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FG Inches Closer To Implementation Of Single Window Policy For Efficiency At Nigerian Ports

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FG Inches Closer To Implementation Of Single Window Policy For Efficiency At Nigerian Ports

*As VP Shettima demands roadmap for weight and measures framework

*Tasks NPA, Customs, SON, NIS, others on inter-agency synergy

By: Our Reporter

The Federal Government has intensified efforts to actualize the implementation of the National Single Window at the nation’s ports by 2026.

The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, said the policy aimed at creating a single platform to harmonise documentation, minimise human contact, and bring full transparency to the cargo clearance process would be a game changer at the ports

Senator Shettima, who stated this on Thursday during the second meeting of the Ports and Customs Efficiency Committee at the Presidential Villa, noted that the target is to reduce average cargo clearance time from 21 days to less than seven days by the end of 2026, and to position Nigerian ports among the top three most potent trade corridors in Africa.

He stated: “By the end of 2026, we aim to reduce average cargo clearance time in Nigeria to under seven days and to position our ports among the top three most efficient trade gateways on the continent.

“The forthcoming implementation of the National Single Window in the first quarter of next year will be a game changer, a single platform that harmonises documentation, minimises human contact, and brings full transparency to the cargo clearance process.”

VP Shettima also directed the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), and other relevant agencies to come up with a roadmap on how to make Nigeria’s weights and measures framework effective.

The weights and measures framework conducts regular surveillance and inspections across Nigeria to ensure that weighing and measuring equipment used in trade is accurate and that consumers receive the correct value for their money in line with standard global practice.

The main objective is to ensure consumer protection, which is achieved by preventing fraud and misrepresentation in commercial transactions involving weights and measures.

Demanding a roadmap for an effective weights and measures framework, the Vice President said the target is to improve port operations, make cargo clearance faster and more efficient by reducing average cargo clearance time from 21 days to less than seven days by the end of 2026, as well as position Nigerian ports among the top three most potent trade corridors in Africa.

Senator Shettima expressed dismay over cargo dwell time at Nigeria’s major ports, which he said “currently averages between 18 to 21 days,” compared to Ghana and Cotonou, Benin Republic, where it takes five to seven days and just four days respectively.

“The cost of clearing goods in Nigeria is estimated to be 30 percent higher than in many of our regional peers. Our ports record cargo dwell times 475 percent above the global average benchmark.

“These inefficiencies are not just statistics; they are symptoms of an economic ailment that costs us investments, drives up consumer prices, and weakens our export competitiveness. We simply cannot afford to continue down this path,” he noted.

The VP however expressed optimism that the Executive Order on Joint Physical Inspection, which is currently before President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, “stands as one of the boldest and most decisive steps toward reversing these trends.

“It marks the dawn of a new era, an era where agencies work together, where systems speak a common language, and where traders and investors can depend on predictability, transparency, and speed,” he added.

The VP demanded synergy among the NPA, Nigerian Customs Service NAFDAC, SON, NIS and other relevant agencies, saying the era of working in silo was over.

His words: But no reform succeeds without ownership. Every agency represented here, the Nigerian Ports Authority, the Customs Service, NAFDAC, NDLEA, Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Immigration, the Quarantine Service, and all our partners, must see ourselves not as isolated operators, but as links in a single, integrated value chain.

“The era of siloed operations must end. Inter-agency rivalry must give way to inter-agency synergy. We are only as efficient as our collaboration allows, and our success will depend not only on what we do individually, but on what we achieve together.”

Earlier, the Director General of PEBEC, Princess Zahrah Audu, drew attention to the impact of inefficient port operations on the Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria, underscoring the imperative for a collective resolve among stakeholders to improve port operations, making cargo clearance faster and more efficient.

She decried the losses incurred as a result of the inefficiency at the nation’s ports while acknowledging the efforts of the Customs and Ports Efficiency Committee, describing the committee as a platform that represents not only interagency collaboration but also a shared commitment to making Nigeria’s ports globally competitive, transparent, and efficient.

For his part, the Managing Director of the Nigeria Ports Authority, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, emphasized the import of synergy in revamping the nation’s ports, noting that “until there is collaboration and partnership you cannot achieve efficiency at the ports”.

Highlighting steps taken by the ports authority to address bottlenecks faced by importers and exporters at the nation’s ports, the MD said the Customs and Ports Efficiency Committee established by the NPA is recording huge successes through the joint inspection and boarding by relevant agencies operating in the area.

He identified adoption of technology, improvement in infrastructure, human capacity building, and equipment and tools, as areas that can be improved to enhance port efficiency and ensure that Nigeria remains competitive and relevant in the sub-region, continent and beyond.

FG Inches Closer To Implementation Of Single Window Policy For Efficiency At Nigerian Ports

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Zulum Delivers Relief, Cash Support to 434 Ngoshe Residents Rescued from Boko Haram

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Zulum Delivers Relief, Cash Support to 434 Ngoshe Residents Rescued from Boko Haram

By: Our Reporter

Borno State Government has distributed relief materials to 434 indigenes of Ngoshe community in Gwoza Local Government Area who were recently rescued by security agencies after spending three months in Boko Haram captivity.

Governor Babagana Umara Zulum visited the victims in Pulka on Monday and directed the immediate distribution of food and non-food items to support their recovery and reintegration.

In compliance with the Governor’s directive, the Director General of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Alhaji Ali Abdullahi Isa, promptly supervised the distribution exercise.

