Seven years after Nigeria’s seaports were ordered to operate round-the-clock, the directive continues to exist strictly on paper. Operations at key ports still shut down in the evenings while critical challenges to achieving a 24-hour operation are often left unattended to, ADAKU ONYENUCHEYA reports.
When Taiwo Fatomilola, a licensed customs agent, received his caterpillar consignment from a vessel at the Tin Can Island Port two weeks ago, he could not move it out of the port due to time restrictions.
Fatomilola had secured an Eto ticket for a truck and accessed the terminal around 4 p.m. to move the caterpillar onto a car while the loading was completed around 5:30 p.m.
The absence of customs officers and terminal personnel stalled the release of the consignment from the port for onward transport to Warri, Delta State. That caused a delay that resulted in an additional day’s rent cost of N136,000.
“We entered the terminal around 4 p.m. After we loaded the caterpillar onto the truck, we had to hook it properly because the head of the truck is usually removed before loading. We were about to leave around 5:30 pm, but the terminal and customs offices had already closed. My rent was only valid for that day.
“By the next morning, I could not proceed because the terminal and customs did not resume operations until 11 a.m. Without making the required payment, there was no way I could continue the processing or exit the port. We eventually left around 2 p.m. the following day, and I ended up paying N136,000 for the additional day, a job that should have taken just a few hours,” Fatomilola narrated to The Guardian.
Fatomilola’s ordeal underscores a broader systemic inefficiency undermining Nigeria’s 24-hour port operations policy, which has come under sharp criticism.
On May 19, 2017, the former Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, in his capacity as the Acting President, ordered the implementation of 24-hour operations at Lagos seaports.
In the Executive Order, Osinbajo stated: “The Apapa Port shall resume 24-hour operations within 30 days of the issuance of this Order, and there shall be no touting whatsoever by official or unofficial persons at any port in Nigeria.”
However, more than seven years later, the ports are still not operating around the clock as directed.
The Chief Executive Officer of Globe Joy Investment Nigeria Limited, Clinton Ikechukwu Okoro, noted that the persistent operational delays resulted in exorbitant demurrage fees charged by shipping companies and terminal operators.
“A 40-foot container can attract demurrage charges of between N38,000 to N40,000 per day from the shipping company alone. When terminal charges are added, a single consignment could cost over N1.2 million in demurrage within four to five days,” he said.
Challenges of enforcement
After the executive order, the Federal Government agencies at the nation’s seaports did not comply with the directives, nor were there sanctions handed down to non-compliant agencies.
The former Managing Director, of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman, had lamented the agency’s violation of the executive order and reported the case to the PEBEC chaired by Osinbajo as of 2021.
Since then, no sanctions have been given to violators of the executive order. However, issues were raised on why the order was not implemented.
The setbacks include the unavailability of infrastructure such as inefficient power supply and poor access roads, lack of a national single window to integrate all agency’s operations, poor network service, lack of technology, insufficient and obsolete equipment to facilitate the clearance of cargoes, inability to process data, insecurity, and lack of personnel for deployment to run night shifts.
According to the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) delays, inefficiencies, and bottlenecks at the ports and service delivery, cost Nigeria an estimated N2.5 billion loss daily, amounting to over N912.5 billion yearly.
Addressing gaps
As global ports have successfully adopted flexible and incentivised shift systems for round-the-clock operations, supported by advanced safety technology and real-time performance tracking, Nigerian ports still struggle with rigid shifts and limited night-shift safety measures.
Countries with modern seaports such as Singapore, Rotterdam, and Busan, operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, enabling uninterrupted activity that ensures quicker vessel turnaround, optimised cargo flows and synchronised hinterland logistics.
In contrast, Nigerian ports largely operate only during the day, losing productive hours at night, which results in ship discharge delays, demurrage, and higher costs, all of which are ultimately passed down to the consumers.
Okoro emphasised that these hidden costs passed down to the final consumers, further exacerbate the already high cost of living in the country.
“This government doesn’t understand that any delay at the port trickles down to the average Nigerian buying goods in the market and every one of us shops in that same market,” he said.
Fatomilola, who also serves as the National Public Relations Officer of the Association of Registered Freight Forwarders of Nigeria (AREFFN), noted that the ineffective implementation of the 24-hour port operation regime significantly contributes to the country’s high cost of clearing goods, increasing the landed cost of goods far above global averages.
“If 30 jobs are supposed to be completed daily, we barely manage 10. The remaining 20 are lost to idle time. That is the daily economic loss we endure,” he said.
However, to realise effective 24-hour port operations, several critical areas require urgent attention, which include improved lighting infrastructure, adequate surveillance systems and trained personnel for night-time physical inspections.
Other are operational 24-hour emergency response units such as hospitals, fire services, and rescue teams, alongside good access roads, rail connectivity, automated gate systems and reliable networks for processing and clearing documentation.
A 2023 National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) working paper, which challenged Nigeria, emphasised that increasing port efficiency from 25 to 75 per cent globally could reduce shipping costs by as much as 12 per cent.
One key enabler of 24-hour port operations is uninterrupted, sustainable, and cost-effective power supply, which Nigeria currently lacks.
The Chairman of the Nigerian Ports Consultative Council (NPCC), Bolaji Sunmola, stated that Nigeria does not need to replicate energy-intensive, fossil fuel-based models, instead, the country could leapfrog into renewables and hybrid microgrids tailored to its climate and capacity.
He pointed out that Nigeria has excellent solar potential, which can be harnessed through solar photovoltaic (PV) systems to power port terminals.
