Leap in Customs Achievements Under Wale Adeniyi By Abdulwahab Isa
It takes an insider with deeper knowledge of the system to attain such milestones in two years. Only persons who grew through the ranks—from the bottom to the top echelon—could attain such breathtaking achievements recorded by the Nigeria Customs Service under the current management in two years.
When President Bola Tinubu appointed Wale Adeniyi as acting comptroller-general of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in June 2023 and subsequently confirmed his appointment in October as a substantive CG, stakeholders expressed satisfaction. Stakeholders’ endorsement of Tinubu’s choice—Wale Adeniyi—was rooted in the fact that the newly appointed CG, who began his career as a young officer, was groomed and baked by the establishment. He had seen it all in terms of policies, and he is conversant with the areas that require retooling for improvement.
Tinubu was deliberate in his mandate to Adeniyi. He instructed him to bring his wealth of experience to bear on his new assignment.
Coincidentally, his appointment signals, as it were, the implementation of the Nigeria Customs Service’s new act, starting with the requirement that only a serving Customs officer from the rank of an Assistant Comptroller General will become a Comptroller General. Adeniyi is a lucky beneficiary of this provision.
Armed with the revised Customs Act, an energetic Adeniyi hits the ground running. From June 2023, when he was appointed in an acting capacity, to his confirmation as substantive Comptroller General of the Service in October 2023, the establishment witnessed a leap in all areas—trade facilitation, revenue upsurge, improved security, and enhanced staff welfare.
Those with insights on port operations recall cargo congestion at ports was the biggest challenge. It was a traumatic experience, which maritime stakeholders recall with tears. On assumption of duties, Adeniyi confronted port congestion head-on. He inaugurated a committee to dispose of overtime cargo from the port. The gesture decongested terminals burdened with longstanding cargo that hampered port efficiency for years.
Overtime cargoes constrained terminal spaces required for new imports. They contribute to the deterioration of port infrastructure designed to be transit locations.
At the inauguration of the committee on overtime cargos, Adeniyi said, ““”The Act stipulates that the disposal of cargo exceeding its allotted time can now only occur through a court order and that such goods must be disposed of through public auction or tender, which will be widely publicized through national newspapers, television, and the service’s official website,” noting that the move will enhance port efficiency and facilitate trade at the port.
The deployment of Automated Systems for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) protects the country by combating fraud and illegal trafficking of prohibited and restricted goods. In addition to providing statistical information on foreign trade transactions, it enhances customs’ revenue earnings. To complement ASYCUDA, Adeniyi introduced the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Programme, a time-release study to enhance the efficiency of the service.
Speaking to this recently, Adeniyi admitted the pilot phase of the AEO program had demonstrated significant improvements in cargo clearance times, with AEO-certified companies achieving an average release time of 43 hours, which is 5 hours better than the target clearance time of 48 hours.
“This represents a remarkable 66.9% reduction in cargo clearance time compared to pre-AEO status, where clearance took 5 days, and notably outperforms regular Economic Operators (EOs) who require 7 days for clearance. Given these impressive results, we are set for full implementation of the program in the first quarter of 2025.”
“Our comprehensive time-release study has been concluded, and the report is currently under review with plans for release before the second quarter of the year. Additionally, our enhanced strategic partnerships with various customs administrations worldwide are yielding tangible results through intelligence sharing, leading to major interceptions at our ports. These partnerships have also opened up capacity-building opportunities for our officers and laid the groundwork for expanded engagements in the coming months,” he said.
Trade facilitation is one of the core mandates of the service. The figures have been impressive. The service processed imports with a Cost, Insurance, and Freight (CIF) value of ₦60.29 trillion in 2024, representing a remarkable 117.4% increase from ₦27.74 trillion in 2023. The feat, according to CG, was achieved through 1,262,988 import transactions, handling a total mass of 15.35 billion kilograms. The export trade performance was equally impressive, with the total CIF value rising significantly to ₦136.65 trillion in 2024 from ₦42.77 trillion in 2023, marking a 219.5% increase.
“While the number of export transactions remained relatively stable at 38,199 compared to 38,294 in 2023, we witnessed a substantial increase in export volume, processing 12.35 billion kilograms in 2024 compared to 3.70 billion kilograms in 2023. This 234% increase in export mass, coupled with the higher value, indicates a robust growth in our export trade and suggests increasing competitiveness of Nigerian products in the international market. The total trade value handled by the service in 2024 amounted to ₦196.94 trillion, compared to ₦70.50 trillion in 2023, representing a 179.3% increase. This substantial growth in trade value, achieved with fewer but more valuable transactions, is evidence of the increasing sophistication of Nigeria’s international trade and the effectiveness of our trade facilitation measures,” CG said recently during the 2024 scorecard presentation.
