The Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Onne Seaport Chapter, commends N77.3 billion Customs haul at Onne Sea Port in April as an indication of economic growth in the eastern Port while tasking maritime reporters on effective reportage
By Jude Nzennaya, Port Harcourt
The Chairman, Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Onne Seaport Chapter, Chief Ifeanyi Isikaku, has described the unprecedented revenue of N77.3 billion Customs haul at Onne Sea Port in the month of April 2026 as an indication of economic growth in the eastern Port region.
He made the remark when members of the Coalition of Maritime Journalists Association of Nigeria (COMJAN), led by the President Prof. Ralph John, visited to promote collaboration between ANLCA and maritime media practitioners.
Isikaku whose comment highlighted improved operations at the Onne Port that have seen an increase in revenue and vessel traffic over the past year said the revenue jump shows increased vessel traffic and a boost in maritime activity in the region.
“Go to West Africa Container Terminal (WACT) and you will find that no vessel berthing there comes with fewer than 500 containers. Some arrive with 800 containers, and these vessels call at the port on a weekly basis. At one point we had up to four such vessels.”
He stressed that the revenue hike and increased traffic justify stakeholders’ calls for increased Federal Government intervention in the region, provision of infrastructure and other development initiatives for the Eastern Ports.
Chief Isikaku ‘Onwa’ urged members of COMJAN to be proactive in reporting maritime activities in the region, particularly at the major seaports at Onne, Rivers, Warri and Calabar.
Tentacle Magazine gathered that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Onne Command, had in a press briefing in May declared an April declare a revenue boost of N77.3 billion, the highest on record in a single month showing high prospects for improved revenue collection in 2026.
The Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Command, Comptroller Aliyu Mohammed Alkali, said the command generated a total revenue of ₦258.204,841,355.66 billion, which represents an unprecedented revenue collection in the history of the command so far.
Responding, Head of the delegation and President of COMJAN Prof. Ralph John assured ANLCA that his members were determined more ever before to effectively report maritime activities in the Eastern region and beyond.
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, is 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 (COF) of OMT, Jim Stewart, then explained that the vessel would discharge 1,250 containers and load 1,619 containers, including export-bound cargo and empty containers.
Stakeholders in the region have long called on the Federal Government to intensify efforts to review imbalances that have left the Eastern Ports in Warri, Rivers, Calabar and Onne a distant second to the seaports in Lagos.
