President Bola Tinubu has taken steps to stop ship owners from withdrawing their vessels over what they see as excessive back charges.

The Special Adviser to the President on Revenue, Zacchaeus Adedeji, who led government officials in an interactive session with shipping stakeholders at the State House, warned that Nigeria cannot afford not to have vessels move in and out of the country.

Reports had suggested that at least two ship owners said they were keeping their vessels away from Nigeria after a series of multimillion dollar tax bills were sent out, seeking to recover back unpaid duties from 2010 to 2019.