By Jane Okafor, Abuja
Given the nation’s difficulties and hardship resulting the current economic crunch, 259 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the country have advised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to replicate the innovations and ground breaking feats applied by the Nigeria Customs Service(NCS) in its innovative revenue generation drive and collection.
The CSOs operating under the aegis of the Coalition for Transparency and Economic Reforms (COTER), noted that the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu administration is already yielding appreciable results through the innovative revenue drive exemplified by the Nigeria Customs and which has resulted in unprecedented higher revenue collection by the Service in its 134 years of existence.
The coalition however urged President Tinubu to consider merit, proven capacity, integrity and productivity as crucial criteria in appointing a new Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service to succeed the outgoing CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, as he proceeds on a terminal leave ahead of his retirement from service.
“With the incumbent CGC due to retire in the next few months, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must ensure that the appointment of his successor is strictly based on merit, proven capacity and integrity, so as to upscale the current revenue target,” it said.
The Coalition stated these in a statement jointly signed by its President, Dr Peter Chima Chukwu and General Secretary, Mallam Auta Ibrahim Koko and made available to newsmen on Wednesday.
The CSOs stated that going by the exhilarating results from the country’s sea ports in terms of revenue generation and collection, particularly at the Apapa Customs Area Command, the President has the duty to ensure that the type of competent and efficient leadership put in charge of these “performing commands” by the outgoing CGC Adeniyi, especially in the past one year, should be encouraged for the enhancement of services and betterment of the NCS operations in general.
The CSOs, which praised the outgoing CGC Adeniyi for taking the Customs to greater heights in his short but eventful tenure, noted that these three port commands have been contributing significantly to Nigeria’s economic well-being, industry growth and national security through their sustenance and improvement of intelligence sharing, robust interactions, cooperation with sister government agencies and regular stakeholder engagements.
The coalition added that the policy thrust of the outgoing CGC, including the deployment of a Unified Customs Management System, popularly known as B’Odogwu, is also being effectively utilised by the three port commands to achieve higher productivity ahead of the other commands of the NCS with a view to assisting the Customs in its efforts to surpass the 2024 revenue collection and meeting its 2025 target.
COTER further stated, “The Apapa, Tin Can and Onne Area Commands have continued to record groundbreaking feats in the history of the almost one and a half century old Nigeria Customs Service due to the reforms embarked upon by the President Bola Tinubu-led administration and the Controller General of the NCS, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi. We commend the present administration for these landmark achievements and call for further reforms to enhance revenue generation by the various collecting agencies. This, indeed, is highly commendable.
“It is apt at this juncture to be specific on some of the revenue collection feats already recorded by the Apapa Area Command of the NCS. In the third quarter of 2024, the Apapa Port Command reported a revenue collection of N1.61trillion. This figure surpassed the N1.17trillion revenue collected in 2023. This feat can be attributed to diligence and integrity as well as the command’s commitment to collaborating with stakeholders to enhance revenue collection and check smuggling. In the first quarter of 2025, the same command generated a whopping N1.75trillion, surpassing its target by N106.5billion. This is a significant milestone and monumental achievement recorded even before the completion of the first half of 2025. This is a clear indication that the Command is set to surpass the N2.3trillion revenue collected before the end of December 2024.
“Similarly, the Tin Can Island Port collected a total revenue of N1trillion within the same period while Onne generated about N600billion.
“This remarkable feat boldly underscores the unrelenting efforts of these Commands to continue to boost revenue generation and enhance trade facilitation. These proactive strategies and efficient operations of the Commands have continued to yield impressive results, which have positioned them as major contributors to the nation’s economic growth.
“COTER has observed that the above feat was achieved through the efforts made by the Commands to increase revenue through thorough inspections and proactive interventions, including timely issuance of demand notices. Their strict adherence to the NCS Comptroller-General’s zero tolerance for smuggling has also gone a long way in assisting the Commands in maintaining their leadership positions in the collection of revenue. Furthermore, their continuous engagement with other security agencies and stakeholders, and the diligent discharge of duties by the officers and men, have ensured their high level of compliance and drastically reduced smuggling in the area through effective cargo monitoring, intelligence gathering and sharing, profiling of port users, stakeholders’ sensitisation and on the job training and retraining of officers and men.”
It further stated that the constant vigilance exhibited by Customs officers and men attached to the port commands has been of great assistance to the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in apprehending and seizing falsely declared and unwholesome pharmaceutical and controlled products.
The port commands, it added have also been helping the nation’s security agencies to check the smuggling of illicit arms, ammunition and other dangerous weapons into the country by unscrupulous elements.
“No wonder, in 2024, at the Comptroller-General of Customs Award night, the Apapa Command carted away several awards for revenue collection, including the Customs Comptroller-General Award of Excellence,” the statement further said.
