By Stephen Ubanna
After much of the efforts that had been put in by Bashir Adewale Aniyi, MFR, Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service. NCS, to support Compt. Godwin Otunla, Area Controller of Ogun I, Command, to encourage patronage of the Idiroko Border station, the reverse appears to be the case.
Iin recent weeks, the trucks laden cargoes from the neighbouring Republic of Benin are no longer coming into Nigeria through the Idiroko border community as expected.
The Ogun I, Area Controller, who may have taken advantage of the shared economic ties between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin may’’ have kept to his words to restore the vibrant commercial activity seen in the Idiroko border Community before the border in Sept. 2019, by late former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Customs Comptroller, according to informed sources, between January, 2025 and now, had made strenuous efforts to meet the demands of the stakeholders who had repeatedly complained of ‘’poor road infrastructure to access the Idiroko border community to take delivery of their transit cargoes coming from the port of Cotonou, Republic of Benin, problems of multiple checkpoints along the Sango Ota-Idiroko Road and inadequate space for cargo handling at the border community.
There had been reported cases where trucks allegedly released from the Idiroko corridor had fallen on the road, forcing the importer and the agent to engage the services of night watchmen to guide the truck to prevent pilfering of its contents which was said to have attracted additional costs to the importer.
Signs that Compt. Otunla’s policy measures may have begun to make the appreciable impact in Legitimate trade between Nigeria and Republic of Benin had manifested between July 2025, when the Command collected and paid into the Federation Account, N45, 054, 191.00, breaking all past revenue track records.
The Ogun I, Area Controller, described as very resourceful in Customs circles may have been fully prepared for the job going by the way he tackles the Command identified challenges that were said to have won the heart of the importers with their agents who were ready to restore normalcy at the Idiroko land border station.
He was said to have worked closely with the Leadership of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA, National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents, NCMDLCA, National Association of Government Approved Feight Forwards and Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria, APFFLON, among others to address the bad roads infrastructure.
The Ogun I, Customs helmsman , may have been forced to intervened to ensure the bad Sango Ota- Idiroko road was fixed as most of the Small and Medium Scale Enterprise including the heavy industries operating at Sango Ota, in Ado Odo/Ota, Local Government Area, Igbesa Free Trade Zone, FTZ, Agbara, Ifo Ewekoro and other parts of Ogun, former President Olusegun Obbbasajo are no longer finding it funny using the Idiroko border post to take delivery of their cargoes due to decaying bad roads infrastructure.
Note that the bad road infrastructure is not only limed to Sngo Ota or Atan axis, but extended to Agbado, Ohumbe, Akute, Olambe, thus making it impossible for the Command patrol teams to effectively checkmate the activities of smugglers in their respective areas, let alone transfer seized contraband items to the Government Warehouse at Idiroko as and when due for proper documentation.
Given that most of the Companies which manufactures both industrial goods, both for local consumption and exports in the country’s industrial hubs in Sango Ota, Agbara ,Igbesa , Ifo and Ewekoro axis, of the country’s biggest industrial hub, Ogun, are gradually shrinking, may have given the business owners and manufacturing companies groaning under the crushing weight of the bad roads to abandon the Idiroko corridor in the recent weeks for Seme corridor to take delivery of their transit cargoes relased from Republic of Benin.
The gain of Seme corridor appears to be the loss of Idiroko corridor as it had had affected the Command’s’s daily revenue collection since September 3, 2025.While Compt. Otunla, in recent times had acted with a a human face to give a breather to the officers to concentrate on the Customs core responsibility of trade facilitation, revenue generation, enforcement among other things, he was said to have allowed the camp boys to still be involved in Customs operations to do the menial jobs for the officers to facilitate the movement of cargoes but with a warning that anyone caught taking advantage of his vantage position ‘’to extort money from desperate importers, linked to any of the officers would be dealt with decisively’’.
Given that no officer would want any of the Camp boy engaged to play into the hands of Compt. Otunla, described as a no-nonsense officer, who had passed through the hands of Bello hmadu Shuaibu, who is now an Assistant Comptroller General, ACG, at the Customs Headquarters, Enforcement, Inspections and Investigations, EI&I, may have why toplay according to the rules.
It was not surprising why’’ sanity had returned to the Idiroko corridor without the usual road blocks linked the camp boys involved in flagging down cross-border vehicles for routine border checks.
With the return of sanity along the Sango Ota – Idiroko road, over the last three months and the sustained efforts by the Ogun state government, Ado Odo/Ota, and Yewa south local government as well as Living Faith, popular, Winners, to rehabilitate the bad portions of the Idiroko-corridor, from Ojure axis of Sango Ota, where major Construction works are currently ongoing may have sent a signal to the importers with their agents that there are brighter days ahead for vehicular movement along the Idiroko border.
Even the bad portion of the Ojure axis, where a flyover is currently being constructed which are always waterlogged whenever it rains, thus disrupting vehicular movements, was said to have also been filled up with the Quarry stones, that trucks laden cargoes could easily pass the location with little or no worry of completing the journey.
This is good news for the importers with their agents who had relocated to the Seme corridor to take delivery of their transit cargoes released from the port of Benin, Conotou, Republic of Benin, to take another look at the decision and reconsider to return to the Idiroko corridor, as much of the bad portions of the Sango Ota – Owode road had been covered up with quarry stones to enhance trade facilitation. We are looking forward for normalcy to return to the Idiroko corridor with the efforts being put in by the Ogu state government and Winners to complete the multi-billion naira Fly over projects funded by them along the Sango Ota- Atan axis.
Notwithstanding the efforts being made by Compt. Otunla, to restore normalcy at the Idiroko border,It would be recalled that Compt. Wale Adenuga, Area Controller Seme Command, who is much concerned in sustaining the border Command track record of being the Best in trade facilitation in 2024, had enjoined importers to patronize the Seme corridor because of its motorable roads. He may have alluded to the Idiroko corridor which do not have good roads to facilitate the movement trucks laden cargoes in severa otheral parts of Ogun state.
The Seme Command Area Controller who is determined to enhance the Command monthly revenue collection, and had adopted some of the policy measures initiated by Compt. Otunla, in Ogun I, Idiroko, to promote trade in the area, was said to have dismantled all illegal check points and unnecessary road blocks mounted by patrol teams but that was how far he could go.
On Tuesday, October 6, 2025, a trucks laden cargo coming from the Agbara axis, out of impatience on the part of the driver may have run into a Tricyclist who had full load of passengers, four. The Tricyclist drive and the four passengers were killed on the spot casing serious traffic along the road.
It could not be ascertaine whether truck was coming from the Seme corridor axis or any of the factories around Agbra Industrial Estate or Igbesa Free Trade Zone. The Truck was said to have been removed from the busy Atan road that there was no trace of it on the road the next day, Wednesday, October 7, 2025. The Truck accident, may have encouraged may have encouraged the Road Maintenance Unit, of the Ogun state government to expedite action to fille the deep potholes around the Ojure axis, where a flyover is currently being constructed and at the Atan axis to be filled up with Quarry stones that had made it motorable for now. This should serve as a good news to Compt. Otunla, who had been having sleepless nights over the last couple of months because of the bad condition of the access road to the border as much of the Border Command importers had relocated to Seme corridor. Vintage Otunla.
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