By Ayomide Otitoju
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has urged businesses to embrace joint responsibility with the Service to facilitate faster cargo clearance and reduce the cost of doing business in Nigeria.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, made the call on Thursday at a sensitisation programme on Post-Clearance Audit (PCA) in Lagos.
Adeniyi said the introduction of the Authorised Economic Operators (AEO) programme had significantly improved cargo clearance times, with 247 companies admitted into the system since its inception.
“Before we started AEO, companies used to have an average of 156 hours in terms of clearance time. But now, it has been reduced to 43 hours. In fact, one of them has achieved an eight-hour clearance time because of the quality of their documentation,” he said.
He said the PCA model was aligned with international best practices under the revised Kyoto Convention and the World Trade Organisation’s Trade Facilitation Agreement.
According to him, findings from post-clearance audits would be incorporated into the Service’s risk-management system to identify and address compliance gaps.
Adeniyi said Customs’ objective was not to police businesses but to build a lasting partnership with the trading community and position Nigeria as a major economic hub.
He urged businesses to understand their rights and obligations and engage Customs when necessary to resolve potential errors before they became liabilities.
The Assistant Comptroller-General in charge of Post-Clearance Audit, Babatunde Olomu, described PCA as a strategic tool for revenue assurance, voluntary compliance and improved Customs administration.
Olomu said PCA interventions generated ₦21.3 billion between January and August 2025, compared with ₦26.2 billion during the corresponding period in 2026, representing a 27.7 per cent year-on-year increase.
Representatives of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and other stakeholders at the event called for stronger collaboration between Customs and the private sector to facilitate trade and ensure faster cargo movement.
