By George Ozalla
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intensified efforts to combat the illegal trade in environmentally sensitive commodities through a four-day Train the Trainers workshop designed to enhance the capacity of its officers in enforcing environmental trade regulations.
The training programme, held from June 8 to 11, 2026, brought together Customs officers for intensive sessions on environmental governance, trade control measures, enforcement strategies and inter-agency collaboration aimed at strengthening compliance with international environmental conventions.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, represented by the Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Strategic Research and Policy, Nafiu Isiyaku, commended stakeholders whose support contributed to the successful implementation of the programme.
Adeniyi stated that the true measure of the workshop’s success would not be limited to the knowledge gained by participants but would be reflected in their ability to transfer the knowledge to other officers and improve operational outcomes across Customs formations nationwide.
He noted that participants had explored critical issues relating to environmental governance, trade control measures, enforcement strategies and inter-agency collaboration, stressing that these areas remain essential to protecting the environment and securing the nation’s borders.
Also speaking, the Regional Programme Officer of the International Trade Centre (ITC), Richard Eke-Motoho, praised the Nigeria Customs Service for its commitment to building expertise in environmental trade regulation.
Eke-Motoho said the programme would help create a larger pool of national trainers who could eventually serve as regional resource persons, strengthening institutional capacity across the region and promoting environmentally sustainable trade practices.
He further stated that the International Trade Centre and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) would continue to collaborate in advancing initiatives that support regional integration and economic development.
The workshop was organised as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the capacity of Customs officers to enforce environmental trade regulations and improve compliance with international environmental conventions.
