Gloria Odion, Maritime reporter

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has emerged as one of Nigeria’s leading government agencies in trade facilitation following its outstanding performance in the 2025 Business Facilitation Act (BFA) Compliance Assessment conducted by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).

The assessment report, released on July 3, 2026, ranked the NCS among the country’s best-performing Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for fully complying with the standards prescribed under the Business Facilitation Act.

Speaking on the assessment, PEBEC Director-General, Zahrah Audu, commended the Service for meeting all compliance requirements while demonstrating significant improvements in the speed, efficiency and responsiveness of its trade-related services.

“The Nigeria Customs Service distinguished itself by meeting all the required standards while recording notable improvements in the timeliness and efficiency of its response to trade-related matters,” Audu said.

She noted that the achievement reflects the Service’s commitment to transparency, accountability and the creation of a more business-friendly trading environment.

According to Audu, the performance aligns with the Federal Government’s Ease of Doing Business agenda and underscores the NCS’s sustained efforts to enhance operational efficiency and improve stakeholders’ experience.

She further disclosed that 98 per cent of the 69 MDAs assessed under the Business Facilitation Act now meet the expected service delivery standards, describing the outcome as clear evidence of the positive impact of the ongoing reforms aimed at improving public service delivery across the country.

The recognition follows a series of strategic reforms implemented by the Nigeria Customs Service to modernise customs administration. These include the deployment of the B’Odogwu Unified Customs Management System, the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programme and the Advance Ruling System.

The initiatives have streamlined import and export processes, reduced cargo clearance time, strengthened transparency in customs operations and enhanced Nigeria’s trade facilitation framework, reinforcing the Service’s commitment to supporting economic growth, facilitating legitimate trade and improving Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global trading system.

Gloria Odion, Maritime reporter 

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, has emphasised the need for interoperable Customs systems across Africa, describing seamless digital integration as a critical requirement for the successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Customs Modernisation Project.

Adeniyi made the remarks on Wednesday, July 1st, 2026, in Lagos during the signing of a 20-year Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Agreement between the AfCFTA Secretariat and Bergmans Security for the commencement of the AfCFTA Customs Modernisation Project.

The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Digital Trade Forum 2026.

The Comptroller-General identified the lack of harmonised digital systems among African Customs administrations as one of the major impediments to the implementation of the continental free trade agreement, stressing that interoperability would significantly improve trade facilitation and cross-border commerce among member states.

“We are indeed delighted because one of the major obstacles that we have faced in this journey of implementing AfCFTA is the interoperability of our systems,” Adeniyi said.

“All Customs administrations cannot operate at the same level, but when we have interoperability, it becomes easier for us all to connect to one system and facilitate trade effectively.”

He described the selection of Bergmans Security to implement the initiative as a landmark achievement for Nigeria’s Customs modernisation programme and a strong endorsement 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, enabling us to strengthen trade facilitation and accelerate the implementation of AfCFTA,” he added.

Earlier, the Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, Wamkele Mene, disclosed that the Secretariat adopted Nigeria’s Customs modernisation model after observing the country’s success in deploying digital technologies that have enhanced revenue generation, operational efficiency and Customs administration.

Mene described the partnership with Bergmans Security as a major milestone towards establishing a modern and interoperable Customs ecosystem capable of supporting seamless cross-border trade across the African continent.

“Today, Nigeria is already benefiting from the deployment of these technologies,” he said.

“From our perspective, the continent has much to gain from the model introduced here in Nigeria. That is why we signed this agreement today.

“We believe our partnership with Bergmans Security will help us achieve our objective of building a continental, modern and interoperable Customs system that enables economic operators across Africa to benefit from an expanded market.”

The AfCFTA Customs Modernisation Project is expected to deepen Customs cooperation among member states through harmonised digital platforms, strengthen trade facilitation, improve revenue collection, and accelerate the full implementation of the AfCFTA by creating a more efficient, integrated and competitive continental trading environment.

The Monday Discourse with  Ibrahim Nasiru

During the recent Day of the Seafarer celebrations, a major policy bombshell dropped that sent shockwaves through the maritime industry.

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) announced a massive 150% wage increase for local seafarers.

By integrating international maritime standards into local contracts, the government is finally attempting to address a long-standing injustice: the systemic underpayment of the men and women who keep our maritime trade afloat.

On paper, it looks like an incredible victory for labour and a massive step forward for the thousands of young cadets who have gone through the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP).

But as any seasoned observer of Nigerian policy knows, a wage increase on paper means absolutely nothing if you do not possess a job to earn it.

The uncomfortable reality is that a 150% salary boost is completely useless if local shipping companies are priced out of the market, or if foreign vessels continue to dominate our territorial waters.

Nigeria passed the Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act way back in 2003 with a very clear, patriotic objective: domestic coastal trade was supposed to be reserved strictly for Nigerian-owned, Nigerian-built, and Nigerian-crewed vessels.

It was designed to build local capacity and ensure that our wealth stayed within our borders.

Yet, over two decades later, the spirit of that law is routinely violated every single day. The maritime sector has structural friction that cannot be solved by simply adjusting a salary scale.

The biggest culprit here is the infamous cabotage waiver system. For years, international shipping lines have exploited regulatory loopholes to secure endless ministerial waivers.

These waivers allow foreign-flagged ships with entirely foreign crews to operate freely in our domestic waters, moving cargo between Lagos, Onne, and Port Harcourt.

They claim that local capacity does not exist, using that excuse to completely bypass local seafarers. As a result, highly qualified Nigerian captains, engineers, and cadets are left stranded on shore, watching foreign mariners take the jobs that legally belong to citizens.

This creates a brutal, double-edged sword for the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, and the leadership at NIMASA. If they strictly enforce the new 150% wage scale without aggressively shutting down the illegal waiver pipeline, they will accidentally make Nigerian seafarers even less competitive.

Foreign shipowners will simply argue that local labour has become too expensive, giving them more incentive to lobby for waivers and bring in their own crews.

If this modernization plan is going to be anything more than a political talking point, the government must find the raw regulatory spine to enforce the law.

Enforcement is where our institutional bottlenecks always lie. It is easy to hold a press conference and celebrate a new minimum wage agreement.

It is an entirely different ballgame to deploy interceptor boats, audit shipping manifests, and fine multi-national shipping giants that refuse to hire local mariners.

The stakes are far too high for half-measures. We are currently trying to reposition Nigeria as the dominant maritime hub for West Africa under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

You cannot build a maritime empire by relying exclusively on foreign labour and foreign capital.

A 150 percent raise is a beautiful, necessary acknowledgment of the value of our seafarers. But the real test of this policy will not be judged by the signatures on the new collective bargaining agreement.

It will be decided by whether the government possesses the political will to completely crush the waiver cartel, protect local shipping lines, and ensure that when a vessel sails through Nigerian waters, it is a Nigerian hand resting on the helm.

Chief Ibrahim Nasiru,a Public Affairs analyst,writes from Abuja