The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has seized 56 containers containing prohibited goods with a total duty-paid value of N5.53 billion at the Port Harcourt II Area Command, Onne, Rivers State. Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed the seizure while addressing newsmen at the command. The interception was part of intelligence-driven and risk-based operations aimed at preventing prohibited, restricted, and improperly declared consignments from entering the Nigerian market.
According to Adeniyi, unchecked importation of goods that can be produced or processed locally exposes Nigerian farmers, manufacturers, and businesses to unfair competition, weakens demand for locally made products, and discourages investment across domestic value chains. The economic impact is particularly significant in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors, as large-scale importation of locally producible goods could undermine efforts to strengthen food security, create jobs, and diversify the economy.
The seized consignments comprised 45 20-foot containers of foreign vegetable oil, nine 40-foot containers of used clothing, and two 20-foot containers of Channy tomato paste. Adeniyi clarified that Customs enforcement was not intended to frustrate legitimate businesses but to ensure a fair, secure, and predictable trading environment. The Service’s risk-based approach allows it to facilitate legitimate cargo while subjecting high-risk consignments to enhanced scrutiny.
Adeniyi commended the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Aliyu Alkali, and officers of the Port Harcourt II Area Command for the interceptions. He urged importers and other stakeholders to verify the admissibility of their intended imports before commencing transactions and ensure accurate declaration of the description, quantity, value, origin, and classification of goods.
The Nigeria Customs Service is working to prevent prohibited goods from entering the Nigerian market. In a related development, an Energy Expert, Dr. Joseph Obele, has called on the Federal Government and the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to urgently restart the government-owned refineries. Obele stated that this would help curb the rising cost of petroleum products.
Obele noted that restoring functional government-owned refining capacity would increase domestic supply, reduce dependence on imported refined petroleum products, and contribute to greater stability in the downstream petroleum market. He urged the federal government to maximise all available refining capacity while continuing to encourage responsible private-sector investment and healthy competition within the downstream petroleum industry.
Obele expressed concern over the continued rise in crude oil prices amid ongoing tensions involving the United States and Iran and concerns around the Strait of Hormuz. He warned that sustained supply risks could continue to put pressure on global petroleum prices, which would have a wider economic impact, particularly on transportation, food, medical services, and other essential commodities.
Key points
- The Nigeria Customs Service seized 56 containers of prohibited goods with a total duty-paid value of N5.53 billion.
- The seized consignments comprised 45 20-foot containers of foreign vegetable oil, nine 40-foot containers of used clothing, and two 20-foot containers of Channy tomato paste.
- An Energy Expert, Dr. Joseph Obele, has called on the Federal Government to urgently restart the government-owned refineries to curb the rising cost of petroleum products.
