Customs pledges full backing for Nigeria’s $1tn economy goal

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, has assured that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) will fully support the country’s drive to build a $1 trillion economy, urging public institutions to turn national ambitions into measurable results.

Adeniyi gave the assurance on Tuesday, October 6, in a keynote address at the New Nigeria Festival held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Conference Hall, Abuja.

He said the target was within reach if the strategies designed to achieve it were properly implemented.

According to him, the Service has moved past talk to concrete action. He pointed to its ongoing Modernisation Reforms, including the deployment of B’Odogwu, the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme and the Advance Ruling mechanism.

These, he said, are meant to ease legitimate trade, make the trading environment more predictable and boost revenue.

“Execution is nothing if it is not concrete. We have to move from ideas to action and ensure that whatever we plan translates into results. That is how we can begin to see the kind of transformation we are talking about,” he said.

The Customs boss stressed that the $1 trillion goal could not be left to government agencies alone, adding that it demanded the collective commitment of institutions, businesses and citizens.

He noted that, given its role in revenue collection, trade facilitation and border management, the Customs Service is strategically placed to contribute to the nation’s economic transformation.

Adeniyi concluded by calling for a shift from rhetoric to implementation, saying the ambition would be realised only when institutions and citizens take ownership of their responsibilities and convert plans into practical, measurable action.