Tinubu Thumbs Up Customs Strategic Realignment With National Economic Blueprint

…As Adeniyi Announce 2024 Revenue Target Ahead of Year End

BY EGUONO ODJEGBA

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Wednesday singled out the leadership and management of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for its management innovations and foresight in keying into the economic agenda of the federal government.

The president who was speaking at the Comptroller General of Customs Conference held in Abuja praised the customs service’s doggedness and efficiency, which he acknowledged has helped the government to achieve great results both in the re-engineering and reforms of the economy, and expressed unreserved satisfaction about the fact that the NCS is working and impacting the governance and the system.

Meanwhile, the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MRF, revealed that ahead of the close of current fiscal year 2024, the Service has already met its annual revenue target with the collection of 5,079,455,088,194.38k; as at Tuesday November 12, 2024.

President Tinubu who stated he was delighted to participate and declare the conference open reiterated the resolve of his government to strengthen Nigeria’s economic base and deliver positive growth and development for the benefit of all citizens.

“This vision remains unchanged. In pursuing this vision, we have built upon existing foundations while introducing necessary reforms to adapt to our evolving economic realities. Our focus has been on strengthening what works, refining what needs improvement, and introducing new initiatives where gaps exist. We recognized that certain economic policies, though useful in their time, needed to be realigned with current global economic dynamics to better serve our national interests and the wellbeing of all Nigerians.

“In pursuit of this vision, we embarked on bold yet necessary economic reforms. Working with expert advice and careful consideration of our unique circumstances, we implemented strategic policy adjustments to strengthen our economy. The removal of fuel subsidy and unification of our exchange rate system were crucial steps toward building a more transparent and sustainable economic framework. While these decisions required short-term adjustments from all Nigerians, they were essential to redirect our resources toward productive investments that will yield long-term benefits for our people. These reforms have already begun showing positive results, setting the stage for sustainable economic growth and improved prosperity for all Nigerians.

“Central to the success of these economic initiatives is the role of our strategic institutions and their dedicated personnel. Our vision required government agencies to be proactive in aligning their statutory responsibilities with the broader national economic objectives. Agencies needed to demonstrate initiative in identifying opportunities within their mandates that would best serve and advance our national aspirations.

“I am pleased to note that the Nigeria Customs Service is one of the agencies that has risen to this expectation, demonstrating how government institutions can effectively contribute to our economic transformation agenda while fulfilling their core mandates.”

Speaking further President Tinubu said, “This alignment is clearly demonstrated in the Service’s comprehensive modernization agenda. In responding to our administration’s call for enhanced trade facilitation and economic growth, the Service has introduced significant reforms including the Advanced Ruling system and the Authorised Economic Operator Program. These initiatives, which align with global best practices, show how agencies can innovatively implement solutions that advance our national economic objectives while meeting international standards. Such reforms not only enhance trade facilitation but also create a more predictable business environment that supports our broader economic goals.

“The results of these initiatives across the Service’s core mandates have been encouraging. The Nigeria Customs Service has shown remarkable progress in revenue generation, enhancing government’s capacity to fund critical national development projects. Through strategic reforms, the Service is strengthening Nigeria’s position as a trade-friendly nation, particularly in the areas of export promotion and port efficiency. This has contributed significantly to our improved global ranking in the ease of doing business. The Service has also demonstrated that effective trade facilitation can coexist with strong regulatory compliance, as evidenced by its enhanced border security and anti-smuggling operations. These achievements affirm our administration’s belief that public institutions, when properly aligned with national objectives, can effectively drive transformative change.

“While these results are encouraging, they represent only the beginning of what we can achieve through focused institutional reforms and alignment with national objectives.

“Let me assure you that our administration remains committed to supporting the Nigeria Customs Service in its modernization and reform initiatives. We will continue to provide the necessary policy backing and enablement required to strengthen the Service’s capacity to deliver on its mandates. This includes support for technological advancement, infrastructure development, and capacity building programs that align with global best practices”, he noted.

Explaining some of the recent kinetic tools driving its innovations and modernization, including trade facilitation, Adeniyi singled out the Authorised Economic Operators (AEO) programme as one that has significantly improved stakeholders compliance.

The customs boss added that already, management has selected 6 beneficiaries of the AEO programme with whom further process strengthening is being carried out to fully evaluate the dynamics of its functionality.

This is even as he said the service Time Release Study (TRS) has also progressed significantly in defining the actual operability of 24 hour cargo clearance and reduced dwell time at the ports.