PEBEC to launch major clean-up and enforcement operation at Apapa and Tin Can ports to ease cargo movement and improve trade efficiency….
The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council has announced plans to begin a major clean-up and enforcement exercise along the Lagos port corridors as part of fresh efforts to tackle congestion, restore order, and improve operational efficiency at Nigeria’s busiest seaports.
The two-day operation, scheduled for May 14 and 15, 2026, will be carried out through the council’s Ports and Customs Efficiency Committee and will focus primarily on the Apapa and Tin Can port corridors two of the country’s most critical maritime and logistics gateways.
According to a statement issued by PEBEC Director-General Princess Zahrah Mustapha Audu, the exercise forms part of the Federal Government’s wider push to strengthen trade facilitation and create a more efficient and investor-friendly business environment.
The council said the operation is specifically designed to address several longstanding problems that have continued to frustrate port activities and increase the cost of doing business in Nigeria.
Among the issues targeted are chronic traffic congestion, illegal checkpoints, indiscriminate parking of trucks, environmental pollution, and other unregulated activities obstructing the free movement of cargo around the port access roads.
For years, businesses and port users operating around Apapa and Tin Can Island have battled severe traffic bottlenecks that slow down cargo evacuation, damage supply chains, and significantly raise logistics costs for importers and exporters.
PEBEC said the planned enforcement exercise is expected to improve traffic management, reduce delays, and enhance the movement of goods in and out of the ports.
The council also noted that the operation would focus on improving environmental sanitation within the port corridors through the removal of illegal structures, abandoned vehicles, and operational obstructions contributing to disorder in the area.
According to the statement, the initiative is also aimed at strengthening coordination among the multiple government agencies and security operatives working within the port environment.
Several agencies are expected to participate in the operation, including the Nigerian Ports Authority, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Police Force, the Lagos State Government, port terminal operators, transport unions, and other regulatory and security bodies.
The latest move comes amid growing pressure on the Federal Government to address persistent inefficiencies at Nigerian ports, which stakeholders say continue to affect trade competitiveness, increase cargo handling costs, and discourage investment in the maritime sector.
Analysts believe a successful clean-up and stricter enforcement around the Lagos port corridors could significantly improve cargo turnaround times and ease pressure on businesses struggling with high logistics expenses.
