The National Publicity Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Emmanuel Onyeme, has said that the one-year tenure extension granted to the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will help stabilise international trade in Nigeria and provide clearer policy direction for the clearing and forwarding industry.
Speaking in Lagos, Onyeme, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Aug Nigerian Limited, a licensed customs brokerage firm, said the extension would enable the Customs chief to complete ongoing reforms in revenue collection, trade facilitation, anti-smuggling, stakeholder engagement, customs modernisation, and national security.
He noted that stakeholders had been concerned about the possible discontinuation of policies introduced under Adeniyi’s leadership.
“Within two years, the CGC has implemented critical reforms that require more time for full execution. The extension will allow him to consolidate these initiatives across the Nigeria Customs Service and the international trade value chain,” Onyeme said.
He also commended Adeniyi’s recent election as Chairman of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) Council, describing it as a significant development for Nigeria and Africa.
According to Onyeme, Adeniyi’s additional year in office will focus on consolidating projects such as the Customs modernisation programme, improved stakeholder engagement, and enhanced training for officers and industry players on tools including B’Odogwu, the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) scheme, and the Time Release Study (TRS).
Onyeme expressed confidence that the extension would improve field operations and strengthen collaboration between Customs and the trading community.
