A new bonded warehouse in Kuje, Abuja, is expected to create more than 5,000 direct and indirect jobs over the next five years, as Nigeria faces growing demand for inland logistics infrastructure to move increasing cargo volumes beyond its seaports.
TRÏNŪ Bonded Warehouse, a subsidiary of Sirlyon Limited, has commissioned a customs-licensed logistics facility with capacity for approximately 700 containers, creating a new cargo storage, processing and clearance point for businesses serving Abuja and Northern Nigeria.
According to the Nigerian Ports Authority, total cargo throughput across Nigerian ports rose 24.8% in 2025 to 129.3 million metric tonnes, while container traffic rose 25.7% to more than 2.1 million TEUs. For a business like TRÏNŪ, as Nigeria’s maritime trade is expanding rapidly so does the opportunity.
2.1 million TEUs. For a business like TRÏNŪ, as Nigeria’s maritime trade is expanding rapidly so does the opportunity.
The growth has continued into 2026. Nigeria recorded 32.38 million metric tonnes of cargo throughput in the first quarter of the year, an 11.6% growth from the same period in 2025. Outward laden container traffic also increased sharply, rising 67.6% to 102,803 TEUs. (Nairametrics)
These numbers point to an important question for Nigeria’s logistics industry: How efficiently can goods be moved from the ports to the businesses and consumers that ultimately need them?
That is the gap TRÏNŪ is positioning its Abuja facility to address.
From Lagos to Abuja
A significant proportion of cargo destined for Abuja and markets across Northern Nigeria enters through the country’s southern seaports before making the journey inland.
This creates additional transportation requirements for importers and places considerable pressure on Nigeria’s already stretched road-based freight network.
A 2026 assessment by the Sea Empowerment and Research Centre estimated that maritime inefficiencies cost Nigeria between ₦3 trillion and ₦5 trillion annually, with logistics inefficiencies adding an estimated 20–30% to cargo costs. The report also estimated that more than 70% of Nigeria’s seaborne trade passes through Lagos, creating significant concentration and congestion risks. (The Guardian Nigeria)
Against that backdrop, cargo does not stop being a logistics problem simply because it has left the port.
TRÏNŪ’s model allows cargo destined for the Abuja market and surrounding areas to move under Customs bond to its Kuje facility, where it can be stored, processed and cleared, with applicable duty paid upon release.
“TRÏNŪ was built around a simple observation: businesses shouldn’t have to keep moving back and forth to where their cargo isn’t ultimately going,” said Bilal Ajijola, CEO of TRÏNŪ Bonded Warehouse.
“By creating a secure, customs-licensed facility in Abuja, we’re bringing more of that process closer to where the goods are actually needed. You store, process and clear your cargo closer to its destination.”
The facility provides container and general cargo storage, customs documentation and clearance support, cargo handling and consolidation, and office accommodation for Customs and other regulatory agencies.
The Goal: 5,000 jobs — but the bigger number is cargo movement
TRÏNŪ expects the facility to create more than 5,000 direct and indirect job opportunities within five years. The employment impact is expected to extend beyond warehouse staff.
As cargo volumes through the facility increase, economic activity will be generated across trucking, cargo handling, clearing and forwarding, security, equipment maintenance, administration, warehousing, insurance, financial services and other businesses supporting the logistics chain.
The facility has an initial storage capacity of about 700 containers at any given time. But containers can move through a logistics facility multiple times over a year. For instance, if the facility turns over its 700-container capacity four times annually, that represents approximately 2,800 container movements a year.
At six turns, the figure rises to 4,200 movements, while eight turns would produce approximately 5,600 movements annually.
Over five years, that would be roughly 14,000 and 28,000 container movements, depending on utilisation.
These are not TRÏNŪ’s official throughput forecasts. However, they demonstrate an important point about logistics infrastructure: capacity is not the same thing as economic output. The faster cargo moves through a facility, the more economic activity that infrastructure can support. And the potential multiplier effect extends beyond Abuja.
Nigeria’s cargo problem, The Timing and TRÏNŪ’s Solution.
The timing of TRÏNŪ’s investment is significant. Nigeria’s ports handled 129.3 million tonnes of cargo in 2025, up from the previous year, and the country is already on course for another strong year of maritime activity.
By the end of June 2026, Nigeria had recorded approximately 68.2 million metric tonnes of cargo throughput and 815,236 TEUs, according to figures reported by BusinessDay.
Industry experts have warned that Nigeria’s port infrastructure and supporting logistics systems will need to expand significantly if the country is to achieve its ambition of becoming a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
That creates a challenge that goes beyond the seaports themselves.
Nigeria can increase port capacity, deploy larger vessels and digitise customs procedures, but the economic benefit will be limited if cargo encounters bottlenecks inland. This is where facilities such as TRÏNŪ become relevant.