Skip to main content

Customs, MAN Chart New Course for Industrial Growth​

By Anne Ejuka


The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) have ushered in a new era of cooperation, following a high-level strategic consultation in Lagos on Friday, 26 September 2025. The engagement focused on strengthening collaboration to drive industrial growth, enhance trade facilitation and boost Nigeria’s economic competitiveness.


The meeting provided a critical platform for dialogue and constructive discussion between the two bodies, culminating in a joint communiqué signed by Adewale Adeniyi, Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) and Francis Meshioye, President of MAN,  symbolising a "turning point" in the relationship between both organisations.



Speaking during the engagement, ​the CGC reaffirmed the NCS’s commitment to balancing its crucial revenue mandate with  business-friendly reforms, noting that the manufacturing sector is "central to Nigeria’s industrialisation and job creation."


​A significant outcome of the consultation according to a statement from the National Public Relations Officer of NCS, AC Abdullahi Maiwada was the announcement of strategic exemptions from the 4% FOB levy, approved by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun. These exemptions are designed to reduce costs and enhance the competitiveness of the manufacturing sector.


​


The exemptions cover raw materials, machinery and spare parts imported by manufacturers under Chapters 98 and 99 of the ECOWAS Common External Tariff (CET). ​Others include government projects with Import Duty Exemption Certificates (IDEC), humanitarian and life-saving goods, healthcare-related imports under the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain, and spare parts for commercial airlines.


​CGC Adeniyi further clarified that manufacturers yet to be onboarded under Chapters 98 and 99 would benefit from expedited inclusion and any levy payments already made would be held as credit for future transactions.

​


Beyond the levy, the dialogue addressed broader operational challenges faced by manufacturers, including multiple checkpoints, excessive alerts in the clearance system, and technical issues with digital trade platforms.


​The Customs boss announced plans for a “One-Stop-Shop” trade platform to simplify regulatory processes, reduce bureaucracy, and significantly shorten clearance times. This is in addition to the streamlining of highway checkpoints to eliminate unnecessary delays. 


​CGC Adeniyi further emphasised that the Service’s reforms are anchored on a vision for long-term economic transformation, stressing a commitment to predictability, transparency, and efficiency in customs operations.


While delivering a remark, the Deputy Comptroller General in Charge of the Tariff and Trade Department, Caroline Niagwan, highlighted the ongoing trade facilitation measures, including the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) scheme, Advance Ruling system, Time Release Study, and various technology-driven solutions designed to streamline clearance and cut costs for legitimate businesses.


​MAN President Francis Meshioye lauded the "new spirit of partnership and openness" under the current Customs leadership, stating that the reforms and trade facilitation initiatives will "ease our operations, enhance competitiveness, and ultimately contribute to Nigeria’s economic growth.”


The Manufacturers Association pledged to complement these efforts through constructive policy engagement and by supporting compliance among its members.

​

Both NCS and MAN resolved to establish formal and tripartite consultation mechanisms for continuous policy dialogue and feedback. The tripartite consultation framework will involve MAN, Customs, and the Ministry of Finance to enable a structured and periodic review, monitoring the impact of new policies and ensuring progress. The service further agreed to ​develop clear guidelines for MAN members’ admission into the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) scheme.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Eze Uchendu Applauds Compt. Olomu's Outstanding Performance In Apapa

By Anne Ejuka
  ...Berates APMT For Lack  of Capacity & Technicality ...Calls FG to Set Up Committee To Access APMT Operations In Nigeria The remarkable performance of the Customs Area Controller of the Apapa Customs command, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu fsi has been commended by a renowned freight forwarder, the Chairman of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarder( NAGAFF), Apapa Chapter, Fowdr. Prince Eze Uchendu. Accessing the Apapa Command under the control of Compt. Olomu,  the  chairman applauded the resilience and doggedness of the area controller in all areas of operation, in his words, "I think for now we have a good controller, the person of controller, Babatunde Olomu, since his inception as the CAC Apapa, I can say Apapa Command has never had it so good, so I can score the Nigeria customs high In all fields of endeavour, the controller has been a moving controller,  he's not a controller that stays in office. He comes to the terminals ...
Post a Comment
Read more

KNIGHTS OF ST. JOHN (KSJI) TAKES A SWIPE AT BAD LEADERSHIPS IN NIGERIA

By Anne Ejuka
  Maj. Gen. (Prof) Remy Uche,  KSJI Supreme Subordinate President, Nigeria. As Christians all over the world marked  the feast of the Passion of St. John the Baptist on August 29 commemoration of his beheading by King Herod for speaking up to the truth, the Knights of St. John International (KSJI) of the Roman Catholic Church has taken a swipe against which it described as obnoxious and draconian leaderships in many spheres of life in Nigeria. The Knights of St. John International (KSJI), a sodality organisation of men and women looked up to in the Roman Catholic Church as people of integrity, is not happy with the current situation in the country where leaders in some places are not serving expectedly. According to a press statement made by the KSJI leader in Nigeria (Supreme Subordinate President), Maj Gen. Remy Uche (Prof), and signed on his behalf, by his Chief of Staff, Sir Abuchi Anueyiagu, to mark the feast of the Passion of St. John the Baptist, the patron saint...
Post a Comment
Read more

NCS Medical Team Trains Apapa Area Command Officers On First Aid

By Anne Ejuka
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) medical team yesterday trained officers and men of the Apapa Area Command on basic first aid training. ‎ ‎The Customs Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba according to a press release issued by the public relations officer of the command, Superintendent of Customs SC JT Ayagbalo described the initiative as a crucial investment in workplace safety and operational readiness. ‎ ‎In his welcome address, Comptroller Oshoba emphasized that the programme reflects the priority placed on staff welfare by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR. ‎ ‎He described first aid knowledge as a universal life skill that every adult should possess, especially officers as they are frequently exposed to high-risk operational environments. ‎ ‎ Oshoba noted that simple but timely interventions such as; CPR, bleeding control, choking relief and stroke recognition often determine whether a victim survives, fully recov...
Post a Comment
Read more