In a press conference held on Wednesday, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, detailed the service’s performance over the past year, marking one year since his appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Adeniyi began by outlining the NCS’s alignment with President Tinubu’s Policy Advisory Document (PAD), which emphasized trade facilitation, revenue collection, societal protection, and stakeholder collaboration. Key initiatives included transforming Nigeria into Africa’s most efficient trading nation, enforcing 48-hour clearance of goods at seaports, and implementing the National Single Window Trading Platform Project.
Under Adeniyi’s leadership, the NCS declared a state of emergency in revenue generation and national security. This included reviewing incentives and tariffs, enhancing communication with stakeholders, and aligning with the administration’s policy directives to contribute to national goals.
Adeniyi highlighted the transition to the Nigeria Customs Service Act of 2023, which modernized NCS operations, compliance, and enforcement. This included the transition to the Authorized Economic Operators (AEO) concept and the implementation of the Advanced Ruling system, aligning NCS with global best practices. Other measures included a Time Release Study (TRS) to identify clearance process bottlenecks, dissolving ad-hoc enforcement teams, and designating the Port of Lilypond for export transactions.
Revenue collection saw a remarkable 74% growth, with the NCS recording N4.49 trillion between June 2023 and May 2024, compared to N2.58 trillion in the previous year. Key revenue-enhancing measures included recovering N15 billion through the Revenue Review Performance Recovery exercise and N2.79 billion from regularizing uncustomed vehicles. The NCS also recorded a daily all-time high of N58.5 billion in revenue collection on June 13, 2024.
In trade facilitation, the NCS achieved significant milestones, including decongesting ports and reopening access roads. The NCS’s ranking under the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) improved dramatically, moving from 34th to the top with a 100% score, a direct result of the implemented trade facilitation measures. The dedicated terminal for exports at Lilypond also saw substantial gains, processing 29.32% of total transactions in the first quarter of 2024.
The NCS’s anti-smuggling efforts intensified, resulting in significant seizures and arrests. The service recorded seizures worth ₦566 million in animal and wildlife products, arms, and ammunition, and over ₦6 billion in illicit drugs. Additionally, the NCS intercepted 2.93 million litres of smuggled PMS and 1,744 cases of rice and grain seizures valued at ₦4.4 billion.
Collaborations with stakeholders saw improvements, with regular updates on NCS activities and constructive engagements, particularly in healthcare. The NCS aimed to reduce the cost and time for medicament clearance through a technical working group supported by the Ministry of Finance.
Looking ahead, Adeniyi reassured Nigerians of continued efforts to facilitate trade, reduce costs, and enhance national security. The NCS will work closely with the Central Bank of Nigeria on stable exchange rates for imports and continue modernizing customs processes. The service also aims to ensure the benefits of trade agreements like the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and strengthen national security through intelligence sharing.
Adeniyi emphasized the NCS’s commitment to transparency, food inflation mitigation, and corporate social responsibility. He expressed gratitude to NCS officers for their dedication and honored those who lost their lives in the line of duty.
In conclusion, Adeniyi thanked President Tinubu, the Minister of Finance, and all stakeholders for their support, looking forward to continued positive outcomes in the future.
Nigeria Customs Service Performance Report Under Comptroller-General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi
