By George Ozalla
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has convened a high-level stakeholders’ engagement meeting to address emerging issues affecting the maritime industry and cargo clearance processes. The meeting, held on August 11, 2025, at Apapa Area Command, aimed to ensure seamless trade facilitation and enhance collaboration between the NCS and stakeholders.
Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, emphasized the Service’s commitment to maintaining open communication with stakeholders, stating that everyone is an equal partner in the project. He also reiterated the NCS’s firm stance on implementing the Unified Customs Management System (UCMS), codenamed B’Odogwu, despite potential challenges.
Adeniyi highlighted the progress made in resolving some challenges through joint efforts and expressed concern over recent attempts to compromise the Service’s digital infrastructure. He assured stakeholders that the NCS would continue to strengthen its system firewalls to prevent future downtimes and vowed to take action against economic sabotage.
The engagement concluded with an interactive session, where stakeholders shared their perspectives and concerns on maritime sector operations, with a collective resolve to work towards efficiency and transparency in cargo clearance.