Each rescued person received a bag of rice, a bag of maize grits, a mattress, a wrapper, and a shadda, while children received two pairs of clothing.

In addition, 208 heads of households received N50,000 each, fulfilling Governor Zulum’s earlier pledge of financial assistance.

Speaking during the distribution, the SEMA Director General said the intervention was part of the government’s immediate response to ease the hardship faced by the rescued victims.

“I am here at the instance of His Excellency, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, who was here some few days ago, and to deliver the items he directed that it should be given to you as emergency relief,” Ali stated.

The rescued individuals are currently receiving medical care and psychosocial support at a government facility. Upon completion of the rehabilitation process, they will be reintegrated into their respective communities.

The exercise was carried out alongside the Chairman of Gwoza local government, representatives of the Ngoshe community, and other officials.

Zulum Delivers Relief, Cash Support to 434 Ngoshe Residents Rescued from Boko Haram

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Democracy Day: Zulum gives 2 MRAPs, other logistics to Army, celebrates with IDPs

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Democracy Day: Zulum gives 2 MRAPs, other logistics to Army, celebrates with IDPs

By: Michael Mike

Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, marked Democracy Day with the handover of two Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles and critical logistics to the Nigerian Army, after joining internally displaced persons (IDPs) for a symbolic celebration and distribution of food items to 2,500 beneficiaries.

The armoured MRAPs delivered to the Theatre Command of Operation Hadin Kai on Friday are intended to enhance troop protection against improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and ambushes which remain a persistent threat in the fight against insurgents. Additional logistics include operational Hilux vehicles and motorcycles for frontline soldiers in difficult terrains.

Zulum also marked Nigeria’s Democracy Day celebration with Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at the Madinatu camp where he distributed food supplies, non-food items, and cash gifts to thousands of beneficiaries.

The distribution, held at the Madinatu IDP camp, served to consolidate Zulum’s resettlement gains. Over the past seven years, Borno State Government has successfully resettled more than 2 million IDPs in their ancestral communities in a dignified and voluntary manner.

“It gladdens my heart today, the 12th of June, 2026, to celebrate June 12th, Democracy Day, here in Madinatu Camp, the only formal camp that is standing inside Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, today, to the glory of God and the benefit of mankind, for the distribution of food and non-food items. Inshallah, this camp will be closed this year. This will be our last distribution exercise in this camp, or the second to the last,” Zulum said.

However, Governor Zulum used the occasion to announce a timeline for the camp’s closure. The governor ordered that Madinatu camp be shut down within one month, vowing to similarly close most IDP camps across various Local Government Areas in the coming phase of his administration’s resettlement strategy.

“Democracy must translate into restoring the dignity of our people,” Zulum told the IDPs. “Living in camps is not a permanent solution. Our goal remains to return every displaced person to their ancestral homes with security and means of livelihood.”

In addition to the food items, Zulum approved N50,000 each for the 2,500 beneficiaries present at the event.

“Each of the 500 beneficiaries mentioned will receive a 25kg bag of rice and a 25kg bag of sorghum. Women will receive wrappers. I also promise to provide 50,000 naira to each beneficiary. This amount can be credited into their own individual accounts, inshallah,” Zulum said.

The exercise was attended by the APC’s State Deputy Chairman, Garba Mulima, APC State Vice Chairman (Central) Abdur Rahman Abdulkarim, Acting Chief of Staff, Dr Babagana Mallumbe, Member representing Jere at the State Assembly, Abba Kyari Kolo, commissioners and commissioner designates and several other senior government officials.

Democracy Day: Zulum gives 2 MRAPs, other logistics to Army, celebrates with IDPs

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Gov. Yusuf Commends DSS Over Arrest of Suspected Gun Courier in Kano

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Gov. Yusuf Commends DSS Over Arrest of Suspected Gun Courier in Kano

By: Michael Mike

Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has commended the Department of State Services (DSS) for the arrest of a suspected gun courier intercepted while allegedly transporting weapons believed to be destined for criminal elements in Katsina State.

The commendation was contained in a statement issued by the Governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, on Thursday, June 12, 2026.

Governor Yusuf described the operation as a major breakthrough in the ongoing fight against banditry, terrorism and other violent crimes threatening communities across Northern Nigeria.

According to information provided by the DSS, the suspect, identified as Muhammad Abubakar, 30, was apprehended in Gezawa Local Government Area of Kano State while allegedly transporting four rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) tubes, three AK-47 rifles and two empty magazines to Funtua in Katsina State.

Preliminary investigations reportedly revealed that the suspect collected the weapons from an individual identified as Bello in the Maigatari border area of Jigawa State and was expected to receive N450,000 upon successful delivery of the arms.

Governor Yusuf praised the professionalism, vigilance and intelligence-driven approach of DSS operatives, noting that the timely interception prevented the weapons from falling into the hands of bandits and other criminal groups.

He said the operation underscored the critical role of intelligence gathering and effective collaboration among security agencies in tackling emerging security threats across the country.

The governor reaffirmed the commitment of the Kano State Government to supporting security agencies through sustained cooperation, logistics assistance and policies aimed at strengthening public safety throughout the state.

He also urged residents to remain vigilant and continue providing credible information to security agencies to aid efforts to combat crime and maintain peace.

Governor Yusuf expressed confidence that ongoing investigations would lead to the arrest and prosecution of all individuals connected to the alleged arms trafficking network.

The statement was signed by Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, Director General, Media and Publicity, Government House, Kano.

Gov. Yusuf Commends DSS Over Arrest of Suspected Gun Courier in Kano

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