Citing global examples, Sunmola noted that ports such as Jurong in Singapore and the Port of Los Angeles have rooftop solar installations that power key terminals.
Locally, he said Nigerdock on Snake Island now offsets 40 per cent of its daytime power needs using solar energy and cutting over 2,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions yearly.
He suggested that this model could be adopted by more stakeholders within the nation’s port ecosystem.
Another viable option, according to Sunmola, is the use of hybrid microgrids that combine solar, wind and biofuel generators with battery storage to guarantee consistent power supply.
Ports like Le Havre in France and Antwerp in Belgium, he said, already integrate offshore wind farms for sustainable grid augmentation.
Sunmola also highlighted the importance of smart energy management systems, noting that by using Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered controllers, ports can monitor, forecast and allocate energy consumption more efficiently.
He said this would minimise waste and ensure critical systems remain operational during power fluctuations or peak periods.
Studies have shown that implementing solar-hybrid systems in port facilities leads to significant fuel cost savings and reduced downtime over time.
According to Sunmola, this translates to both financial savings and enhanced operational reliability for Nigeria.
The NPCC chairman said continuous port operations, when scientifically engineered, do more than extend working hours, as they redesign the flow of goods, harmonise inter-agency actions and strengthen economic resilience.
The NPCC chairman said continuous port operations, when scientifically designed do more than extend working hours, redesign the flow of goods, harmonise inter-agency actions and strengthen economic resilience.
He said ports that operate 24 hours often function within harmonised and digitised multi-agency frameworks, noting that in Nigeria, duplication of regulatory functions sometimes causes delays, increased transaction costs and opportunities for corruption.
The Secretary General of the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control, Captain Sunday Umoren, stressed that while 24-hour port operations are not a novel concept globally and have been adopted by countries like Singapore since the 1980s, the real challenge for Nigeria lies in aligning its local systems and structures to meet international standards.
He said continuous trucking and rail access must be guaranteed, while technology should be matched with robust cybersecurity systems, underscoring the importance of port security and compliance with the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code.
Nigerian ports have been marred by security challenges, including cargo theft, piracy and general lawlessness, resulting in operational delays and increased shipping costs, according to the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC).
Touts, often cause chaos at the port access road attacking port users and damaging their goods, especially when port users refuse to pay them illegal fees for easy passage.
Umoren further highlighted current legal and policy barriers, such as check-out rates and port closure periods, inflating shipping costs.
“If the waterways are not safe, who would want to sail at night? A vessel docking at 6 p.m. and waiting till 6 a.m. incurs heavy costs, sometimes up to $80,000 per day,” he revealed.
Umoren, however, called for a more coordinated and comprehensive approach to implementing 24-hour port operations in Nigeria, emphasising the need for stakeholder synergy, infrastructure readiness, policy support and security compliance.
“A 24-hour operation is not new. It has been done before. But we must ask ourselves: are we ready? To succeed, there must be proper infrastructure, stakeholder engagement, technological integration, and regulatory support,” Umoren said.
Having an adequate workforce for the 24-hour port operations is another debate as stakeholders criticised the lack of adequate housing or logistical support for officers to be on standby around the clock.
Stakeholders suggested the introduction of structured three-shift systems with night allowances as well as a partnership with health and safety experts to mitigate fatigue and hazards, along with the deployment of a large youth labour force with growing ICT skills.
“How close are these officers living to the ports? Without residential proximity or transport provisions, how can they fulfill 24-hour obligations?,” the AREFFN spokesperson queried.
While Fatomilola acknowledged that terminals like Grimaldi have made commendable efforts toward late-night operations, he maintained that broader reforms are necessary, especially at Tin Can Island and Apapa ports, where operational gaps are most severe.
Fatomilola called on the relevant authorities to not only enforce 24-hour operations in name but to invest in the infrastructure, manpower and policy enforcement necessary to make it a functioning reality.
Regulatory agencies speak
Implementing round-the-clock port operations entails digitally transforming all the ports.
Stakeholders propose the introduction of digital twins, such as a virtual replica of a physical asset, system, or process that enables real-time monitoring, simulation, and analysis as well as predictive analytics for port logistics management.
This, according to them, results in increased efficiency, cost reduction, improved safety and sustainability.
The Representative of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Assistant Comptroller Oyindolapo Oladepo, said while the world is evolving rapidly, the country cannot afford not to be part of the evolution in port operations.
He said the analogue method of carrying paper around and other bottlenecks are slowing down cargo clearance processing, noting that while the country is yet to achieve 24-hour port operations, the NCS trade modernisation project has succeeded in reducing clearance time to about six hours, a minute’s average time.
“We cannot be talking of 24-hour port operation without compliance. It means all of your documentation and all of the processes that are involved in customs processing are perfectly done,” he added.
The Port Manager of Apapa Port, Adebowale Lawal, acknowledged that despite strides made by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) towards automation and round-the-clock service delivery, full implementation of 24-hour port operations remains elusive, especially during public holidays and festive seasons.
Lawal observed that during these periods, the nation’s seaports are characterised by a lull in activities as stakeholders are yet to fully adopt the concept of 24-hour port operations.
He pointed out that while the NPA has fully automated its processes, certain aspects of the authority’s services can be hindered by the inability to conclude some bank payments outside banking hours.
“Some services require confirmation of bank payments, and when these payments cannot be completed outside banking hours, it affects service delivery,” he explained.
He said in the Eastern ports; issues of insecurity and insufficient marine assets continue to limit operational efficiency.
Lawal noted that until these are adequately addressed, achieving consistent 24-hour port services in those locations will remain difficult.
