‘Maritime reforms have led to major decline in vessel clearance extortion’
Stakeholders in the maritime sector have said the sector’s reforms have led to a sharp decline in cases of extortion. Industry analysts said reported extortion cases fell from 266 incidents
Stakeholders in the maritime sector have said the sector’s reforms have led to a sharp decline in cases of extortion.
Industry analysts said reported extortion cases fell from 266 incidents in 2019 to just 28 last year, signalling a major turnaround in port governance and transparency.
Chief Executive Officer, Convention on Business Integrity (CBi), Olasoji Apampa, who disclosed this at a recent stakeholders’ engagement on port reforms, said the improvement has repositioned the country as a global reference point for efficient and transparent vessel clearance.
He added that the reforms, supported by the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN), also helped industry players save over $300,000 in 2024 by resisting illicit demands through structured reporting and compliance tools.
“In our little way, the intervention of MACN in 2024 saved the industry. Those who bothered to ask for help by using the tools we have provided saved over $300,000 that we can trace for you. Today, internationally, people now see Vessel Clearance Nigeria as one of the leading global voices on how it is done,” Apampa said, describing the achievement as a “Nigerian miracle.”
Apampa explained that in earlier years, ship operators routinely faced extortion demands ranging between $40,000 and $60,000 per incident. However, sustained intervention, data tracking, and stakeholder collaboration have significantly reduced such practices.
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He stressed that the transformation was not driven by any single agency, but by coordinated action across public and private sector players.
“Progress was not achieved by one agency, one union, or one hero. It is impossible with a fragmented group. Only with collective action was change possible,” he said.
According to him, the vessel clearance success story demonstrates that transparency, data, and accountability can deliver measurable results in Nigeria’s maritime sector when properly aligned.
Despite the gains in vessel clearance, Apampa noted that cargo clearance and freight forwarding operations remain plagued by fragmentation, delays, and high transaction costs.
He warned that the absence of coordination among stakeholders continues to create inefficiencies that undermine trade competitiveness.
He called for the creation of an Integrity Alliance, a technical platform that would bring together CBi, the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN), and the leadership of every major stakeholder group in Nigeria’s cargo chain, including Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), transport unions, and terminal operators.
“Not an association but a platform. A place where we align around standards, evidence, and consequence management without insulting anyone’s history or turf,” he said.
He was direct about what fragmentation was costing the sector. “Fragmentation is a gift to discretion, and discretion is the mother of delay. When associations compete instead of aligning, the compliant importer-exporter suffers, the compliant agent suffers, and the honest transporter suffers.”
Apampa made a strong case for shared data tools as the foundation of any meaningful reform. According to him, MACN and CBi have already built these tools, with input from ANCLA, road and maritime transport unions, and CRFFN — the only association to have formally adopted them so far.
At the event, participants received fans printed with QR codes. One code links to a Standard Operating Procedures toolkit covering every agency at Nigerian ports, including Marine Police. The other links to a User Experience Diary where operators can report non-compliance as it happens.
“If only one group supplies the data, it will be dismissed as biased. If the whole ecosystem supplies the data, it becomes undeniable. Without evidence, we only have arguments, and arguments do not move the powerful at all,” Apampa stressed.
