What I Witnessed at the 2026 International Customs Day

By Tahir Ahmad

I arrived early at the Lady Kwali Hall of the Abuja Continental Hotel on Monday, well before the formal commencement of activities marking the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) 2026 International Customs Day (ICD) celebration and the unveiling of the Time Release Study (TRS).

The hall was already alive with quiet efficiency. Gallant Customs officers moved purposefully, their presence a reminder that the work of Customs is not confined to borders, airports or seaports. It extends into the deeper responsibility of facilitating legitimate trade while safeguarding the economic value—and social wellbeing—of the nation.

This year’s International Customs Day, dedicated by the World Customs Organization (WCO) under the theme “Customs Protecting Society Through Vigilance and Commitment,” felt less like a ceremonial slogan and more like a lived reality. The theme captured, in simple terms, the intelligence-led enforcement, technology-driven operations and disciplined commitment that increasingly define the Nigeria Customs Service.

In his video tapped address, the Secretary-General of the World Customs Organization, Ian Saunders, described Nigeria’s Time Release Study as a practical and evidence-based reform capable of strengthening border efficiency, boosting trade competitiveness across African corridors and enhancing national safety.

Speaking during the presentation of the TRS report—conducted at Tin Can Island Port—Saunders noted that the study provides Nigeria with specific and objective insights into how its clearance processes function and where targeted improvements are required.

According to him, the TRS goes beyond policy declarations by translating reform ambitions into measurable operational outcomes.

“The findings of this study provide Nigeria with a clear opportunity to deliver equally clear improvements that will strengthen both the economy and the safety of the country,” he said.

He emphasised that while Customs plays a central role in trade facilitation, the success of TRS recommendations depends on collective action, bringing together government agencies, the private sector and the broader trading community.

That emphasis on evidence rather than assumption resonated throughout the event. While delivering the keynote address, the Honourable Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, described the Time Release Study as a strategic policy instrument aligned with the Federal Government’s commitment to data-driven reforms.

She stressed that efficient clearance processes are no longer optional in a competitive global trade environment where speed, certainty and compliance increasingly determine investor confidence.

“The Time Release Study is not merely a diagnostic exercise; it is a reform tool that supports smarter regulation, evidence-based decision-making and improved coordination across border agencies,” the Minister said.

Similarly, the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, applauded the Nigeria Customs Service for taking the lead in addressing systemic bottlenecks and strengthening trade facilitation, describing the initiative as reflective of government’s broader commitment to improving efficiency across Nigeria’s trade ecosystem.

Yet, beyond trade and revenue figures, one moment during the Comptroller-General of Customs’ remarks struck me deeply.

CGC Adewale Adeniyi spoke candidly about the less visible but enduring impact of Customs operations, interventions that rarely dominate headlines but quietly save lives.

“Across land borders, our teams seized illicit narcotics and counterfeit medicines worth hundreds of millions of naira, along with ammunition and other prohibited items moving through covert routes,” he said.

“These operations do not make headlines for long, but their impact is enduring as fewer young people exposed to harmful drugs; fewer weapons reaching criminal networks; fewer counterfeit medicines reaching patients; fewer endangered species removed from the ecosystem. This is how Customs protects society: by preventing funerals, addictions, environmental crimes, and avoidable tragedies before they occur.”

Those words resonated with me on a personal level. They echoed the realities I explored during my National Youth Service Corps year, when I co-authored Anti-Drug, Anti-Smuggling Campaigns: A Corper’s Chronicle. The book examined the complex security threats posed by narcotics trafficking and cross-border smuggling, as well as the collaborative efforts between the Nigeria Customs Service and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to disrupt these criminal networks.

Listening to the CGC, I was reminded that border protection is not merely about seizures—it is about shielding society from harm long before it manifests as addiction, insecurity or public health crises.

The scale of that responsibility became clearer as the CGC outlined the Service’s 2025 operational outcomes. Over 2,500 seizures, with an aggregate value exceeding ₦59 billion, were recorded nationwide. These cut across narcotics, counterfeit pharmaceuticals, wildlife products, arms and ammunition, petroleum products, vehicles and substandard consumer goods.

Each seizure represented harm prevented: unsafe medicines kept from patients, weapons denied to criminal networks, environmental crimes disrupted, and lives indirectly saved.

In this context, the WCO theme moved from abstraction to reality. Protection, vigilance and commitment were no longer ideals, they were measurable outcomes.

One of the highlights of the ICD was the declaration of the Service’s revenue performance. According to CGC Adeniyi, the Nigeria Customs Service collected ₦7.281 trillion in 2025, exceeding its target of ₦6.584 trillion by ₦697 billion, a growth of over ten per cent against target and approximately 19 per cent year-on-year compared to 2024.

Importantly, the CGC was careful to frame this achievement not as self-congratulation, but as evidence that reform is yielding tangible results.

The gains, he explained, were driven by improved compliance, better data use, digital tools and disciplined enforcement—not by arbitrary actions that burden legitimate traders. This balance between facilitation and control sits at the heart of the Time Release Study.

Insights from the TRS, shared by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Strategic Research and Policy, Dera Nnadi, revealed both encouraging realities and uncomfortable truths. While examination processes were relatively efficient, excessive idle periods—often caused by fragmented scheduling, manual documentation and poor coordination—were responsible for unnecessary delays.

The lesson was clear: Nigeria’s challenge is not an inability to move goods quickly, but systemic constraints that prevent goods from moving when they should.

By institutionalising the TRS as a recurring diagnostic tool, the Service signalled its intention to move from complaints-driven reforms to evidence-driven solutions.

Even communication itself is evolving. During the event, the Public Relations Unit of the Service showcased how technology and artificial intelligence are being used to simplify and communicate Customs policies to the public through animations and multimedia content.

One light moment drew laughter across the hall when an AI-generated character resembling the CGC appeared in a video. Watching himself on screen, CGC Adeniyi joked that he might need to “have a conversation with the AI person,” adding that he was unsure whether the portrayal truly reflected his intelligence.

Beyond the humour, the message was serious: modern Customs administrations must not only deploy technology for enforcement and facilitation, but also for transparency and public engagement.

As the event drew to a close, one idea lingered with me: Customs stands at the intersection of security and economic prosperity. The Nigeria Customs Service is not only a revenue-generating institution or a trade facilitator, it is a frontline protector of society.

The 2026 International Customs Day celebration, coupled with the unveiling of the Time Release Study, offered more than statistics and speeches. It provided a window into how vigilance, commitment and reform when guided by data and collaboration can protect lives, strengthen the economy and build public trust.

In that sense, Nigeria Customs is not merely guarding borders. It is quietly shaping the conditions for safer communities, fairer trade and sustainable national growth.

Tahir Ahmad is a journalist and author of the publication Anti-Drug, Anti-Smuggling Campaigns: A Corpers’ Chronicle. He writes from Abuja and can be reached via: [email protected]