From data to delivery: Nigeria Customs presents reform gains at world forum

By Zainab Uzomah

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has presented what it described as an impact-driven approach to reform communication at a global meeting of customs officials in Brussels.

At the 17th Session of the Capacity Building Committee of the World Customs Organisation (WCO), held from 25 to 27 February, the NCS outlined how it has moved away from routine activity reports towards evidence-based communication that demonstrates measurable results.

Speaking at the session, the National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Abdullahi Maiwada, said the shift was part of wider reforms under the leadership of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, who also chairs the WCO Council.

Mr Maiwada told delegates that the Service’s communication framework is built aroundinstitutional capacity building, human resource development and stakeholder engagement, with the aim of improving public understanding and trust in customs reforms.

Using Nigeria’s Time Release Study as an example, he said clearer presentation of data had shown that many delays in cargo clearance were caused by systemic idle time rather than inspection procedures. According to him, this helped shift discussions towards performance benchmarking and shared accountability across the trade system.

On the Advance Ruling programme, Mr Maiwada said 83 rulings were issued in 2025, while the number of registered users rose from 60 in December 2024 to 173 a year later. He added that goods covered by the scheme were valued at ₦240.89bn, contributing 2.9% of total customs revenue in 2025.

He also highlighted progress under the Authorised Economic Operator programme, noting that about 120 companies have been fully certified and more than 3,200 customs officers trained nationwide to support its implementation.

The NCS presentation also referenced the rollout of its indigenous Unified Customs Management System, known as B’Odogwu, as well as the use of an Integrity Perception Survey to measure public trust and accountability within the Service.

Mr Maiwada urged other customs administrations to involve communication units from the design stage of reforms and to sustain engagement beyond single events.

At the close of the meeting, Nigeria nominated Li Yan of China Customs as chair of the 18th Session of the WCO Capacity Building Committee. Her nomination was unanimously endorsed bydelegates, following her previous service as vice-chair and her role in managing multilateral initiatives at the WCO.