MMA Customs, Nahco, Sahco lose billions to 3-day strike

After three day of industrial action by licensed customs agents, work and normalcy resumed in earnest on Friday 25th April, 2025 at the Cargo Section of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport lkeja, Lagos, but billions of Naira in duty revenue may have been lost by Nigeria Customs Service and other stakeholders.

The strike was triggered by a memo issued  by the Nigeria Customs Murtala Mohammed Command to all international airlines and key  stakeholders in the aviation industry declaring that cargoes coming into Nigeria must be accompanied with original invoices of transactions.

This came as a rude shock to customs agents who labelled it as a disincentive to cargo trade facilitation which might go awry for  all stakeholders particularly the Nigeria Customs Service itself.

Consequently, from Tuesday 22nd to Thursday 24th April – the three days after the Easter holidays – cargo trade facilitation and clearance were grounded as the organised  bodies of licensed customs agents embarked on a total work strike which left goods worth billions of Naira stranded in the sheds and terminals of companies like Sahco and Nahco.

Industry insiders whispered to PortNews  that, conservatively, about twenty billion Naira may have been lost by all stakeholders including the Customs, cargo shed and terminal operators, as well as importers and customs agents in the three days of work redundancy.

“Everyday here at this airport, customs rakes in up to 3 to 5 billion Naira. It could be less though, depending on airlines frequency,  cargo volumes and the economy itself. Cargo handlers like Nahco, Sahco, DHL, Aramex and others have lost billions in those three days.  What of the importers whose goods are trapped, they will have to pay additional rents now for sins they didn’t commit.  Their goods trapped in those sheds are in excess of 10 billion Naira.  And what about us, clearing agents?” observed a frustrated customs agent who chose to be anonymous.

According to another customs agent,  the new policy will not be in the interest of the customs because about 75 percent of cargoes come in from China are labeled as street side cargoes produced  largely in small time cottage industries which, unlike Nigeria, is a popularly accepted concept of industrial development in China.

“In China, manufacturing is done on a big scale and small scale bases and most of these  goods coming in from China are fast bucks businesses not needing all those Form M and other CBN documentations. This would waste time, slow trade facilitation and hurt the Customs and all of us. This is what the Customs and the Controller seem to be overlooking,” he noted.

Mindful of the damage that a prolonged sit down strike might do to trade facilitation and meeting of set duty target, the Customs Area  Controller, Comptroller Michael Awe, on Thursday 24th April invited leaders of the leading unions including the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders and the Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON), to a meeting to resolve the dispute. Among those present at the meeting were  Chairmen of these associations,  Nze Aloy lgwe,  notable members of the well to do  and respected Abe lgi Group  like Elder Sunday Adeyemo and Mr Dada Aigbe.

The meeting which lasted for over two hours came up with the resolution that the memo to the airlines be voided and the Controller promised to send another one to the airlines and stakeholders reestablishing the status quo. In fact, Comptroller Awe reportedly promised to do and forward the memo within twenty minutes after the meeting on Thursday.

The meeting also revisited the nagging issue of junior Customs officers querying and seizing cargoes that have already been signed off for release by the Deputy Comptroller in charge of cargo shed. This development was termed disrespectful of a superior officer and undermines the Ease of Doing Business.

Speaking to PortNews on Friday, Mr Aloy lgwe, a former Chairman of MMIA ANLCA and one of the twenty eggheads that represented customs agents at the meeting, noted that the Comptroller took the steps with clean conscience and as a patriotic officer who meant well for the Customs. “Comptroller Awe is a listening leader. You can see that work has resumed in earnest in all the sheds. He is a man of honour and a man who keeps to his words and agreements.  What he’s set out to achieve is to meet duty targets and help to keep government functioning well in the interest of all Nigerians.  We thank him and pledge our support that all goes well in his time here as the Controller,” observed Igwe.

Speaking in a similar vein, Comrade Udo Onyeka, the chapter Chairman of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders,  expressed his admiration for Comptroller Awe’s maturity and give-and-take disposition. “Another leader would have stuck stubbornly to his own position, but the CAC listened to our genuine arguments that this action could negatively impact the economy. He graciously consented to some of our demands and now work has resumed and we are grateful,” the Comrade offered.

PortNews was told that the management of Sahco pledged to give considerable waivers to importers for the three days during which the strike lasted. A staff at the Sifax company told PortNews that the promise was made to protesting customs agents who marched to the premises of Sahco during the strike. “They came here in numbers, and our ogas promised to assist  them to the best of our abilities, especially with reduced waivers for the strike period.” he quipped

Comptroller Awe has taken charge candidly and tactfully at MMIA cargo especially at a tumultuous period when President Trump of the United States has introduced far reaching changes in international trade and tariffs with his government slamming 14 percent on Nigerian cargoes.