The pilot testing of its indigenously developed customs clearance platform with the support of Customs’ concessionaires under the Trade Modernization Project, named ‘B’Odogwu,’ in the fourth quarter of 2024 showed profound results.
“The early results have been encouraging, with the platform processing transactions resulting in an aggregate revenue collection of ₦31 billion as of December 2024. It is indeed gratifying to see how homegrown solutions are gradually enhancing our operational efficiency and ensuring seamless trade facilitation,” Adeniyi said of B’Odogwu.
In the area of revenue collection, there has been a tremendous leap. The year 2022 saw the service crossing the ₦2 trillion revenue threshold, netting ₦2.6 trillion, though short of an ambitious ₦3 trillion target set by the federal government. The revenue notched up to ₦3.2 trillion in 2023, falling short of the ₦3.6 trillion target by 13%.
It nevertheless sets the pace for incremental revenue rakes that would follow under the leadership of Wale Adeniyi. In its 2024 operations, the service collected a total sum of ₦6.1 trillion, above its targeted revenue of ₦5.07 trillion, which represents ₦1.026 trillion, which showed a 20.2% increase above the target.
Addressing the media in January this year while presenting customs scorecards in 2024, CG of Customs, Adeniyi, said, “This remarkable achievement represents a significant 90.4% increase from our 2023 collection of ₦3,206,583,002,675.65. The growth is historic, as it marks the highest year-on-year increase recorded by the service in recent times, surpassing the 52.24% growth recorded in 2022 by 38.18 percentage points. Additionally, the service achieved another milestone in October 2024 by recording the highest monthly collection ever of ₦603,171,859,991.97,” he said.
More importantly, the increase in 2024 revenue collections was achieved despite significant concessions granted to support various sectors of the economy, totaling ₦1.68 trillion.
“These concessions comprised ₦723,000,081,776.68 in import duty waivers, ₦372,649,650,951.72 in other levy concessions, and ₦586,652,916,152.27 in import VAT relief. These strategic concessions were granted to stimulate economic growth, support industrial development, and enhance the overall business environment in line with government policy objectives. Notably, the 2024 concession value represents a significant reduction from the ₦3,959,868,268,993.18 recorded in 2023. This reduction is a direct result of our enhanced monitoring mechanisms and strategic reforms aimed at blocking loopholes and eliminating abuses in the concession granting process, ensuring that only genuine and qualifying enterprises benefit from these incentives. These achievements were made possible through our continuous alignment with the policy objectives of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, under the astute guidance of the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Olawale Edun, and the support of management and the entire staff of the Nigeria Customs Service,” he noted.
Staff welfare is a priority for a man who rose through the ranks. Adeniyi had been in the trenches for decades with his colleagues. He knew the exact shoe spot that pinches men and officers of the service.
Under his watch, Adeniyi prioritizes enhanced staff welfare, including recognizing exceptional service and celebrating excellence to foster a motivated and high-performing workforce.
CGC Adeniyi has emphasized the importance of leadership taking a keen interest in the welfare of their subordinates, recognizing that leadership requires both technical expertise and a deep sense of responsibility towards officers.
The NCS has shifted its focus towards amplifying the recognition of exceptional service and celebrating excellence, believing that positive reinforcement nurtures a more dynamic and motivated workforce. It engaged in one-on-one interactions with officers to understand the challenges they face in their work, demonstrating a commitment to addressing their concerns.
Not long ago, 4,291 senior officers were elevated to new ranks, while 1,419 junior officers also earned their promotions, marking one of the most comprehensive promotion exercises in recent years.
The service personnel routinely undergo a career advancement program to prepare them for higher responsibilities in customs administration.
The service is strategically focused on achieving its set goals in 2025. Given the remarkable performance it showed in revenue collection, the government gave it an incremental revenue target of ₦6.58 trillion in 2025.
A confident Adeniyi said it’s achievable. He listed service strategic priorities for 2025 in five areas. These are the full deployment of trade modernization initiatives, including the nationwide rollout of the B’Odogwu platform, complete implementation of the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) program, enhanced risk management and enforcement capabilities through technology integration, operationalization of the Nigeria Customs Service University for Trade and Technology, strengthening of international partnerships and trade facilitation initiatives under the AfCFTA framework, and implementation and rollout of a robust CSR strategy.
Adeniyi is a recipient of several awards for his achievements and contributions to the Nigeria economy development.
Abdulwahab Isa is on the business desk of New Telegraph Newspaper (Abuja Bureau).