Tin Can Customs Trains Maritime Journalists, Deepens Media Partnership on Compliance, Trade Facilitation
Kathy Kyari
The Tin Can Island Port Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Wednesday strengthened its strategic engagement with the media as it hosted the second batch of the Maritime Journalists Training Workshop, positioning capacity building as a critical pillar for compliance, trade facilitation and national security.
Declaring the workshop open, the Customs Area Controller, Tin Can Island Port Command, Comptroller Frank Onyeka, said the training aligned with ongoing reforms within the Service aimed at “strengthening compliance, deepening collaboration with stakeholders, and embracing modernization in line with international standards.”
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Onyeka described maritime journalists as “strategic partners” in Customs operations, stressing that informed reportage was essential for transparency, accountability and public enlightenment.
"The media, especially maritime journalists, play a strategic role in this journey, as partners in information dissemination, public enlightenment, and accountability,” he said.
“An informed press is a powerful ally in nation-building, and through engagements like this, we aim to build mutual understanding, trust, and a shared commitment to transparency and professionalism.”
The Comptroller noted that the workshop was designed to equip journalists with a deeper understanding of Customs operations, compliance requirements, trade facilitation tools and modernization initiatives, while also addressing misconceptions surrounding port processes.
He added that the Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr Adewale Adeniyi, placed “very high premium on stakeholder collaboration,” noting that effective service delivery could only be achieved through collective effort.
“As we deliberate on compliance, collaboration, and modernization, let us remember that our collective goal is to align the Nigeria Customs Service with global best practices while promoting National Economic Growth and National Security,” Onyeka said.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the training coordinator, Innocent Orok, described the workshop as a product of sustained engagement between the maritime media and the Nigeria Customs Service, recalling how the initiative was born out of concerns over inaccurate reporting driven by knowledge gaps.
"Because journalists are not trained, that is why they are reporting backward trends,” Orok said, recounting exchanges that followed a 2024 newspaper report on port delays, which sparked the idea for a structured capacity-building programme for maritime reporters.
He explained that the first batch of the training was held on November 1, 2024, under the leadership of then Comptroller, now Deputy Comptroller-General, Dera Nnadi, and that the second batch fulfilled a promise to accommodate more journalists.
Orok singled out Comptroller Onyeka for what he described as an “action unprecedented” commitment to media development, disclosing that the Controller approved not only the training but also the provision of modern work tools for participants.
"My dear Comptroller Frank Onyeka you are a good man by all standards, caring and looking out for your friends in the media,” Orok said.
“Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flow charts. It is about one life influencing another.”
The workshop featured five intensive technical and professional sessions, including an "Overview of the NCS Act 2023, "Understanding the Role of the B’Odogwu in Trade Facilitation", "Customs Modernization for Trade Facilitation: The Role of AEO and Time Release Study", "Strengthening Global Supply Chain Security: Collaboration Under the WCO SAFE Framework of Standards", and "Recalibrating the Compass: Character as the True North of Maritime Journalism".
Participants were drawn from across the maritime media space, with close to 100 journalists now trained across the two batches held so far.
One of the participants, Modinat Eniodunmo, commended the Nigeria Customs Service, the Comptroller-General and the Tin Can Island Port Command for what she described as an “edifying and impactful” programme.
She said the training would “help improve my reportage of the Nigeria Customs Service and the maritime industry.”
The event climaxed with the presentation of certificates, plaques and modern work tools to participants, underscoring the Service’s push to professionalise maritime reporting as part of broader efforts to align Nigeria Customs operations with global best practices.
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