SIFAX Group Backs NCS’s First Film ‘Novara’ As Customs Officers’ Untold Stories Hit Big Screen
By Rashidat Olushola Okunlade
It was more than just a movie premiere. On Saturday night, the Nigeria Customs Service stepped into a new kind of spotlight cinema and SIFAX Group was right there with them.
The private sector giant was recognised as a major sponsor of Novara, the NCS’s debut feature film, at a star-packed event held at Viva Cinemas, Jara Mall, Ikeja, Lagos. The audience wasn’t just customs officers; diplomats, industry captains, and Nollywood faces filled the hall, watching a story that rarely makes it past the ports.
For SIFAX Group, the link was personal. Representing the company, Mrs Ololade Dawodu, Head of Clearing and Forwarding at SIFAX Shipping, told the gathering that the film’s tension isn’t fiction it plays out daily at Tin Can Island Port.
“For those of us in the industry, the sight of cargo ships is familiar,” she said. “But this film takes us beyond the surface revealing the high-stakes reality that underpins global logistics.”
She didn’t stop at praise. Dawodu reminded the room that every seized container and stopped smuggler comes with a human cost. “Without security, trade cannot flourish,” she added.
That message landed. The film’s producer, Agozie Ugwu, and Superintendent of Customs 1, Mr Okpanachi Adejoh, both took moments during the event to publicly thank SIFAX Group, saying the sponsorship gave Novara the scale it deserved.
Directed by Agozie Ugwu and featuring Nollywood veterans Francis Duru and Ray Adeka, Novara follows Superintendent Panshak Asiya, an undercover customs officer. He risks his life and his family’s safety to bring down a smuggling ring. But beneath the action, the film digs into love, faith, and the quiet sacrifices law enforcement rarely talk about.
For SIFAX Group, the night wasn’t just about red carpets. It was a statement: without security, even the best-run logistics chain falls apart.
