Mrs Adaeze Okonkwo-Bello
Managing director. Twenty years in shipping, from container line agent to terminal operator.
01About AquilaIssue 48, November 2026
A deep water port built around a timetable
Aquila Ports opened at Lekki in 2023 to give Lagos a port where big ships come straight alongside and trucks never queue on the expressway.
- Opened
- 2023
- People
- 2,300
- Quay length
- 2,100 m
02Our story
The idea began with a simple count. In 2017 a Lagos importer worked out that her containers spent more days waiting outside the port than travelling from Asia. The ships were not slow. The port was full, the roads were full, and nobody could tell her when her box would move.
Aquila was planned as the answer: a greenfield terminal on deep water east of the city, with its own access road, rail siding and truck park, run on appointments from the first day. Construction began in 2019 and the first ship came alongside in March 2023.
Today four terminals share one gate and one customer desk. We handle containers, dry bulk, vehicles and liquid cargo for importers, exporters, shipping lines and the agents who serve them across Nigeria and the region.
We are a Nigerian company with Nigerian and international shareholders, licensed under a concession with the port authority. Every name, figure and partner in this demo is invented.
03Leadership
The people who answer for the port
Names are invented for this demo.
Capt. Musa Abdullahi
Harbour master. A former master mariner who brought 400 ships into West African ports.
Ms Temitope Lawal
Chief digital officer. Built the vessel board, tracking and appointment systems.
04Principles
If you have to call us to find out, we have already failed.
Publish the timetable
Vessel times, gate waits and charges are public, live and honest.
Book, do not queue
Every truck has an appointment. No appointment, no queue.
Charge only what we said
Our tariff is published. The calculator shows the bill before it exists.
Ownership and licence
Who owns Aquila
Aquila Ports Ltd holds a 25 year concession for the Lekki terminals. Shareholders include a Nigerian infrastructure fund, a pension fund and an international terminal operator (all invented for this demo).
- Concession signed 2019, operations from 2023
- Customs, port health and standards agencies on site
- ISPS certified, audited every year
05Questions
About Aquila
Short answers.
Is Aquila part of the Apapa ports?
No. Aquila is a separate deep water port at Lekki with its own access road and gate.
Which agencies work on site?
Customs, port health, the standards agency and the police marine unit have offices inside the gate.
Can I visit?
Business visits are by appointment through the contact page. School visits run on Fridays during term.
Next
See the terminals in detail.
Four features, one for each terminal.