CGC Adeniyi Seeks Stronger Business Partnership to Fast-track Cargo Clearance
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has urged businesses and other stakeholders in the trading community to embrace joint responsibility with the Service to achieve faster cargo clearance and reduce the cost of doing business in Nigeria.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, made the call on Thursday, September 10, 2026, at a sensitisation programme on Post-Clearance Audit (PCA) held in Lagos.
The engagement, according to the Service, was part of ongoing efforts under the administration of President Bola Tinubu to strengthen non-oil revenue through an efficient fiscal system while reducing delays and other barriers to trade.
Adeniyi said the introduction of the Authorised Economic Operators (AEO) programme had significantly improved cargo clearance times, with 247 companies admitted into the modernisation programme since its inception.
He disclosed that the average cargo clearance time had dropped from 156 hours before the introduction of the AEO programme to 43 hours, with one participating company recording an eight-hour clearance period due to the quality of its documentation.
“Before we started AEO, companies used to have an average of 156 hours in terms of clearance time. But now, it has been reduced to 43 hours. In fact, one of them has achieved an eight-hour clearance time because of the quality of their documentation,” Adeniyi said.
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The Customs boss explained that the recently adopted PCA model was aligned with international best practices under the revised Kyoto Convention, which provides a framework for modernising Customs administration.
He added that, in line with Article 7.5 of the World Trade Organisation’s Trade Facilitation Agreement, findings from post-clearance audits would be incorporated into the Service’s risk-management system to identify and address potential compliance gaps.
Adeniyi said the objective of the Customs Service was not to police businesses but to establish a sustainable partnership with the trading community that would position Nigeria as a major economic hub.
He urged businesses to use engagements with Customs to understand their rights and obligations and seek clarification where necessary before errors develop into compliance liabilities.
Also speaking, the Assistant Comptroller-General in charge of Post-Clearance Audit, Babatunde Olomu, described the sensitisation programme as a strategic mechanism for revenue assurance, voluntary compliance and improved Customs administration.
Olomu said the impact of PCA interventions was reflected in the Service’s revenue performance, noting that the unit collected N21.3 billion between January and August 2025, compared with N26.2 billion during the corresponding period in 2026.
He said the figure represented a 27.7 per cent year-on-year increase.
Representatives of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and other stakeholders also delivered goodwill messages at the event, calling for stronger collaboration between the Customs Service and the private sector to facilitate trade and ensure faster movement of cargo.
By PRNigeria
