By Taiwo Scholastica
The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) has announced plans to provide truckers and freight forwarders operating along the Apapa and Tin-Can port corridors with body cameras to document alleged extortion and illegal activities at checkpoints.
The council said the move became necessary because the lack of video evidence showing officials engaging in extortion has made it difficult to prosecute suspected offenders during enforcement operations carried out since January.
The Director-General of PEBEC, Zahrah Audu, disclosed this on Tuesday while speaking with State House correspondents during the weekly “Meet the Press” session organized by the Presidential Communications Team at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
She added, “In addition to that, as we speak now, we have a stakeholder engagement for the sensitization of the truckers, because the truckers and the freight forwarders are the main people at the bane of the problem who suffer from these issues with customs.”
“We have already done some engagement, but we are having a more robust one in September or October. As one of our interventions, we are even giving them body cams. We want evidence.”
Audu said enforcement visits conducted in January, March, and July did not result in arrests because officials found at the checkpoints were not caught in the act of collecting illegal payments.
“We didn’t catch them red-handed rent-seeking. They are officials of whichever agency they represent, and nobody had outrightly told them that they cannot set up there.”
“Now that we have clearly marked out the legal checkpoints and put in place ample information, if they engage with truckers or freight forwarders and there is any kind of extortion or rent-seeking, they know where to escalate,” she said.
The PEBEC Director-General stated that the council would pursue prosecution once sufficient evidence is obtained.
“If and when we have evidence of rent-seeking or any malpractice, we will prosecute. We will work with the Attorney-General’s office to make sure we prosecute to the full extent of the law,” Audu said.
She further disclosed that PEBEC has installed signage at all approved checkpoints along the Apapa and Tin-Can port corridors. According to her, the signage contains QR codes that link directly to the ReportGov escalation portal, allowing affected persons to report incidents.
Audu also mentioned that the Nigerian Ports Authority is working on a unified access pass system aimed at restricting unauthorized pedestrian movement into port premises.
The measure, she explained, is intended to tackle the long-standing problem of weak perimeter control, which has contributed to the activities of extortion networks around the ports.
On cargo clearance, the PEBEC boss said the council is working toward reducing Nigeria’s average cargo dwell time from 21 days to seven days.
She said the target was set by the Ports and Customs Efficiency Committee, chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, which was established in April 2025.
“Our average cargo dwell time was about 21 days, making us extremely uncompetitive compared to our neighbors in Ghana or Benin Republic. As a resolution from the committee, we were tasked to bring it down to seven days. It is a work in progress,” she stated.
According to her, measures introduced to achieve the target include joint cargo inspections, which bring together relevant agencies to conduct checks at the berth, as well as the increased use of scanners instead of physical cargo examinations.
She also highlighted the National Single Window, a digital platform designed to consolidate documentation processes involving agencies responsible for imports and exports.
She noted, “Any nation that is serious about growth needs to be concerned about functionality within its port corridors.”
Audu also emphasized other reforms being implemented by PEBEC, including the Nigerian Regulatory Impact Analysis Framework launched in January 2025. The framework requires Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to engage stakeholders and rely on evidence before introducing new policies.
She also cited the ReportGov platform, which was relaunched in June 2025, noting that it allows businesses to directly reach the 69 business-facing MDAs monitored by PEBEC, with a commitment to respond to complaints within 72 hours.
The DG further disclosed that the council had completed its second nationwide subnational tour across 35 states. She said the exercise aimed to strengthen state-level Ease of Doing Business Councils and connect states to a $750 million World Bank facility under the State Action on Business Environment Reform Program.
However, Audu admitted that more needs to be done to support businesses operating in the informal sector.
“We are not doing enough for them. It is an area of concern for me,” she said, while announcing a new initiative known as Enable Her.
According to her, the program will establish business clusters where informal operators can receive assistance to formalize their businesses, access reliable electricity, and obtain relevant equipment to expand their operations.
Illegal checkpoints along Nigeria’s major port corridors remain a persistent concern for businesses and transport operators.
A 2023 report by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria estimated that logistics costs in Nigeria were 40 to 60 percent higher than in comparable regional economies.
It identified checkpoints along port corridors, including unauthorized collection points allegedly operated by officials of various agencies, as a key factor contributing to these high costs.
Nigeria’s average cargo dwell time of 21 days also remains significantly higher than the four to five days recorded at Ghana’s Tema Port. Similarly, Cotonou Port in the Benin Republic has attracted cargo destined for Nigeria due to lower costs and shorter delays compared to Lagos ports.