By Ayomide Otitoju
The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Adewale Adeniyi, has pledged the Service’s support for Nigeria’s ambition to build a $1 trillion economy, stressing the need for effective implementation of policies and strategies to achieve the target.
Adeniyi made the commitment on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, while delivering a keynote address at the New Nigeria Festival held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Conference Hall in Abuja.
He said the target was achievable if plans and strategies developed to drive economic growth were effectively implemented.
The Customs chief said the Service had moved beyond discussions to practical measures through its ongoing modernisation reforms, including the deployment of B’Odogwu, the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme and the Advance Ruling mechanism.
According to him, the initiatives are designed to facilitate legitimate trade, improve predictability in the business environment and strengthen revenue generation.
“Execution is nothing if it is not concrete. We have to move from ideas to action and ensure that whatever we plan translates into results. That is how we can begin to see the kind of transformation we are talking about,” he said.
Adeniyi noted that achieving the $1 trillion economic target required collective commitment from government institutions, businesses and citizens rather than government agencies alone.
He said the NCS was strategically positioned to support Nigeria’s economic transformation through its responsibilities in revenue collection, trade facilitation and border management.
The Customs chief called for a shift from rhetoric to implementation, emphasising that the country’s economic ambition depended on institutions and citizens taking responsibility and translating plans into practical, measurable outcomes.
