The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, has reaffirmed the commitment of Nigeria Customs Service to a paperless port environment, vowing to deepen digital reforms following a high-level strategic meeting with the Director-General of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), Princess Zahrah Audu.
The collaboration seeks to dismantle the prolonged bureaucratic bottlenecks by integrating cutting-edge technology into cargo clearance, effectively repositioning Nigeria as a competitive hub for global trade.
CGC Adeniyi stated this on Friday, 6 March 2026, while receiving the Director-General of PEBEC at Customs House in Maitama, Abuja.
During the meeting, Adeniyi explained that the Service has institutionalised regular engagements with stakeholder groups, including the American Business Council and other trade associations, to address operational issues and strengthen cooperation within the trade ecosystem.
According to him, “Such consultations permit the Service to identify operational bottlenecks and receive direct feedback from businesses that interact with Customs at the nation’s ports.”
The CGC also revealed that the Service, working with the World Customs Organisation (WCO), recently conducted a Time Release Study (TRS), a scientific study of the costs and time needed to conduct business at Nigerian ports, using Tin Can Island Port as a case study.
The study, he said, involved shipping companies, terminal operators, the Nigerian Ports Authority, Licensed Customs Agents and financial institutions. Its findings were compiled in a report publicly launched on 26 January, 2026.
“We intentionally involved every segment of the port community in the exercise so that the findings would reflect the real operational environment. The report has already provided important insights that are guiding some of the reforms we are implementing,” Adeniyi said.
He noted that while some concerns raised by stakeholders have already been addressed, others will continue to shape future reforms within the Service.
Concerning 24-hour port operations, Adeniyi said the success of such an initiative requires full participation across the logistics chain.
“We once deployed officers to enhance round-the-clock port operations, but the effort faced challenges because other vital operators such as banks, shipping companies and terminal operators were not totally integrated into the arrangement,” Adeniyi stated.
He added that the Service is progressing with plans to establish a completely paperless Customs environment. Most fundamental processes, including pre-arrival documentation, cargo declaration, duty payment and release communication, have already been digitised.
“Where delays still occur, they are often linked to operators who continue to depend on physical documentation. That is an area we intend to address in the coming months,” he said.
The CGC Adeniyi also highlighted ongoing investments in scanning technology and ICT infrastructure to solidify risk-based cargo management and reduce dependence on physical cargo examination.
According to him, development partners such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organisation have continued to encourage Nigeria to broaden the use of non-intrusive inspection technology in line with global best practices.
Earlier in her remarks, the PEBEC Director-General, Zahrah Audu, said the Council is implementing a 90-day Business Environment Enhancement Programme to tackle operational challenges identified in its Business Facilitation Compliance Report, released in November 2025.
Audu explained that the programme aims to improve efficiency across business-facing Ministries, Departments and Agencies by promoting closer collaboration to remove operational bottlenecks that affect the ease of doing business in Nigeria.
