NSW: Nigeria Customs Advocates Stakeholders’ Support Towards Implementation

BY FUNMI ALUKO

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intensified efforts to implement the National Single Window (NSW) project successfully, reaffirming its leadership role in advancing Nigeria’s trade modernisation and digital transformation agenda.

Speaking during a stakeholder engagement with airline and shipping line operators in Abuja on 4 March 2026, the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi emphasised the importance of collaboration in ensuring the successful rollout of the initiative. He noted that the support of critical stakeholders has played a significant role in the achievements recorded in the Service’s modernisation journey so far.

The CGC disclosed that the President has mandated the Service to take a bold step forward towards a successful launch of the National Single Window, a move aimed at positioning Nigeria as a major player in global trade. He added that airline and shipping line operators remain vital partners in ensuring a seamless transition to the new system.

He further assured stakeholders that adequate support structures are being put in place to ease the migration process.

“A help desk with well-trained personnel will be available to address any operational challenges that may arise during the rollout”, the Comptroller-General stated.

Earlier, at an awareness programme held on Monday, 3 March 2025, the Service rallied stakeholders and partner agencies behind the initiative, describing the National Single Window as a strategic reform that aligns with Customs’ mandate of trade facilitation, revenue generation, and inter-agency coordination.

Speaking at the programme, the Deputy Comptroller General of Customs in charge of ICT and Modernisation, DCG Oluyomi Adebakin, described the NSW as a major milestone in the Service’s ongoing modernisation drive. She revealed that the NCS has been actively engaged in preparatory work for months to ensure that the framework being developed reflects operational realities and supports seamless implementation.

“This is a national project, but Customs is at the centre of its execution,” DCG Adebakin said. “The success of the Single Window depends on collective understanding and cooperation. We must all appreciate its value because we cannot effectively promote what we do not fully understand.”

She reassured officers and stakeholders that the initiative is designed to strengthen institutional capacity rather than replace human resources, explaining that technology will enhance efficiency, transparency, and speed in cargo clearance and trade documentation processes.

Also speaking at the programme, the Director of the NSW Project, Tola Fakolade, acknowledged the pivotal leadership of the NCS in the implementation process.

“Our number one stakeholder is the NCS,” Fakolade said. “We have maintained a strong and constructive working relationship. Customs’ participation and institutional experience are critical to the success of this project.”

With the NCS spearheading coordination and stakeholder engagement, the NSW project is expected to transform Nigeria’s trade environment, enhance revenue generation, and strengthen the country’s position in the global trading community.