Badagry monarch advocates immediate deployment of  boats to ‘Apa’ jetty, decries customs high-handedness on community

“Living or being born in a border community should not be a death sentence”

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

His Royal Majesty, Alayeluwa Oyekun Adekanmi Ajose Ilufemiloye, the Alapa of Apa Kingdom, has called for the immediate deployment and activation of the jetty in the Apa community, located in the Badagry West Local Government Area of Lagos State.

The monarch emphasized that the jetty, completed over a year ago by the Lagos State Government, has remained unused, with its facilities gradually deteriorating. As a former businessman, he expressed deep concern that this neglect is hindering the community’s economic development and access to vital transportation services.

Meanwhile, the monarch has appealed to the federal government to revisit and direct the Nigeria Customs Service(NCS) to lift the 2019 ban on the delivery of petroleum products to filling stations within 20 kilometers of the Nigerian borders. He said the policy has exacerbated the suffering of border communities like Apa.

He also cautioned against the excessive actions of some young customs officers in the area, as well as too many customs checkpoints on Seme- Badagry route stating, “Living or being born in a border community should not be a death sentence.”

Apa Jetty, Apa Badagry West

He highlighted the numerous economic benefits the functional jetty would bring to the local community, including job creation, increased trade, support for the fishing industry, tourism development, and a rise in property values.

He noted that fishermen would have improved access to the sea and facilities for fish handling, which could significantly increase their income.

“The government, through LASWA, must not only build the jetty but also make it operational,” the monarch said. “Deploy ferry boats and ensure the facilities are utilized effectively rather than allow it deteriorate.

Responding to these concerns, the General Manager of the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Damilola Emmanuel, reaffirmed the state’s commitment to making the Badagry Terminal fully operational. He explained that the terminal is a modern facility built to ease traffic congestion along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

According to Emmanuel, renovations and upgrades are currently underway. “We are installing a floating pontoon, which will rise and fall with the tide, making it easier for passengers to board and disembark,” he said.

He added that LASWA is working with a sister agency, IBILE Oil and Gas, to install a safe, containerized fuel dispenser at the terminal to eliminate the unsafe practice of using jerrycans or kegs for refueling. “Safety is a priority,” he emphasized. “Once these installations are completed, the terminal is expected to operate at full capacity.”

Recently LASWA embarked on mapping out of the entire Lagos waterways to boost safety. This the general manager Emmanuel said would help to locate abandoned dredging pipes, removal of wrecks to ensure safety and avoid accidents.

The Seme Command of the Nigerian Customs Service(NCS) has however stated that issue of lifting of ban on filling stations within boundary areas is a policy decision of the federal government, stated that such complaints are better channeled to representatives of the various border communities at the national assembly.

Speaking with Nation Update, the Seme Customs Command Public Relations Officer, Isah Sulaiman, said customs officer are on their duty posts to perform their statutory duties as enabled them by the laws of the land.

He said, “We are in democracy, these our communities and revered monarchs have their representatives. They are the ones I think have all it takes to influence these policies, they know better.

Compt. Ben Oramalugo of Seme Customs Command

“On checkpoints, when Comptroller Dr Ben Oramalugo assumed office, the first meeting he held with all the security agencies at the joint border post centred most on checkpoints menace.”

Sulaiman said Seme Customs has only but three checkpoints from Agbara to Seme regardless of the porous border in the area, revealed that other checkpoints in the area are mounted by various sister security agencies not customs.

“You know these checkpoints, when you observe from Seme to Badagry, down to Agbara- Lagos, it’s not only NCS that has checkpoints on the route. There are other agencies that we don’t have control over. I can’t speak for them. You can take it up with them,”

“As for NCS Seme Area Command, from Seme to Badagry now, we have reduced our checkpoints to only three. You can go there and check.”

On movement of rice across borders communities Sulaiman said customs officers are humans and are not incentive, regretted that some persons abuse such privileges and turn themselves to smuggling cartels fronting for some persons.

“Our controller frowns at border communities buying things at large quantities in the name of personal consumption.

“In a situation where Mr “A” will go to the market today Monday and buy a bag of rice, under law of human common sense, you allow the man today.

On Wednesday you see same Mr “A” buy a bag of rice. On friday or Saturday he comes again, it’s unimaginable that he could have consumed three bags of rice in a week.

“A family of ten cannot consume a bag of rice in three months. When we spot such persons, we need no soothsayer to tell us such a person is fronting for somebody, that’s outright smuggling, we will not allow it.”