NIGERIA CUSTOMS STRENGTHENS WCO INTEGRITY PARTNERSHIP, EARNS GLOBAL COMMENDATION

By Stella Okocha 

Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has deepened its engagement with the World Customs Organisation (WCO) Anti-Corruption and Integrity Promotion (A-CIP) Programme; based on its commitment to strengthening institutional integrity and aligning with global best practices in customs administration.

This is due to a high-level meeting held at the WCO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on 23 March 2026, during a working visit by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, who also serves as the Chairperson of the WCO Council.

The engagement provided an opportunity for the A-CIP Team to brief the Comptroller-General on the progress of its ongoing collaboration with the NCS.

Discussions centred on integrity capacity-building initiatives, the development of integrity-focused standard operating procedures, and the planned conduct of an integrity risk assessment exercise in 2026.

The team also outlined its strategic priorities under Phase II of the Programme (2026–2030), which places emphasis on embedding integrity safeguards within automated customs systems, trade facilitation frameworks, and revenue administration processes.

Furthermore, the A-CIP team commended the NCS for its active participation in the WCO integrity survey and for approving the release of the survey outcomes, a step that reflects a strong institutional commitment to transparency and accountability.

The positive outcomes of the survey underscore the impact of the ongoing reforms within the Service, including structured valuation review mechanisms, strengthened post-clearance audit processes, and the implementation of the Voluntary Disclosure Framework under the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.

In his remarks, the Comptroller-General expressed appreciation to the A-CIP team for the quality and relevance of its engagement with the Service, reiterating the NCS’s resolve to sustain and deepen the partnership.

Both parties acknowledged that institutional integrity remains a critical pillar for building public trust and enhancing the credibility of customs administrations, particularly in an increasingly complex global trade environment.

Building on the outcomes of the meeting, both sides agreed on a set of forward-looking actions to consolidate progress under the A-CIP Programme.

These include publishing the WCO integrity survey results to demonstrate transparency, establishing and training a dedicated Implementation Working Group, and systematically integrating survey recommendations into NCS operational and business processes.

In a separate development, the Comptroller-General also held a strategic meeting with the WCO Secretary-General, Ian Saunders and relevant secretariat staff, during which both sides exchanged updates on the work of the Policy Commission and Council.