Stakeholders laud Customs over trade facilitation tools

Stakeholders have lauded the Nigeria Customs Service over several initiatives introduced by the Service to boost trade.

The stakeholders poured encomiums on Customs during the 2025 NCS Trade Facilitation Stakeholders Consultative Forum which also marked the first anniversary of the Advanced Ruling Program introduced by the service.

The event was themed, ‘Trade facilitation measures for renewable energy and energy efficiency technology. 

Some of the initiatives introduced by the Service include B’Odogwu, a Unified Customs Management System, the Advance Ruling System, the Authorized Economic Operator Programme, the Time Release Study, among others.

One of the stakeholders, who doubled as a representative from BUA Group, Olatomiwa Olafaremi, explained that the various trade facilitation tools introduced by the Service, especially the Advanced Ruling Program, have been beneficial.

“There have been issues here and there with the terminals, which we expected for a new system. But overall, we’ve had tremendous support from the customer care controllers. Most of the serial officers at the terminals in Australia have also been of tremendous support. The entire process has been seamless. Without knowing anybody, like I said, I am not speaking to our senior officers,” he said.

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Earlier, the Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, explained that in recent times,  trade  facilitation has become integral to the operations of Customs administrations globally.

Represented at the event by the Deputy Comptroller General of Customs in charge of Tariff &Trade, Caroline Niagwan, Adeniyi added that the move aligns with the service’s core mandate of implementing international trade laws.

“These include the WTO Agreement on the Implementation of Article VII of GATT 1994 (Customs Valuation Agreement), the WCO Harmonized System Convention of 1988 and its Annexes, and the WTO Agreement on Rules of Origin,” he said.

According to him, the implementation of these agreements by the NCS stems from “our role of collecting duties on internationally traded goods, which is essential for national economic development.”

Adeniyi emphasised that determining customs duties through tariff classification, valuation, and origin assessment is a technically complex process.

The CGC highlighted that these complexities can result in disputes, delays, and additional costs.

He mentioned that challenges such as commercial fraud, revenue leakage, and the enforcement of policy measures to protect domestic industries, the environment, and public safety further complicate customs procedures.

The NCS boss pointed out that with the increasing volume of global trade, expanding global value chains, and the rise of e-commerce and Just-In-Time services, it has become imperative for customs administrations to adopt mechanisms that support the seamless flow of legitimate trade.

He maintained that in the context of Customs operations, trade facilitation refers to systems and procedures that streamline the import, export, and transit of goods.