“Apapa Custom Boosts Cargo Rail Movement in Collaborative Push”

The Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is strengthening its collaboration with key stakeholders — clearing agents, freight forwarders, and the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) — in a new drive to facilitate trade and ease cargo movement by rail.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Superintendent Tunde Ayagbalo, made this disclosure in a statement in Lagos on Thursday, following a stakeholders’ meeting held at the Command’s headquarters on Wednesday, June 11, 2025.

Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, Customs Area Controller (CAC), explained that the meeting was in keeping with the policy direction of Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) Bashir Adeniyi to consolidate operations and enable faster delivery through multimodal transport. Rail, he stressed, is a longstanding fixture in the country’s logistics chain — but there’s room for fine-tuning its processes in order to ease bottlenecks and cut delivery timelines.

He further assured stakeholders that a smoother, more connected delivery process would directly ease congestion, reduce delivery costs, and enable companies to move their goods more efficiently.

Comptroller Olomu described stakeholders’ strong participation in the meeting as a “confidence booster”—a clear affirmation of their collective readiness to collaborate toward the shared objective of improving cargo movement.

Akin Oshinowo, Head of Operations for the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), reiterated the NRC’s longstanding cooperation with NCS, noting: “We have always found a willing partner in the Command, which forms a key part of our Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).”

He added: “The discussion we had at the meeting directly resonates with the NRC’s strategic goals and the renewal of hope for rail transportation in Nigeria.”

Stakeholders at the meeting commended NCS for its forward-thinking approach, stating that this collaboration could aid in reducing the cost of imports while strengthening delivery mechanisms across the country.

Dr. Osita Chukwu, National Coordinator of Save Nigeria Freight Forwarders, Importers & Exporters Coalition, encouraged the government not to restrict these initiatives to a single region but to implement them across the country, reflecting their universal significance.

Superintendent Tunde Ayagbalo stressed that the interactive meeting was designed to equip stakeholders with the knowledge and tools needed to identify bottlenecks and propose actionable solutions — ensuring greater efficiency and competitiveness for all players in the industry.

Stay informed, stay ahead with The Ameh News