By Godwin Felix
The Revenue Monitoring Group of Nigeria (RMGN) has commended the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for reforms in trade facilitation, border security and technology.
The group made the commendation in a statement issued on Monday and signed by its President, Dr Ifeanyi Duruaku, and Secretary-General, Comrade Tor Lumun.
According to RMGN, the reforms under Comptroller-General Bashir Adeniyi have expanded the NCS mandate beyond revenue collection to include trade facilitation and national security.
The group said the service had replaced some manual processes with digital and intelligence-led operations.
“The CGC has redefined NCS processes through automation, transparency, and trust with compliant traders. This has fired up operational capacity and unleashed efficiency across the Service,” it said.
RMGN highlighted the deployment of the Unified Customs Management System (UCMS) and B’Odogwu platform, saying they had reduced human interference, improved cargo clearance and helped address revenue leakages.
It also commended the NCS for strengthening collaboration with the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Department of State Services (DSS), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).
The group said the collaboration had helped efforts to combat smuggling, illicit financial flows and wildlife trafficking.
RMGN also congratulated Adeniyi on his re-election as Chairperson of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) Council at its 147th and 148th sessions in Brussels on July 3.
The group quoted President Bola Tinubu as saying Adeniyi’s unanimous re-election represented recognition of Nigeria’s growing influence in global Customs administration.
It said his leadership had contributed to improved revenue generation, border security, trade facilitation and modernisation of Customs operations.
Reviewing the reforms of the past three years, RMGN cited 2025 trade figures of ₦194.94 trillion, with exports rising by 219.5 per cent to ₦136.65 trillion.
The group attributed the growth to improved efficiency arising from the reforms rather than increases in duties.
“In what amounts to a referendum on the current leadership, it is clear that under Dr Bashir Adeniyi, the Nigeria Customs Service has been significantly transformed.
“We now have a Service that is delivering on revenue, smarter trade facilitation, more effective anti-smuggling operations, and result-driven environmental protection,” RMGN said. (NAN)
Edited by Joshua Olomu