By Godwin Oritse

The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has called on the Federal Government (FG) to suspend the implementation of the Green Tax Policy, scheduled to take off from July 1st, 2026,  citing inadequate stakeholder engagement by the implementing agency, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

The association argued that key stakeholders, particularly licensed customs agents and importers, who will be directly affected by the policy were not sufficiently sensitised or consulted before its rollout.

In a statement signed by ANLCA President, Emenike Nwokeoji, yesterday, the association expressed concern that a fiscal policy with such far-reaching implications for import duty, cargo valuation, contractual obligations, shipping arrangements and business planning was communicated to only a section of the critical trading community in Lagos barely 72 hours before its proposed implementation.

“Even more astonishing was the extremely late invitation extended to stakeholders for the consultation meeting. Such an approach is insensitive, procedurally defective and inconsistent with the principles of fairness, inclusiveness, stakeholder engagement and due consultation that should ordinarily guide the implementation of major public policies.

“Fiscal policies of this magnitude ought to be preceded by adequate notice, extensive consultations with all relevant stakeholders across the country, comprehensive sensitisation and sufficient transitional periods to ensure seamless compliance.

Anything short of this undermines confidence in government policies, exposes legitimate businesses to avoidable financial losses and ultimately erodes the confidence of both local and foreign investors in Nigeria’s trade environment.”

The group also raised concern about the decision to subject shipments already in transit to Nigeria to the new levy.

“This amounts to a retrospective fiscal burden on importers and licensed customs agents who had already entered into binding commercial contracts based on the existing tariff regime. Such a development will inevitably result in severe financial losses and unnecessary disputes within the international trading community.

“Furthermore, the stakeholders’ meeting failed to adequately address critical implementation issues. For instance, there was no clear methodology provided for determining engine capacities for the purpose of Green Tax assessment.

“This ambiguity is capable of creating confusion, inconsistent assessments, avoidable disputes and ultimately leaving the trading public at the discretion of individual assessment officers.

“ANLCA remains committed to constructive engagement with the Federal Government and the Nigeria Customs Service in pursuit of policies that promote legitimate trade while achieving national objectives,” he said.

The association also made it clear that it is not challenging the authority of the Federal Government to formulate or implement fiscal policies. It, however, demanded the immediate suspension or postponement of the implementation of the Green Tax Policy until adequate stakeholder consultations have been conducted nationwide.

By Elizabeth Adegbesan

Domestic air travel fares rose by 20.8 percent year-on-year (YoY) to N157,552 in May 2026 from N130,361 in May 2025.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) disclosed this in its latest Transport Fare Watch which showed increases in fares across other transport categories.

The NBS stated: “In air travel, the average fare paid by air passengers for a specified route (single journey) was N157,552.19 in May 2026.

“On a year-on-year basis, the fare rose by 20.86 percent from N130,361.85 in May 2025.”

Analysing air transport charges for specified routes (single journey), the Bureau said Kano State recorded the highest average fare at N184,139.29, followed by Lagos State at N176,971.65. The lowest fares were recorded in Gombe State (N135,800.61) and Nasarawa State (N138,999.14).

On other transport categories, the NBS said:“The average fare paid by commuters for bus journeys within the city per drop was N1,431.25 in May 2026.

“On a YoY basis, the average fare recorded a significant increase of 38.63 percent compared to the N1,032.46 paid in May 2025.

“In another category, the average fare paid by commuters for an intercity bus journey per drop stood at N9,699.55 in May 2026.

“On a YoY basis, the average fare rose by 21.89 percent from N7,957.41 in May 2025.

“The average transport fare paid for Okada transportation stood at N1,072.51 in May 2026.

“On a YoY basis, the average fare rose by 52.45 percent from N703.54 in May 2025.

“For water transport (waterway passenger transportation), the average fare paid in May 2026 was N2,276.48.

“On a YoY basis, it increased by 30.88 percent from N1,739.32 in May 2025.”

By Yinka Kolawole

The Nigerian Economic Summit Group, NESG, has warned that export rerouting through neighbouring countries is undermining Nigeria’s trade competitiveness and depriving the economy of significant domestic value, despite the country’s impressive N7.55 trillion trade surplus recorded in the first quarter of 2026.

The warning comes as data from the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, showed that Nigeria’s total merchandise trade rose to N34.79 trillion in Q1 2026, with exports valued at N21.17 trillion and imports at N13.62 trillion, resulting in a positive trade balance of N7.55 trillion.

While describing the surplus as encouraging, NESG cautioned that headline trade figures do not tell the full story, stressing that Nigeria continues to lose substantial economic benefits when locally produced goods are exported through neighbouring countries before reaching their final destinations.

Export rerouting happens when goods produced in one country are moved through another country before they reach buyers.

According to the group, export rerouting deprives Nigeria of logistics income, distorts trade statistics, weakens product branding and limits the country’s ability to capture the full value generated by its exports.

The private sector think tank identified weak quality assurance and certification systems, inefficient port operations and cumbersome export procedures as major factors pushing exporters to seek alternative trade routes outside Nigeria.

NESG called on the government to strengthen local certification and quality assurance infrastructure to ensure Nigerian products meet international standards without relying on third-country certification systems.

It noted that globally recognised certification has become a critical requirement for accessing international markets, warning that where Nigerian exporters cannot obtain credible certification domestically, neighbouring countries often benefit from providing the final export channel.

The group added that sectors such as agriculture, food processing, textiles, leather and manufacturing stand to gain significantly if certification processes are improved, enabling exporters to access foreign markets directly while retaining more value within the domestic economy.

NESG also urged authorities to address longstanding bottlenecks at Nigerian ports, including congestion, excessive documentation, delays and high logistics costs, arguing that these inefficiencies continue to discourage exporters and make neighbouring ports more attractive.

According to the group, improving port efficiency is not merely a transportation issue but a strategic imperative for boosting Nigeria’s export competitiveness under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the global trading system.

It stressed that beyond recording trade surpluses, Nigeria must focus on increasing domestic value capture by simplifying export procedures, modernising port infrastructure, investing in industrial processing zones and providing exporters with the infrastructure needed to compete globally.

“Trade growth should not be measured only by the size of the surplus,” the group said, insisting that the ultimate objective should be to ensure exports generate more jobs, foreign exchange earnings, industrial expansion and broader economic value within Nigeria.