Nigeria’s maritime trade is facing mounting operational constraints as persistent congestion around Lagos ports threatens to undermine the gains from rising cargo volumes and billions of naira in customs revenue generated by the country.

Cargo throughput across Nigerian ports increased by 24.8 percent to a value of 129.3 million metric tonnes in 2025.

However, congestion around Apapa and Tin Can Island ports continues to delay cargo evacuation, disrupt export shipments and raise concerns about the capacity of existing infrastructure to support expanding trade.

Abubakar Dantsoho, managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), said the Apapa access road, originally designed to accommodate approximately 2,400 trucks daily, now handles more than 7,000 trucks, highlighting the growing pressure on port access infrastructure.

Read also: FG to prioritise Bakassi Deep Sea Port as maritime gateway – Shettima

The mismatch between road capacity and truck traffic has contributed to congestion, delays and reduced operational reliability around the country’s principal maritime gateway.

The economic significance of the two ports is substantial. Apapa and Tin Can Island generated approximately N4.6 trillion in customs revenue in 2025, comprising N2.9 trillion from Apapa and N1.7 trillion from Tin Can Island, according to Las Alli-Shobande, chairman of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Freight Forwarders and Trade Group.

Despite improvements to access roads from the Mile 2 and Ijora ends, congestion within the ports continues to slow cargo evacuation and disrupt terminal operations.

Ikenna Nwosu, deputy chairman of the LCCI group, said export cargo arriving from outside Lagos sometimes missed scheduled vessels because of delays caused by port traffic.

He added that loaded cargo could take almost 24 hours to exit the ports, raising concerns about the reliability of cargo movement and the ability of exporters to meet shipping schedules.

The congestion also presents security concerns. Nwosu warned that the volume of vehicles operating inside port premises could create difficulties for emergency evacuation under the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, which provides for controlling vehicle numbers to facilitate evacuation during emergencies.

The operational challenges persist despite improvements in Nigeria’s international port performance rankings. Tin Can Island Port ranked 10th, while Apapa Port ranked 12th among the world’s most improved ports in the World Bank’s Container Port Performance Index 2025, released in June 2026, according to Dantsoho.

Read also: Nigeria’s export drive hit by port congestion, 53-hour border delays

Dantsoho said the NPA had introduced the Eto electronic truck call-up system to address corridor gridlock. The authority also launched the National Single Window and a beta version of the Port Community System in 2026 to improve information exchange and coordination among Customs, terminal operators, shipping lines and regulators.

Also, the Association of Maritime Truck Owners has raised concerns about alleged irregularities in the truck call-up system.

Remi Ogungbemi, national president of the association, represented by Mohammed Sani, its national secretary-general, said its technical team had documented complaints involving call-up manipulation, multiple vehicle plate-number entries, ticket racketeering, queue jumping and violations of the first-in, first-out principle.

He said the allegations required investigation and verification, while calling for a system designed to prevent abuse.

The association proposed a technology-driven, manifest-based process supported by electronic tags to verify truck identities, confirm their presence at approved parks and regulate their movement according to terminal readiness.

Ogungbemi warned that releasing trucks without considering terminal receiving capacity would simply transfer congestion from holding parks to port access roads and bridges.

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry has also called for a coordinated port corridor management system involving government agencies, terminal operators and truck owners to address persistent congestion at Apapa and Tin Can Island.

Read also: LCCI proposes port corridor coordination to ease Apapa, Tin Can gridlock

Leye Kupoluyi, president of LCCI, said the proposed framework should identify operational bottlenecks, assign responsibilities and track performance across the two ports, which handle more than 70 percent of Nigeria’s seaborne trade.

He called for measurable indicators covering cargo dwell time, vessel waiting time and truck turnaround time to assess the effectiveness of interventions.

“What is not measured cannot be managed,” Kupoluyi said.

He outlined five priorities for improving port efficiency: stronger coordination and accountability, better truck traffic management, improved terminal productivity, accelerated digitalisation and upgraded access infrastructure.

The chamber also advocated greater use of rail and barge transportation to reduce pressure on road networks, while urging terminal operators to provide timely information on cargo readiness and shipping companies and freight forwarders to improve delivery information.

Akutah Pius Ukeyima, director-general of the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA), represented by Yusuf Bayangwa, assistant director of trade, identified traffic congestion, inefficient truck scheduling, delays in cargo examination and documentation, poorly integrated information systems, unpredictable charges and limited use of alternative transport routes as major constraints on port operations.

He said NPERA would promote a transparent, competitive port environment but stressed that one agency alone could not resolve congestion.

“We must move away from addressing congestion only when it becomes a crisis. Instead, we must establish a coordinated system that anticipates operational bottlenecks, shares information promptly, and resolves problems before they escalate,” he said.

Read also: Port operators seek cargo evacuation alternatives to road to ease congestion

Dantsoho maintained that Nigeria’s port transformation remained a work in progress, arguing that operational reforms must be supported by reliable digital infrastructure and coordinated investment across the wider transport system.

He also stressed the importance of establishing robust digital systems before expanding artificial intelligence applications, noting that reliable data would support better operational decisions. He called for cybersecurity to be incorporated into infrastructure projects from the design stage.

For LCCI, digitalisation must produce practical improvements in port operations rather than simply transfer existing administrative bottlenecks to online platforms.

“Digitalisation must simplify processes, not merely transfer existing bureaucratic procedures online,” Kupoluyi said.