Tin Can Customs January revenue jumped 25% to N145.94b

Despite the impressive numbers, Onyeka was emphatic that his primary identity for 2026 would not be defined by record collections alone. The Controller articulated a clear policy shift, away from maximum revenue collection toward what he called “collectable revenue,” a model he says gives the trading public room to settle fair duties, cover logistics costs and sustain their businesses.

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“My mandate this year is to be known as a trade enabler. I want to make it easier for the trading public, and I intend to be that — personified,” he said.

On the shift from maximum to collectable revenue, Onyeka was direct: “When you impose maximum duties on a trader, you are not leaving him room to handle logistics, pay his staff or run his business. I want him to thrive, go back to the market and contribute to the economy. That is the thinking behind collectable revenue.”

He added that the approach was consistent with the broader reform agenda of the Federal Government, noting that the goal was never to choke businesses but to make trade work for everyone.

Perhaps the most consequential announcement of the afternoon was Onyeka’s commitment to rolling out a fully paperless container clearing system at Tin Can Island Port before the end of the second quarter of 2026.

Under the plan, importers and agents, he said, would process and complete container clearance entirely online, with no physical contact with customs officers, a move he noted would eliminate corruption pressure points and significantly streamline trade.

“By the end of the second quarter, we should be clearing containers without anyone needing to see anybody physically. It will be paperless from start to finish,” he said.

Addressing concerns about network reliability and the risk of the system being sabotaged, Onyeka said the command would prioritise capacity building for traders and clearing agents before the transition takes effect.

“We will bring stakeholders on board, show them how to log in, fill their forms and submit the necessary data correctly. If a declaration is clean and raises no flags, the process will be seamless, there will be no reason to come and see anyone,” he said.

He acknowledged that digital glitches, already familiar through the rollout of the B’Odogwu platform, remained a challenge but insisted they would not derail the initiative.

“We cannot guarantee a perfect system from day one, but those challenges will not stop us. The more traders declare correctly and honestly, the smoother this process becomes for everyone,” he added.

Framing the press parley as the opening move in a deliberate stakeholder engagement strategy, Onyeka credited the media with playing a critical role in the command’s 2025 performance, both through constructive reportage and on-the-ground intelligence that helped management identify and resolve operational gaps.

“Whatever progress we have recorded here, the media played a central role. Your feedback has shaped many of the decisions we made last year, and I want us to walk this road together again in 2026,” he told reporters.

He also pledged improved welfare provisions for port officers and committed to a more responsive internal work culture, where files move efficiently and officers are encouraged to consult one another on complex classification cases rather than stalling on borderline decisions.

“Files must not be kept unnecessarily. If a case is borderline, consult a colleague, get a second opinion and keep things moving. That responsiveness is at the heart of what it means to be a trade enabler,” he said.

With a strong revenue showing in January 2026, a clear commitment to paperless, zero-contact clearance, and a leadership focus on trade enablement and collectable revenue, Onyeka assured that the Command is positioning itself as a key driver of ongoing port reforms as well as the country’s ease-of-doing-business agenda.