BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has backed the attainment of Nigeria’s ambition to build a $1 trillion economy with the ongoing modernisation reforms, including the deployment of B'Odogwu, the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme and the Advance Ruling mechanism.
Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, who stated this on Thursday at the New Nigeria Festival in Abuja, said that the service had moved beyond ideas and discussions to taking practical steps to achieve the target.
He noted that Customs modernisation projects were designed to facilitate legitimate trade, improve predictability in the trading environment and ultimately strengthen revenue generation.
“Execution is nothing if it is not concrete. We have to move from ideas to action and ensure that whatever we plan translates into results. That is how we can begin to see the kind of transformation we are talking about.” he added.
The CGC informed that the B’Odogwu is a major component of the Service’s digital transformation agenda and an innovative trade model attracting attention beyond Nigeria
Adeniyi harped on the need for institutions to translate national aspirations into concrete, measurable results, adding that the economic target is achievable with duly implemented plans and strategies.
He informed that the responsibility of achieving the $1 trillion economy requires the collective partnership of the government agencies with the private sector, institutions, businesses and the citizens.
The CGC pointed out that the Customs, whose core mandates are revenue collection, trade facilitation and border management, remained strategically positioned to contribute to the country's economic transformation.
He called for a shift from rhetoric to implementation, adding that the country's economic ambition could be achieved only when institutions and citizens embrace their responsibilities and convert plans into practical and measurable action.
The CGC had in July 2026, endorsed the African Continental Free Trade Area, (AfCFTA) Customs Modernisation Project, a move that ushered in the signing of a 20-year Public-Private Partnership, PPP, Agreement between the AfCFTA Secretariat and Bergmans Security.
Adeniyi described the lack of harmonised technology among African Customs administrations as a major impediment to the implementation of the continental trade agreement.
He said: “We are indeed delighted because one of the major obstacles that we have faced in this journey of implementation of AfCFTA is the interoperability of our systems. All the Customs administrations cannot operate at the same level, but when we have interoperability, it becomes easier for us all to hook up to one system and get trade facilitation done," Adeniyi said
He accepted the selection of Bergmans Security to drive the initiative, describing it as a significant milestone for Nigeria's customs modernisation journey and a recognition of the country's digital transformation efforts.
“We are delighted that it is a Nigerian company that has been given this platform to extend what they have been doing to the rest of Africa and for us to achieve trade facilitation and the implementation of the AfCFTA," he added.
The AfCFTA customs modernisation project is expected to strengthen customs cooperation among member states through harmonised digital platforms, enhance trade facilitation, optimise revenue collection, and accelerate the full implementation of the AfCFTA by creating a more efficient and integrated continental trading environment.
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