The Nigerian Maritime Law Association (NMLA) has called for the urgent enactment of a standalone act and legal framework to drive the National Single Window (NSW) project following the ongoing setbacks experienced in cargo clearance at the ports.

The maritime lawyers warned that the absence of a clear legal framework could create loopholes that may hinder the enforcement and implementation of the project, especially by agencies.

Speaking at the association’s fourth edition of the maritime industry breakfast meeting held in Lagos, the President, NMLA, Mike Igbokwe, stressed that the NSW initiative should either be backed by a standalone Act of the National Assembly or incorporated into existing legislation, such as the Business Facilitation Act, through amendments.

According to him, the legal framework should be used to drive the process, noting that the NSW initiative could face legal challenges without proper legislative backing.

Igbokwe explained that there is currently no clear legal provision defining the operational structure, implementation process or the agency responsible for coordinating the NSW system.

The maritime lawyer noted that implementation of the project appears to have commenced despite the absence of an enabling law, describing the situation as urgent.

“We believe it is better to have legislation in place before implementation. But what we are seeing now is that implementation has started without an Act of the National Assembly enacted to drive it.”

Igbokwe further pointed to the longstanding challenge of overlapping responsibilities among government agencies operating in the ports sector, noting that the NSW system would help harmonise operations and reduce delays in cargo clearance and export procedures.

“We have overlapping functions, multiple agencies doing different things. That wastes time, effort and money. The idea is to harmonise everything through one single window so that all agencies are connected and people do not have to move from one agency to another for different stages of cargo clearance,” he stated.

On concerns over how quickly the proposed legislation could be enacted, Igbokwe acknowledged that the legislative process in Nigeria is often slow due to political distractions and competing priorities within the National Assembly, especially with the elections.

The maritime lawyer, however, maintained that swift passage remains possible if the political will exists, particularly with executive backing, warning that delays in implementing an effective framework were contributing to cargo diversion from Nigerian ports to neighbouring countries due to high transaction costs and cumbersome port processes.

“The nation is bleeding. Because of the high cost of imported goods arising from the multiplicity of procedures and costs, many goods meant for Nigerian ports are going to neighbouring ports. We are losing revenue,” Igbokwe stated.

On his part, the Director of the NSW Project, Tola Fakolade, emphasised that having a regulatory reform is important for NSW, noting that it would ensure sustainability and insulate the platform from significant political influence.