacity to handle the largest container vessels.

He urged the Federal Government to involve maritime professionals and technical experts in addressing challenges within the port industry rather than allowing political considerations to determine key decisions.

“We must bring in experts, not politicians, to change the narrative of the port industry. Our port is suffering because of a lack of procedures that are not properly enhanced,” he said.

Amiwero also called for greater emphasis on transshipment at Nigerian ports, arguing that the country could derive significant economic benefits from attracting mother vessels.

He said the inability to attract such vessels was contributing to the loss of associated freight and other economic opportunities to neighbouring countries.

“Which of the countries benefits from the mother vessels? Togo, Benin Republic, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire,” he said.

He further criticised what he described as political interference in port and customs operations, urging the government to ensure that the maritime sector was administered in accordance with established laws, regulations and professional standards.

The NCMDLCA president also called for greater clarity around port concession and lease arrangements, particularly in cases where existing agreements had expired.

According to him, Nigeria needs to harmonise the activities of relevant stakeholders and establish a clear legal framework for the management and development of its ports.

Amiwero also linked the concentration of cargo in Lagos to the location of major manufacturing companies, businesses and consumer markets.

He argued that establishing ports in other parts of the country would not automatically guarantee sufficient cargo without corresponding industries, markets and economic activities to support them.

“Lagos is the market. You have the manufacturing sectors here. Most of the companies you are talking about are here,” he said.

Meanwhile, Amiwero said his interventions in Nigeria’s economic affairs over the years had been documented in publications unveiled at the birthday event.

He said the publications covered issues relating to importers, licensed customs agents, manufacturers, government agencies, finance, budgeting, transportation, trade and investment, customs, the Nigerian Ports Authority, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council and maritime labour.

Amiwero added that his interventions over the years had been extensive and could not be fully captured in a few publications.