The Comptroller General of Customs CGC, Adewale Adeniyi has assured Nigerians that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) will strengthen its core responsibilities of balancing legitimate trade facilitation, with national border security, in a bid to continue to foster economic growth, which ultimately remains the bedrock of his personal vision and service mandate.
Adeniyi stated this during the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) International Day 2025 celebration, a day dedicated to highlighting the vital role of customs in promoting efficiency, security, and prosperity, held at the NCS Corporate Headquarters in Abuja, on Monday.
This year’s theme, “Customs delivering on its commitment to efficiency, security, and prosperity,” resonated deeply as the NCS reflected on its achievements over the past year while outlining ambitious plans for the future.
Adeniyi, while delivering his address, said the NCS focus on three key pillars: facilitating legitimate trade, securing borders, and fostering economic growth, noting that the pillars are foundational to the NCS’s operations and instrumental in driving the country’s economic development while safeguarding its borders.
The Customs CGC, also highlighted the NCS’s impressive financial achievements, noting that the Service had surpassed its 2024 revenue target by 20.2%, collecting a record 6.1 trillion naira.
Adeniyi, who said the achievement marked a staggering 90.4% year-over-year increase in revenue, noted that the NCS also facilitated trade worth 60.29 trillion naira in imports and 136.65 trillion naira in exports, with strategic concessions totaling 1.68 trillion naira aimed at stimulating industrial growth across various sectors.
Speaking on the Service significant operational milestones, Adeniyi said the NCS’s Advanced Ruling System, which provides binding decisions on classification and valuation before shipments arrive, has led to reduced clearance delays and fewer disputes while adding that the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) program, which facilitates faster cargo clearance for certified companies, has seen an impressive 66.9% reduction in clearance times, with certified companies now enjoying an average release time of just 43 hours.
The CGC also spotlighted the launch of the ‘B’Odogwu’ customs clearance platform in the fourth quarter of 2024, stating that the innovative system, designed and developed indigenously, has already demonstrated its potential, processing billions of naira in revenue during its pilot phase.
On the security front, Adeniyi, who stressed the evolving complexities of transnational crime, technological advancements, and illicit trade, noted that the Service remains vigilant in addressing critical security threats, including anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing, and the illicit trafficking of high-value commodities.
Looking ahead, the CGC, while outlining the NCS’s ambitious plans for 2025, said the key initiatives include nationwide trade modernization projects to streamline customs processes, expanding the AEO program to further improve trade facilitation, security and the establishment of a Nigeria Customs Service University to develop the next generation of customs officers and trade experts.
Adeniyi also expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Honourable Minister of Finance, and international partners for their continued support, emphasizing that collaboration is essential to the NCS’s success.