The CSOs therefore recommended that the “performing controllers” in charge of the three topmost revenue collection Commands at the nation’s major seaports be considered for conferment with National Awards by President Tinubu “to boost their morale in the task ahead of them.”
The coalition also called on the leadership of the Nigeria Customs Service “to institute a study of Onne, Tincan Island and Apapa Area Commands, with a view to understanding the innovations in their operations, particularly Apapa which have seen the Command almost doubling its revenue target and collection.
“These innovations should then be replicated in Customs Commands all over the country for improved revenue generation and collection. It is our well considered opinion that the Area Comptrollers in charge of these performing commands should not only be encouraged, but also protected against any possible threats to their lives by those who may be averse to their effective, efficient and productive leadership style.”
Below is the full text of the statement by COTER:
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
A STATEMENT BY THE COALITION FOR TRANSPARENCY AND ECONOMIC REFORMS (COTER) ON DEVELOPMENTS IN THE NIGERIA CUSTOMS SERVICE VIS-A-VIS REVENUE GENERATION, THE ECONOMY AND SECURITY OF NIGERIA
Coalition for Transparency and Economic Reforms (COTER) is an umbrella body of 259 anti-corruption, civil society and human rights groups spread across the country. We are a Non-Governmental Organisation serving as watchdog of government policies and society in general.
We are a law-abiding and patriotic organisation whose major and ultimate objective is probity and transparency in government for quality socio-economic reforms.
Our numerous anti-corruption activities and actions are aimed at assisting the government and the Nigerian people to effectively tackle corruption and corrupt tendencies in high places and achieve probity and transparency for the ultimate benefits of all citizens.
Recent developments in the Nigeria Customs Service, which have attracted the attention of many conscientious Nigerians have once again necessitated COTER’s decision to voice out. We feel we’ll be unfair if we keep quiet while history is being quietly made by the current leadership of the NCS in the service of our dear country and beloved Fatherland.
We are actually referring to the feat recorded in the past one year by the Tincan Island, Onne and Apapa Area Commands of the NCS, which has attracted the attention of patriotic and incorruptible citizens of Nigeria, such as COTER. This feat, at the risk of being immodest, is unprecedented in the history of the Nigeria Customs Service, which was established by the then British colonial government in 1891, about 134 years ago!
All these achievements can be attributed to the competence, professionalism and ingenuity of the incumbent Comptroller General of the NCS, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR. There’s no doubt that CGC Adeniyi was appointed by President Bola Tinubu to reorganise the dysfunctional NCS his administration had inherited, for efficiency. Infact, Adeniyi ‘s appointment as CGC effectively met that existing dire need in the Customs for a competent leader, and a thorough-bred professional that would effectively drive and lead the changes that would have immediate impact on the President’s economic reform policies. It is gratifying that President Tinubu found such an ideal CGC in the thorough-bred and highly cerebral Adeniyi, who was then a Deputy Comptroller-General, who he then appointed the CGC on June 19, 2023. Adeniyi has since then been leveraging on his over 30 years service experience in effectively administering the Customs, especially in the areas of strategic and operational responsibilities resulting in the unprecedented achievements and landmark revenue collection recorded by the NCS since his appointment. In line with President Tinubu’s reform agenda and his own understanding of Nigeria’s precarious economic situation, Adeniyi initiated a courageous and result-oriented transformation that has resulted in the better and more efficient Customs Nigeria now has. There’s no doubt that his policy direction and action plans, which lay emphasis on collaboration, consolidation and innovative solutions, have taken the NCS to greater heights in the past two years. CGC Adeniyi’s unprecedented achievements have since been capped by President Tinubu, who, on July 6, 2024, honoured the Customs boss with the “Outstanding Revenue Collection” award at the Nigeria Excellence Award in Public Service (NEAPS), in recognition of his significant achievements in revenue generation since his appointment.
But there’s no doubt that our nation is indeed facing many daunting challenges. We fully understand that security has to be improved upon and the economy has to start responding positively to the reforms introduced by President Bola Tinubu to give the ordinary people Renewed Hope and a reason to exercise patience.
We also understand that elected and appointed officials should reflect current realities in their day-to-day activities and solidarise with the people to make those reforms work. But all these can only be achieved when the government revenue base is enhanced and all leakages are effectively blocked for the ultimate benefit of the ordinary Nigerians in terms of infrastructure provided from the revenue generated by agencies such as the Nigeria Customs Service into the coffers of the Federal Government.
It is from these revenues contributed into the Federal purse that the government can heed the cries of society and begin to address the pressing needs of Nigerians already identified and highlighted for intervention.
