By Sandra Chukwunyere
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has commissioned the Lagos Free Zone (LFZ) Green Channel, a move aimed at enhancing trade facilitation and cargo clearance efficiency.
Speaking at the commissioning event on Wednesday Adeniyi assured stakeholders that the Green Channel would significantly reduce cargo clearance time and costs.
According to Adeniyi, the initiative addresses long-standing bottlenecks in port operations. “This initiative speaks to trade facilitation,” he said. “It reduces the time spent on cargo clearance and lowers the cost of doing business at our ports.”
The Customs boss explained that containers discharged from vessels would be moved immediately through a dedicated Green Channel for examination, replacing the former time-consuming procedures. “What we saw today reflects the trust investors have in us and the confidence we also have in them,” he added.
Adeniyi noted that improved efficiency would translate into higher revenue collections. “Once we reduce clearance time and costs, revenue will increase automatically,” he assured. The Green Channel resolves challenges associated with container stacking and traceability at larger ports.
The LFZ management described the Green Channel as an NCS-approved logistics corridor designed to fast-track cargo movement. Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Adesuwa Ladoja, said the initiative gives LFZ-based companies a strong operational advantage. “The Green Channel enables cargo to move seamlessly from vessel to factory or warehouse through a secure, customs-controlled route,” she said.
Key benefits of the Green Channel include faster time to market, lower logistics and demurrage costs, predictable supply chains, enhanced competitiveness for manufacturers and exporters, and regulatory certainty with full customs oversight.
Cargo discharged at Lekki Deep Sea Port is moved directly under Customs supervision through the dedicated corridor to the Free Zone, where inspection, verification, and final reconciliation are completed. This strengthens Lagos Free Zone’s position as a leading hub for manufacturing, logistics, and export-oriented industries.
The Green Channel supports Nigeria’s trade facilitation agenda and enhances the country’s competitiveness as a West African trade and production hub .
