Nigeria Customs: The Journey So Far Under Adeniyi By Abdulsalam Mahmud

Appointed last year as the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi marked his one-year anniversary in office penultimate Thursday. So, what has he done to reshape the narrative of this crucial law enforcement and revenue-generating agency?

Adeniyi, the longest-serving spokesperson of the Customs, has been steadily executing the innovative policies and leadership programs he unveiled upon assuming office as CGC.

As a result, his leadership has recorded tangible feats in discharging the agency’s core statutory responsibilities: trade facilitation, revenue collection, protection of society, and collaboration with stakeholders. On trade facilitation, for instance, the NCS has been enforcing the Presidential directive on 48-hour clearance of goods at seaports, in line with Executive Order 001.

It has redefined performance measures of key government agencies to emphasize trade facilitation and implemented the National Single Window Trading Platform Project to streamline import and export processes. Additionally, the NCS has established dedicated seaport and airport export terminals with enhanced capacity and upgraded access roads.

It has also decongested areas within 4km around ports for cargo, road, and railway use. Regarding revenue collection, societal protection, and stakeholder collaboration, the Nigeria Customs under Adeniyi has reviewed and restructured existing incentives, waivers, and tariffs to plug economic leakages and boost key sectors.

The Customs Service has also prioritized strategic communication and engagement with key stakeholders. Under CGC Adeniyi, the transition from the repealed Customs and Excise Act of 2004 to the newly-signed Nigeria Customs Service Act of 2023 was remarkably achieved.

Significantly, the new act strengthens the modernization of NCS operations, compliance, and enforcement, with features that promote innovation within the Service. It also forms the basis for several trade facilitation measures currently being pursued by the NCS.

After declaring a state of emergency on revenue collection, the Adeniyi-led Customs began implementing several revenue-enhancing measures. One such measure is the 90-day window approved by the President, through the Minister of Finance, allowing owners of uncustomed vehicles to pay appropriate duties on previously imported vehicles.

This initiative followed the establishment of a Revenue Review Performance Recovery team tasked with recovering potential post-revenue from pending transactions with Customs. Simultaneously, the NCS has implemented measures to address national security concerns.

These measures include strengthening and reinforcing the Federal Operating Units to pursue, intercept, arrest, and dismantle smuggling networks. The Service has also enhanced its reliance on intelligence sharing and collaborations both nationally and internationally to tackle security-related issues, particularly in the illicit trade of arms, ammunition, drugs, and wildlife.

In recent months, there has been a renewed focus on dismantling powerful cartels involved in the distribution of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), leading to ongoing collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) in the NCS-led operation “Whirlwind.”

Fulfilling Adeniyi’s goal of boosting the federal government’s revenue portfolio, the NCS reported a remarkable 74% growth in revenue collection between June 2023 and May this year.

Specifically, the agency generated N4.49 trillion in revenue, significantly higher than the N2.58 trillion collected during the corresponding period in the previous year. The achievement was basically underpinned by a sustained increase of 70.13% in average monthly revenue collection compared to the previous year.

While the Nigeria Customs previously generated an average of N202 billion monthly, it now realizes N343 billion on average per month. There was a substantial 122.35% rise in revenue collection during the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in the previous year.

The NCS’s recent ranking under the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), which aims to streamline business operations in Nigeria through reforms and policies, highlights Adeniyi’s strides in trade facilitation by Customs. Between 2020 and 2022, the NCS maintained an average percentage score of 18.45%, ranking 28th out of the 37 MDAs ranked.

In 2023, the ranking nosedived to 34th out of 39 MDAs, with a percentage score of 18.53%. Unprecedentedly, this year, the Nigeria Customs moved up 33 places, now tied at the top with four other MDAs out of the 36 MDAs assessed, with a percentage score of 100%, marking an 81.5% increase.

In the past year, the Nigeria Customs also intensified its fight against smuggling, recording a significant number of interceptions, high-value seizures, and numerous arrests of economic saboteurs.

Between June 2023 and the time Adeniyi commemorated his first year in office, about 63 seizures related to animal and wildlife products valued at ₦566 million were recorded. Officers of the NCS intercepted caches of arms and ammunition at the nation’s ports and borders on seven different occasions.

In terms of illicit drugs, a combined total of 127 cases involving narcotics and pharmaceutical products valued at N6 billion were seized. Additionally, 724 seizures of 2.93 million liters of PMS (Premium Motor Spirit) were made during the review period, preventing further economic harm to Nigeria.

With no avenue for economic sabotage left, Nigeria Customs, under CGC Adeniyi, continues to develop effective strategies to strengthen the country’s economy. The significant achievements recorded so far, facilitated by Adeniyi’s exemplary and altruistic leadership, are just a tip of the iceberg. More are on the horizon.

Mahmud, Deputy Editor PRNigeria, can be reached via: babasalam1989@gmail.com.