We are not under any illusion that there are no challenges confronting Nigeria and Nigerians. The country is indeed writhing from the pains of paucity of funds and the citizens groaning under the weight of economic burden. But with the unprecedented achievements of the NCS through the commendable patriotic activities of the Apapa, Tin Can Island and Onne Area Commands, in the past one year, there’s a silver lining that the revenue accruable to the Federal Government will continue to be shored up, enabling the current administration to make the genuine effort to address those socio-economic challenges.
The Apapa, Tin Can and Onne Area Commands have continued to record groundbreaking feats in the history of the almost one and a half century old Nigeria Customs Service due to the reforms embarked upon by the President Bola Tinubu-led administration and the Controller General of the NCS, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi. We commend the present administration for these landmark achievements and call for further reforms to enhance revenue generation by the various collecting agencies. This, indeed, is highly commendable.
It is apt at this juncture to be specific on some of the revenue collection feats already recorded by the Apapa Area Command of the NCS. In the third quarter of 2024, the Apapa Port Command reported a revenue collection of N1.61trillion. This figure surpassed the N1.17trillion revenue collected in 2023. This feat can be attributed to diligence and integrity as well as the command’s commitment to collaborating with stakeholders to enhance revenue collection and check smuggling. In the first quarter of 2025, the same command generated a whopping N1.75trillion, surpassing its target by N106.5billion. This is a significant milestone and monumental achievement recorded even before the completion of the first half of 2025. This is a clear indication that the Command is set to surpass the N2.3trillion revenue collected before the end of December 2024.
Similarly, the Tin Can Island Port collected a total revenue of N1trillion within the same period while Onne generated about N600billion.
This remarkable feat boldly underscores the unrelenting efforts of these Commands to continue to boost revenue generation and enhance trade facilitation. These proactive strategies and efficient operations of the Commands have continued to yield impressive results, which have positioned them as major contributors to the nation’s economic growth.
COTER has observed that the above feat was achieved through the efforts made by the Commands to increase revenue through thorough inspections and proactive interventions, including timely issuance of demand notices. Their strict adherence to the NCS Comptroller-General’s zero tolerance for smuggling has also gone a long way in assisting the Commands in maintaining their leadership positions in the collection of revenue. Furthermore, their continuous engagement with other security agencies and stakeholders, and the diligent discharge of duties by the officers and men, have ensured their high level of compliance and drastically reduced smuggling in the area through effective cargo monitoring, intelligence gathering and sharing, profiling of port users, stakeholders’ sensitisation and on the job training and retraining of officers and men.
There’s no doubt that these Commands have been contributing significantly to the nation’s economic well-being via their sustenance and improvement of intelligence sharing, robust interactions, cooperation with sister government agencies and regular stakeholder engagements. The policy thrust of the Customs Comptroller-General, including the deployment of a Unified Customs Management System, aka B’Odogwu, we have observed, is being effectively utilised by these Commands to achieve higher productivity ahead of the other Commands of the Service with a view to assisting it in its efforts to surpass the 2024 collection and meeting its 2025 target.
The NCS vigilant officers and men under these Commands have also been assisting the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to apprehend and seize falsely declared and unwholesome pharmaceutical and controlled products, which are usually subsequently handed over to the two agencies.
No wonder, in 2024, at the Comptroller-General of Customs Award night, the Apapa Command carted away several awards for revenue collection, including the Customs Comptroller-General Award of Excellence.
There’s however no doubt that these performing controllers in charge of these three topmost revenue collection Commands deserve to be conferred National Awards to further boost their morale in the task ahead of them.
While we recognise some progress under President Tinubu, we urge his administration to do more and cover more ground in good time. Ministers and government officials must be seen to do more to alleviate the current socio-economic challenges daily faced by the people.
Over the past year, Nigeria has witnessed progress from the reforms introduced by this administration to stabilize the economy. And we can see that the country, creditably, has improved.
Social interventions have been put in place to help the poor and vulnerable survive and navigate the period of economic reforms. Massive investments in infrastructure, health, and education have also been put in place.
Therefore, as concerned patriotic citizens of this great country, Nigeria, we believe that this flow of positive developments being experienced by peace-loving citizens of Nigeria can only be sustained through conscientious revenue collection activities. Accordingly, with the incumbent CG due to retire in the next few months, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must ensure that, the appointment of his successor is strictly based on merit, proven capacity, and integrity, so as to upscale the current NCS revenue target
We call on the leadership of the NCS to institute a study of Onne, Tincan Island and Apapa Area Commands, with a view to understanding the innovations in their operations, particularly Apapa which have seen the Command almost doubling its revenue target and collection. These innovations should then be replicated in Customs Commands all over the country for improved revenue generation and collection. It is our well considered opinion that the Area Comptrollers in charge of these performing commands should not only be encouraged, but also protected against any possible threats to their lives by those who may be averse to their effective, efficient and productive leadership style.
Signed
Dr Peter Chima Chukwu
President, COTER
Mallam Auta Ibrahim Koko
General Secretary, COTER
