The Sea Empowerment and Research Centre (SEREC) has cautioned that poor regulation of shipping line conduct threatens to erode the gains of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) reforms, particularly those aimed at improving trade facilitation and port efficiency.
SEREC’s Head of Research, Dr. Eugene Nweke, stated in Abuja that while the National Single Window (NSW) and risk-based clearance initiatives have delivered measurable efficiency improvements, these advances are being undermined when shipping practices introduce artificial delays and opaque cost structures into the clearance process.
According to Nweke, weaknesses such as remote cargo release approvals, speculative demurrage billing, arbitrary charges without cost justification, and prolonged withholding of refunds contribute to inflated transaction costs and distorted compliance behavior — all of which weaken the credibility of customs-led trade reforms.
SEREC submitted a white paper to government and key stakeholders calling for stronger oversight of shipping line governance and better integration between port economic regulation and customs trade administration. The recommendations include public disclosure of regulatory outcomes, statutory timelines for refunds with penalties for non-compliance, banning speculative demurrage billing, and mandatory local cargo release aligned with the NSW platform.
Dr. Nweke emphasized that for Nigeria to fully realize the benefits of customs modernization in 2026 and beyond, shipping practices must adhere to the same principles of transparency, predictability, accountability, and automation that underpin modern trade facilitation frameworks.