By Muhyideen Jimoh
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‎President Bola Tinubu has directed the National Single Window (NSW) Steering Committee to ensure that the platform becomes fully operational by the first quarter of 2026.
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‎The directive was delivered during Tuesday’s fifth steering committee meeting at the State House, Abuja.
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‎This is contained in a statement on the event issued by the Presidential Spokesperson, Mr Bayo Onanuga on Tuesday in Abuja.
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‎Onanuga said that the President was represented at the even by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.
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Tinubu said the recent Tax Reform Acts, signed into law in June, underscored the urgency of accelerating reforms and pursuing Nigeria’s $1 trillion economy target.
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‎He highlighted the importance of financial and trade reforms in achieving national economic transformation.
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‎”It’s important that we continue to stay focused on this project. So that at the end of the day, we meet our timelines and achieve the results the President expects.
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‎”As you all are aware, the project is one of the transformative initiatives of Mr. President which we collectively must ensure is effectively and commendably implemented,” Gbajabiamila said.
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‎He emphasised the role of a unified electronic platform in simplifying Nigeria’s import and export operations.
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‎According to him, the NSW will boost investment and trade revenues, improve transparency, and strengthen Nigeria’s global business credibility.
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‎Tinubu urged all agencies to refine their targets and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to meet the Phase 1 deadline.
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‎”I do expect that since the last meeting of the steering committee held on April 8, all stakeholders have operated and actively progressed with all the required KPIs and set targets to ensure that we go live with phase 1 in Q1 2026 as was previously scheduled,” he said.
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‎Mr Wale Edun, Minister of Finance, described the progress as encouraging but stressed the need for swift execution.
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‎He urged a shift from strategy to concrete implementation, calling the project complex but transformational.
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‎Edun urged the committee to improve collaboration and resolve final hurdles to meet the rollout timeline.
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‎Dr Jumoke Oduwole, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment charged the committee to work diligently and meet the Q1 2026 deadline.
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‎Dr Zacch Adedeji, Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), thanked the President for consistently supporting the project.
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‎”On behalf of the steering committee we thank you for the relentless support that you have given to us.”
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‎”To all my colleagues here, we can see that the reward for hard work is more work. When we started last month, it is now law; the single window is now in the law.”
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‎He asked committee members to stay focused on the mission ahead.
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‎The Director of the National Single Window (NSW) Project, Tola Fakolade, gave a brief overview of the steering committee’s progress toward implementing the project.
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‎”‘All second quarter 2025 key project milestones have been successfully achieved and the customisation of the Single window platform has commenced,” he said.
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‎He gave assurances that the committee would meet up with the timelines.
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‎The National Single Window project is a Federal Government initiative to streamline trade processes by creating a centralised electronic platform for importers and exporters.
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‎It is a digital trade facilitation platform expected to accelerate economic growth and facilitate cross-border transactions.
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‎Launched in April 2024, the NSW seeks to consolidate all agencies involved in imports and exports onto a unified electronic portal.
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‎It is expected to reduce trade costs, cut delays, and enhance transparency and efficiency at Nigerian ports.
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‎Members of the committee include representatives from the Ministry of Trade and Investments, the Ministry of Finance, FIRS, and the Nigeria Customs Service.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Joseph Edeh