STAKEHOLDER CALLS FOR SCRAPPING OF KLT CUSTOMS AREA COMMAND OVER ALLEGED INEFFICIENCIES.
By Aderonke Fakeye
Maritime stakeholder has called on the Federal Ministry of Finance to urgently scrap the KLT Customs Area Command in Lagos, describing the command as unproductive and a drain on government resources over the past two decades.
The stakeholder, who claimed to have studied the operations of the command for over 20 years, alleged that the KLT Customs Area Command has remained largely idle despite its vast land space, inland waterway access, and strategic potential to support cargo operations at the nation’s seaports.
According to the statement, the command maintains a workforce of over 120 officers and operates with structures and administrative facilities similar to major port commands, yet allegedly delivers minimal operational results and low revenue generation.
The stakeholder argued that the command, which reportedly occupies a landmass larger than the Tin Can Island Port and supervises more than 10 bonded terminals, should be contributing significantly more to government revenue than it currently does.
He further claimed that the continued underutilisation of the KLT Command has contributed to persistent port congestion in Lagos, high operational costs, delays in cargo clearance, and increased demurrage charges for importers and freight agents.
Drawing comparisons with the Port of Cotonou in the Republic of Benin, the stakeholder noted that efficient cargo distribution to off-dock terminals has helped reduce congestion and vessel waiting time in neighbouring ports.
The statement identified three major factors allegedly responsible for the inefficiency of the KLT Customs Area Command, including the refusal of Apapa and Tin Can Island port commands to transfer cargoes to the KLT command, alleged complacency among officers of the command, and what was described as the inaction of the Nigeria Customs Service leadership over the years.
According to the stakeholder, port commands at Apapa and Tin Can Island have been reluctant to release cargoes to KLT-based terminals due to concerns over revenue allocation, a situation he described as counterproductive to efficient port management.
He also alleged that officers posted to the KLT Command have shown little concern over the command’s low activity level, despite the impact on bonded terminals operating under its supervision.
The stakeholder further criticised successive customs administrations for allegedly failing to address the situation despite complaints and petitions raised over the years.
He maintained that achieving ease of doing business at Nigerian ports would remain difficult without proper cargo distribution and improved utilisation of available port infrastructure.
The stakeholder therefore urged the Minister of Finance to either scrap the KLT Customs Area Command and redistribute its bonded terminals to Apapa and Tin Can Island port commands or immediately restructure port operations to integrate the command more effectively into cargo handling and logistics operations.
He stressed that addressing the issue would help reduce port congestion, improve efficiency, and enhance ease of doing business within the nation’s maritime sector.
