Hussaini Umar
Onne Port in Rivers State was once hailed as the strategic “Eastern Alternative” to the gridlock of Lagos. Today, it faces a different kind of congestion—a fiscal one. A persistent 7% Import Surcharge, layered atop volatile exchange rates and rising terminal fees, has transformed the port from a relief valve into a high-cost bottleneck.
The Data: The Cost of ‘Fiscal Friction’
Stakeholders and licensed customs agents are sounding the alarm on a “suffocating” regime of multiple taxation that is threatening cargo throughput. The data suggests that the surcharge, originally intended as a developmental levy, is now acting as a deterrent.
| Fiscal Factor | Current Status | Economic Impact |
| Import Surcharge | 7% Flat Rate | Increasing the “landed cost” of essential goods. |
| Regional Competition | High | Cargo is being diverted to more cost-effective West African sub-region ports. |
| Inflationary Driver | Cost-Push | The levy fuels domestic price hikes in a high-inflation environment. |
| Macro Goal | $1 Trillion GDP | Multiple taxation at ports acts as a barrier to the $1T national ambition. |
The ‘Ease of Doing Business’ Paradox
For the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Federal Ministry of Finance, the dilemma is clear: maximizing revenue collection in the short term versus ensuring the long-term sustainability of port operations.
- The Diversion Effect: Importers are increasingly bypassing Onne in favor of West African neighbors where clearing costs are more transparent and lower. This leads to Revenue Leakage, where the Federal Government loses 100% of the duty on a container that is never offloaded in Nigeria.
- The AfCFTA Risk: As the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) gains momentum, Nigeria’s secondary ports like Onne must be competitive. If Onne remains “prohibitively expensive,” Nigeria risks becoming a destination for finished goods rather than a hub for raw material imports and industrial exports.
The Call for ‘Tax Harmonization’
Customs agents are not just calling for a reduction in fees; they are demanding a Tax Harmonization Exercise. The current model extracts immediate levies but ignores the “infrastructure of distribution.”
“It is counterproductive,” one clearing association leader noted. “By making the port expensive, you reduce the volume. Volume is what drives duty collection. We need a volume-driven growth strategy, not an extraction-driven one.”
The Bottom Line for 2026
As Nigeria progresses through the 2026 fiscal cycle, the resolution of the surcharge crisis at Onne will be a litmus test for genuine port reform. To retain the liquidity of the trade sector, the government must prioritize the security of commerce over the immediate extraction of developmental levies.
Data Perspective: This story was synthesized from field reports at Onne Port and regional trade flow data. The 7% surcharge remains a primary variable in the escalating cost of manufacturing and retail imports in the Eastern region.
