New Customs Head office, Abuja
The Comptroller general of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adeniyi has averred that “The World Customs Organization’s (WCO) theme for 2025, ‘Customs Delivering on its Commitment to Efficiency, Security, and Prosperity,’ perfectly encapsulates the foundational mandates of the NCS. These core responsibilities – facilitating legitimate trade, securing our national borders, and fostering economic growth – form the bedrock of our operations. Our strategic approach harmoniously balances trade facilitation with robust security measures, directly contributing to Nigeria’s economic advancement. The Service’s unprecedented achievement of ₦6.1 trillion in revenue collection, coupled with significant security interventions, exemplifies our practical commitment to these mandates.”
The above formed the crux of his keynote address at the 2025 ICD marked at the Customs Headquarters, Abuja.
According to him, “This significant occasion, traditionally observed on January 26th worldwide, provides us a vital platform to evaluate our achievements of the preceding year, reinforce our commitments, and strategically position ourselves for the evolving demands of customs administration across nations. That we gather today, on the 27th, highlights the significance of this important celebration despite it falling on a weekend this year.
Continuing, he noted that “In pursuit of operational efficiency, the Service has made significant strides in modernizing our processes and procedures. Our commitment to efficiency is evidenced by several key achievements over the years. Notably, the successful implementation of the Advanced Ruling System, providing binding decisions on classification and valuation before shipment arrival, thereby reducing clearance delays and disputes, is one of the resent reference to our efforts to deliver efficiency. Moreover, the remarkable success of our Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) program, which has achieved an average release time of 43 hours for certified companies, representing a 66.9% reduction in cargo clearance time is another recent instance. Over the years the Service has modernised its processes to make the trading experience soothing for Nigerians. Late last year we announced the indigenous development and deployment of our customs clearance platform, ‘B’Odogwu’, which has already processed transactions worth billions in revenue within its pilot phase.”
“In terms Security, globally there is increasingly a complex interplay between illicit trade, technological advancement, and transnational criminal networks. In addressing these challenges, the Service like other Customs Administations, focuses on several critical risk domains identified by the World
Customs Organization, the include:
- Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-terrorism Financing. We maintain vigilance against bulk cash smuggling, trade-based money laundering, and illicit trafficking of high-value commodities.
- Cultural Heritage Protection. Our enforcement efforts safeguard against the illicit trafficking of cultural objects and artifacts, particularly given increasing global concerns about trafficking from conflict zones.
- Drug Trafficking. We have intensified our response to evolving narcotics threats, particularly addressing the shift from traditional narcotics to pharmaceutical and synthetic drug abuse. In 2024, this resulted in 105 seizures of narcotics and illicit drugs.
- Environmental Protection.
Our enforcement actions against wildlife trafficking, illegal timber trade, and hazardous waste smuggling saw significant success, with 76 seizures of animal/wildlife products valued at ₦5.93 billion.
The CG further revealed that “The Service is also has strengthening its technological infrastructure through: a. Integration of geo-spatial technology and advanced detection methods. b. Deployment of sophisticated scanning systems at key ports. c. Enhanced intelligence gathering and analysis capabilities. d. Implementation of technology driven risk assessment protocols.
