By Paul Williams
Chairman, Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Onne Seaport Chapter, Chief Ifeanyi Isikaku, has described the unprecedented N77.3 billion Customs revenue haul at Onne Port in April 2026 as an indication of economic growth in Nigeria’s eastern maritime region.
He spoke on Tuesday when members of the Coalition of Maritime Journalists Association of Nigeria (COMJAN), led by Ralph John, paid him a visit to promote collaboration between ANLCA and maritime media practitioners.
Isikaku’s comment highlights improved operations at Onne Port that have seen a jump in revenue and vessel traffic over the past year.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Onne Command, in May declared an April revenue haul of N77.3 billion — the highest on record for a single month — signposting prospects for improved revenue collection in 2026.
Comptroller of Customs, Onne Command, Aliyu Mohammed Alkali, said during a press briefing on May 14, 2026, that the command generated a total revenue of ₦258,204,841,355.66 (two hundred and fifty-eight billion, two hundred and four million, eight hundred and forty-one thousand, three hundred and fifty-five naira, sixty-six kobo).
“This represents an unprecedented revenue collection in the history of the command,” he said.
Isikaku, while meeting with COMJAN executives, said the revenue jump shows increased vessel traffic and a boost in maritime activity in the region.
He said, “Go to WACT — West Africa Container Terminal — and you’ll find that no vessel berthing there comes with fewer than 500 containers. Some arrive with 800 containers, and these vessels call weekly. At one point we had up to four such vessels.”
Isikaku stressed that the revenue hike and increased traffic justify stakeholders’ calls for increased Federal Government intervention in provision of infrastructure and other development initiatives for the Eastern ports.
He urged members of COMJAN to be proactive in reporting maritime activities in the region, particularly at the major seaports that include Onne, Rivers, Warri, and Calabar.
Prof. Amb. Ralph John, President of COMJAN, assured that his association is determined to ensure effective reporting on maritime activities and stakeholders in the region.
He, however, urged “stakeholders to see maritime journalists as partners in progress, rather than enemies who are out to file false and negative reports.”
The Onne Multipurpose Terminal (OMT) at Onne seaport on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, successfully received the Kota Carum, then the largest vessel to berth at the Onne Federal Ocean Terminal (FOT).
Kota Carum, which flew the Singaporean flag, was owned by Pacific International Lines (PIL), one of Asia’s leading shipping companies.
The mega container vessel measured an impressive 301.43 metres overall and boasted a capacity of 6,606 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units).
Chief Operating Officer of OMT, Jim Stewart, had then explained that the vessel would discharge 1,250 containers and load 1,619 containers, including export-bound cargo and empty containers.
Maritime stakeholders in the region have long called on the Federal Government to intensify efforts to review imbalances that have left the eastern ports — Warri, Rivers, Calabar and Onne — a distant second to the seaports in Lagos.
