By Stephen Ubanna
Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, Comptroller General, Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, over the last one year has demonstrated that he understands International Trade much better than his predecessors that he has won the heart of stakeholders and maritime Journalists. This is may have been made possible by his three-point agenda of Consolidation, Innovation and Consultation .
The latest of such policy thrusts being deployed by the Adeniyi led Customs Management at the ports was the suspension of the 4%, Free on Board, FOB, charge , on imported cargoes through the nation’s seaports and Land border stations as enshrined in the Customs Management Act, 2023, passed by the National Assembly and signed into Law by the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Customs Comptroller General, who had no one in doubt that he has come to leave a legacy in the service as the helmsman with a three-point agenda of ‘’Consolidation, Innovation and Consultation’’, was said to have given the Customs Comptrollers at the nation’s seaports and Land border stations the free hand the policy thrusts without any interference with their operations.
From the Lagos ports of Apapa, under the close watch of Compt. Babatude Olomu, Tin-can Island port, superintended by Compt. Frank Okechukwu Onyeka to Onne port, which has Compt. Mohammed Babadende, the Aea Controller of PortHarcourt II, overseeing imports and exports of the port , the story is the same: full implementation of the Comptroller General, policy thrusts without lapse.
Indeed, the Customs Comptroller General, who appears to have also won the heart of the industry stakeholders because of his impressive performance over the last one year, with the backing of Wale Edun, minister of Finance and Coordinating minister of the economy who has the ears of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, approval for ‘’the suspension of the implementation of the 4% , Free On Board, FOB, value of imports provided in section 18, sub -section I, of the Nigerian Customs Management Act, 2023, passed by the National Assembly and signed into Law by former President Muhammadu Buhari bear eloquent testimony to his care for the stakeholders .
The Customs helmsman may have alluded to support of the minister of Finance in getting the approval of the Nigerian President to suspend the collection of the 4%, FOB, on imported cargoes, when he noted that ‘’this is sequel to the ongoing consultations with him and other industry stakeholders to reduce the price of goods at the nation’s markets.
The Customs Comptroller General, who could not hide his feelings had said that the suspension of the 4% FOB, collection on imported cargoes enshrined in the Customs Management Act, 2023, will enable comprehensive stakeholder engagement and Consultations regarding the Acts implementation framework’’.
Giving an insider information, the Osun state born NCS, boss, had said that ‘’the timing of the suspension of the 4% FOB, collection on imported cargoes aligns with the exit of the agreement with the terminal operators at the nation’s seaports and terminals including Webb Fontaine, which were previous funded through the 1%, Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme, CISS.
This may have informed why the service, according to Abdullahi Maiwada, an Assistant Comptroller and the service, spokesperson, had seen it as an opportunity ‘’to review its revenue framework historically’’.
Going by the previous funding arrangement repealed in the Customs Management Act, 2023, and which had separated the one percent CISS and 7% cost of collection created operational deficiencies and funding gaps in the service modernization efforts.
The new Act, AC.Maiwada, had said in a Statement addresses these challenges by consolidating ‘’not less than 4% of the FOB, value of all imported cargoes into Nigeria, designed to ensure sustainable funding for critical operations and modernizations initiatives as obtained in other maritime nations.
The Customs spokesperson had said that that ‘’the transition period will allow the service to optimize the management of these frameworks to serve the importers with their Agents and other industry stakeholders and the nation’s economy better.
Recall that the Customs Management Act, 2023, further empowers the service, currently under the Leadership of Adeniyi, ‘’to modernize its operations through various technological innovations. Section 28, of the Customs Management Act, 2023, particular, was said to have laid emphasis on developing and maintaining electronic systems for information exchange between the service and other security agencies and other related government agencies at the ports and land border stations including the importers with their agents.
AC. Maiwada, the Customs spokesperson, had confirmed that at present, ‘’the service is already implementing several digital solutions and the recently deployed odogwu clearance system, which stakeholders are benefiting from through faster clearance times and improved transparency at the ports and Land border stations.
Other innovative solutions that were said to have authorized in the new Customs Management Act being implemented by the current Management Team of the NCS, 2023, include the Single Window implementation, enshrined in section 33, Risk Management Systems, section 32, non-intrusive inspection equipment, section 59 and electronic data exchange facilities, contained in section 33, sub- section 3 of the Management Act.
The NCS, National Public Relations officer, NPRO, was said to have told those that cares to listen that the suspension of the 4%FOB, collection on imported cargoes into the country through the seaports and land border stations will allow ‘’the service to further engage with stakeholders while ensuring proper alignment with the Act’s provisions for sustainable funding of these modernization initiatives’’.
AC. Maiwada, was said to have sounded it loud and clear, that the service remains committed ‘’to the implementations of the provisions of the Customs Management Act, 2023’’, in a manner that best serves the interest of industry stakeholders while fulfilling the Federal Government yearly revenue generation target and trade Facilitation mandate.
The service, an insider had confirmed had communicated the revised implementation of the 4% , FOB , Collection on imported cargoes into the country , following conclusion of stakeholders conclusions at the nation’s seaports and Land border stations.
It was not surprising why Olayiwola Shittu, a former President , Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, and Chairman, Skelas Group, a Freight Forwarding Agency, , with offices in Laos, the nation’s Commercial nerve center and PortHarcourt, Capital of Rivers state, will lead other maritime stakeholders to the much – talked about award Night and dinner organized by Lagos based Maritime Journalists to honour the Customs Comptroller General for his excellent performance and repositioning the service in its revenue generation and ant-smuggling drive over the last one year at Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja on Thursday, February 13, 2025.
Te event, which is expected to attract, ‘’who is who’’, in the nation’s maritime sector and Chief Executive officers, CEO, of other relevant agencies and the various security agencies across the country, including the terminal operators and shipping Companies will be the first of its kind in Nigeria and a message to other government appointees to sit up as there are people who are watching and assessing their performance.
Given the maritime Journalists, which caught across print, electronic and online Media, unanimous decision to award the Customs Comptroller General with the ‘’Iconic, Maritime Personality of the year 2024’’, may have informed why, the Customs, National Zonal Coordinators, across the country were said to have mobilized all the Comptrollers, and the Area Controllers in their respective Zones to be at the event. Call it a parade of the Customs Comptrollers and other top officers, who will at the Maritime Journalists award Night to celebrate with the Comptroller General.
