Gridlock inside Apapa and Tin Can: businesses warn congestion is eating into trade

Congestion at Lagos's two main seaports, Apapa and Tin Can Island, is again worrying importers, exporters and transporters, who say delays are pushing up costs and threatening recent gains in trade.

The two ports carry more than 70 per cent of Nigeria's seaborne trade and brought in about ₦4.6 trillion in customs revenue in 2025. But business groups say that even though the access roads are better than before, traffic inside the ports is still heavy.

At a recent Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) event, freight forwarders said trucks can spend almost a full day getting out of the port after loading, and some clearing agents now book hotel rooms nearby to keep an eye on their goods overnight. Empty containers queue to get in, and export cargo coming from other states sometimes misses its ship.

Truck owners complained of abuses in the electronic call-up system, including ticket touting and queue jumping, though they said these claims still need to be checked.

LCCI President Leye Kupoluyi called for a joint body bringing together officials from Abuja and Lagos, the ports' regulators, terminal companies and hauliers, with clear targets for how long cargo, ships and trucks wait. Operators say the pressure usually peaks between now and January.