Reporting by Vanguard indicates that Nigerian importers and clearance clearing agents are facing severe financial distress due to systematic inefficiencies in the National Single Window platform. Licensed customs operators revealed that businesses are being forced to pay up to N100,000 per day in demurrage costs to terminal managers and shipping corporations. The automated portal was intended to centralize approvals but has instead added multiple bureaucratic hurdles.
The ongoing friction stems from delayed digital processing times and double-handling between agencies such as NAFDAC and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria. Rather than a singular point of data entry, the backend system currently acts as a multi-window loop. Critics argue the system design misses international standards because tax enforcement entities are leading a workflow that requires technical customs logistics expertise.
Industry stakeholders have voiced immense frustration regarding the ports logjam. Leadership reported that cargo holds are trapped for weeks, stating that “consignments are often trapped at terminals for weeks due to delays.” Concurrently, The Punch documented that operational costs are souring, emphasizing that “importers pay N100,000 daily demurrage over NSW delays,” directly driving up inflation on essential retail commodities.
Echotitbits take: Inefficient trade infrastructure acts as a hidden domestic tax that hurts businesses and raises consumer prices. Expect the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy to intervene to harmonize agency interfaces.
Source: Vanguard – https://www.vanguardngr.com/2026/06/importers-pay-n100000-daily-demurrage-over-nsw-delays-customs-agents-2/, June 22, 2026
Photo credit: The Sun Nigeria
