MAMAL 2025 gains support as Western Marine Customs command backs MARAN

By Joy Enamuna

The Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Western Marine Command, Nigeria Customs Service, Comptroller Patrick Ntadi, has pledged his readiness to participate in the 2025 edition of the MARAN Annual Maritime Lecture (MAMAL).

The event, organised by the Maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (MARAN), is scheduled to take place on August 27, 2025, at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Ntadi made the commitment during a courtesy visit by the MARAN Executive Council to his office on Monday, August 4, 2025.

“Of course, I will be willing to attend the event as the topic is very germane and critical towards addressing factors that contribute to the rising cost of goods in the country,” he said.

During the visit, the CAC led the MARAN team on a tour of the command, showcasing the significant changes implemented in his two months of leadership. Visitors are now welcomed by a refreshed exterior, with the fence and building newly painted and a new signpost under construction at the junction leading to the facility.

The once dilapidated surroundings—previously dotted with shanties—have been cleared and remodeled, improving security and creating a professional image for the command.

“The presence of the shanties and activities of suspicious elements milling around the shanties pose a serious security risk, so, the first thing we did was to clear the shanties after giving those encroaching on the property a month’s notice to quit,” Ntadi explained.

The command’s jetties are also undergoing renovation, with construction teams working round the clock. Additionally, a new office complex, initiated by the Customs management under Comptroller General Adewale Adeniyi, is expected to be completed before the end of the year.

In its anti-smuggling operations, the command recently intercepted 503 bags of rice and seized six boats used for transporting the goods along the Badagry axis.

Earlier, MARAN President Mr. Godfrey Bivbere assured Ntadi of the association’s commitment to supporting the command.

“MARAN is committed to fostering a mutually beneficial relationship with the command to enable it deliver on its mandate.

“We are willing and open to work with the command,” he said.