The Nigeria Customs Service has pledged to strengthen its partnership with the private sector to improve trade facilitation and border management across the country.
As observed by PUNCH Online, in a video shared by the Nigeria Customs Service on Wednesday, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, gave the assurance during a courtesy visit by the new leadership of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture held on Thursday, August 21, 2025, in Abuja.
Adeniyi, who also serves as the newly elected chairperson of the World Customs Organisation Council, said collaboration with key stakeholders in the private sector was essential to modernising customs operations and aligning them with international standards.
“This is what the WCO encourages us to do. The World Customs Organisation says that to run a modern customs organisation, one of the strong pillars—the 21st-century building block—is that you must have a very strong partnership with the private sector.
“See them as partners, feel their pain, and be deliberate in ensuring that your operations and activities help their businesses and enable them to discharge their mandate. It speaks to what we do in the trade facilitation ecosystem,” he said.
He emphasised that enhanced cooperation would help streamline operations within Nigeria’s trade facilitation ecosystem while promoting economic growth and compliance with global best practices.
In his remarks, NACCIMA President Jani Ibrahim congratulated Adeniyi on his recent election as WCO Council Chair, describing it as a reflection of Nigeria’s rising profile in global trade governance.
“We are not unaware of your innovative and transformative initiatives within the Nigeria Customs Service, which have redefined trade facilitation and border security. Notably, the introduction of the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme has significantly fast-tracked legitimate trade,” Ibrahim said.
He assured the Comptroller-General of NACCIMA’s continued partnership with the NCS to sustain the positive reforms.
Ibrahim further called for the immediate creation of a Joint Technical Facilitation Committee as an institutional mechanism to implement agreed outcomes and enhance synergy between the government and the organised private sector.
The NACCIMA president also commended ongoing reforms, including the Bodogu digital trade platform and Nigeria’s strategic positioning under the African Continental Free Trade Area, which, he said, could unlock new opportunities for local industries and cross-border commerce.
The visit, held at the NCS headquarters, comes at a time when the service is deepening its modernisation drive aimed at balancing security needs with seamless trade processes, while reinforcing Nigeria’s role in regional and global trade corridors.
