Gloria Odion, Maritime Reporter

The Federal Government has approved the exemption of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), and certain electric vehicles from the payment of Customs import duty and Value Added Tax (VAT) as part of efforts to accelerate Nigeria’s transition to cleaner energy and sustainable transportation.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) announced the implementation of additional guidelines issued by the Federal Ministry of Finance under the Presidential Gas for Growth Initiative, a key component of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s drive to promote cleaner energy alternatives and expand the adoption of environmentally friendly transportation solutions.

Under the approved fiscal incentives, the importation of specified gas-powered and environmentally friendly vehicles, equipment, and components will enjoy exemption from both Import Duty and VAT.

Eligible items include 100 per cent Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles, 100 per cent Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) vehicles, fully electric vehicles, Extended Range Electric Vehicles (EREVs) with a minimum pure electric driving range of 200 kilometres, as well as CNG and LPG conversion kits for petrol and diesel-powered vehicles.

The incentives also cover tricycles and motorcycles certified for resale by the Federal Ministry of Finance, in addition to semi-trailers equipped with skid-mounted CNG, LPG and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) storage tanks designed for gas distribution.

To benefit from the incentives, importers are required to obtain an Import Duty Exemption Certificate (IDEC) issued by the Federal Ministry of Finance and comply with all applicable regulatory requirements governing the importation of eligible products.

However, the fiscal framework excludes certain categories of vehicles and equipment from the duty and VAT waivers.

These include hybrid electric vehicles such as electric-petrol and electric-diesel variants, dual-fuel internal combustion engine vehicles configured for CNG/petrol or CNG/diesel operations, luxury vehicles valued at $100,000 and above, CNG vehicles converted overseas without factory-fitted CNG capability, semi-trailers and flatbeds that are not self-propelled, as well as spare parts of all categories.

According to the Nigeria Customs Service, the incentives are aimed at supporting the Federal Government’s broader objectives of reducing transportation and energy costs, encouraging investment in clean energy infrastructure, expanding the adoption of alternative fuel technologies, and strengthening Nigeria’s energy security while advancing environmental sustainability.

The Service reaffirmed that under the leadership of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, it remains committed to the transparent and effective implementation of the fiscal incentives.

The NCS also urged importers, licensed customs agents and other stakeholders within the trade ecosystem to comply strictly with the approved guidelines and all relevant regulatory requirements in order to benefit from the policy.

Funso OLOJO, Editor

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has released the final list of successful applicants for the position of Assistant Superintendent of Customs II (ASC II), bringing to an end the nearly one-year wait for thousands of candidates who participated in the Service’s nationwide recruitment exercise.

In a public statement issued by the Service, shortlisted candidates were advised to visit the official NCS website to verify their status and obtain information on the next stage of the recruitment process.

Candidates may also check selected national newspapers where the list has been published.

The Service said successful applicants would receive further instructions through their registered email addresses and SMS notifications.

According to the statement, candidates who receive the notification are required to log on to the recruitment portal using either their National Identification Number (NIN) or registered email address to upload a valid Medical Certificate of Fitness obtained from a government-recognised hospital.

The NCS disclosed that the portal for uploading medical certificates will be activated on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, and successful candidates must complete the process within one week of the portal’s activation.

In addition, candidates are expected to update their current state of residence on the portal and formally accept the provisional offer of appointment by clicking the “Accept Offer” button.

The Service added that successful candidates would subsequently receive their Trainee Identification Number within one week after completing the required online procedures.

Further details on documentation, physical screening, including dates, venues and other requirements, will be communicated through the Service’s official channels.

The NCS urged all successful candidates to strictly adhere to the outlined instructions and timelines, warning that failure to comply with any of the requirements could lead to disqualification and forfeiture of the provisional offer of appointment.

“On behalf of the Nigeria Customs Service Board, the Comptroller-General of Customs congratulates all successful candidates on their success in the recruitment exercise and looks forward to welcoming them into the Nigeria Customs Service as they commence a career dedicated to professionalism, integrity and service to the nation,” the statement read.

The recruitment exercise began on December 27, 2024, when the Nigeria Customs Service opened its recruitment portal to fill 3,927 vacancies across various cadres.

The application portal remained open for about a week before closing on January 2, 2025, after attracting hundreds of thousands of applications from across the country.

Shortlisted candidates sat for the Computer-Based Test (CBT) examination in September 2025, while the final physical screening exercise was concluded on May 10, 2026.

The release of the final list marks the completion of one of the Service’s most extensive recruitment exercises in recent years and clears the way for the commencement of training for the newly recruited officers.

Gloria Odion Maritime reporter 

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has charged Public Relations Officers (PROs) of the Service to embrace strategic, research-driven and impactful communication in promoting Customs reforms, strengthening institutional credibility and sustaining public confidence.

Adeniyi gave the charge on Friday, July 24th, 2026 at the closing ceremony of the 2026 Nigeria Customs Service Public Relations Conference held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The four-day conference, themed “Realigning Corporate Communication as a Strategic Driver of Institutional Effectiveness and Public Trust,” focused on repositioning corporate communication as a core management tool for enhancing institutional effectiveness and public trust.

Addressing participants, the Comptroller-General described the conference as a vital platform for reflection, professional development and institutional renewal at a critical stage of the Service’s transformation agenda.

He noted that communication has evolved beyond a support function to become a strategic driver of organisational success, stressing that reforms can only achieve their intended objectives when they are properly understood, accepted and trusted by the public.

“Across the world, communication has evolved from a support service into a strategic management function.

“Reforms cannot succeed unless they are understood, accepted and trusted by the people they are designed to serve,” Adeniyi said.

The Customs boss further observed that the rapid expansion of digital media, artificial intelligence and real-time information flow requires a more proactive, intelligence-led and research-based communication strategy.

He urged Customs spokespersons to communicate every policy, operational activity, reform initiative and enforcement action with professionalism, accuracy and purpose in order to reinforce public confidence in the Service.

Earlier, the Acting Zonal Coordinator of Zone ‘C’, Comptroller Pascal Chibuoke, described corporate communication as a strategic asset that shapes public perception, builds stakeholder confidence, promotes transparency and reinforces institutional legitimacy.

Also speaking, the National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, said the 2026 conference marked another milestone in the evolution of the Nigeria Customs Service’s corporate communication strategy.

He noted that the conference built on the successes of previous editions held in Lagos, Gwagwalada and Kano, adding that effective communication remains indispensable to the success of institutional reforms.

According to Maiwada, the conference was designed to develop practical solutions, strengthen professional networks and reposition public relations as a strategic corporate communication function within the Service.

In her closing remarks, the Customs Area Controller of Port Harcourt Area I Command, Comptroller Salamatu Atuluku, commended the Comptroller-General for his sustained commitment to capacity building and professional development.

She urged participants to deploy the knowledge and skills acquired during the conference to improve service delivery across their respective commands.

In separate goodwill messages, the President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Dr. Ike Neliaku, and the President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Alhassan Yahaya, applauded Adeniyi for institutionalising strategic communication within the Nigeria Customs Service.

They also challenged Public Relations Officers to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, ethical practice and effective stakeholder engagement in the discharge of their responsibilities.

The conference featured technical sessions on Customs modernisation, crisis communication, media intelligence, digital innovation, stakeholder engagement and emerging communication technologies, all aimed at strengthening the Service’s communication architecture and supporting its ongoing reform agenda.