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The agreement was reached during a recent courtesy visit by the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Aminu Maida, to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, in Abuja.

Adeniyi noted that Customs is moving beyond revenue collection to tackle security risks linked to unregulated importation of mobile phones and telecom equipment. He said stronger collaboration with NCC would help align monitoring systems and regulatory standards.

The NCC boss highlighted the Commission’s Device Management System (DMS), which tracks imported phones and blocks substandard devices using their International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers. “If a subscriber is using a substandard phone, no matter the investment operators make in their networks, service quality will remain poor. That is why the DMS project is critical,” Maida explained.

Maida also raised concerns about uncertified network boosters, warning that while they may temporarily improve signal, they often distort networks and degrade service quality. He urged Customs to restrict their importation to only approved devices.

The DMS platform will create a single control point for monitoring and managing devices connected to Nigerian networks under a Public-Private Partnership model. It is expected to cover the country’s estimated 200 million telecom subscribers.

Despite regulatory efforts, thousands of counterfeit phones still flood Nigerian markets each year, undermining both service quality and security. The strengthened collaboration aims to curb these leakages while boosting revenue.

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*By Abdulsalam Mahmud,*

In recent years, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has steadily repositioned itself as more than a revenue collection agency. It has taken on the role of reformer, digitiser, and moderniser, reshaping the way trade and excise duties are managed across the nation.

The latest stride in this transformation is the automation of the Excise Register System, a bold step that reinforces Customs’ place at the forefront of institutional renewal in Nigeria. The story of Nigeria Customs is increasingly one of innovation.

From the automation of clearance procedures to the roll-out of digital platforms that simplify transactions, the Service has demonstrated an awareness that modern governance must be anchored on transparency and efficiency. The new Excise Register System (ERS) is one more signpost along this road of reform.

The pilot phase of the ERS was recently concluded with promising results. For months, Customs engaged in fieldwork, conducted User Acceptance Testing, validated the system’s processes, and trained both officers and excise factory staff.

These painstaking efforts ensured that when the system finally went live, it was not an experiment but a working solution tested under real conditions. Three factories served as the testing ground for this innovation: British American Tobacco Nigeria in Oyo State, International Tobacco Company in Kwara State, and Leaf Tobacco & Commodities Nigeria Ltd in Kaduna.

They were not chosen by chance. Each represents a strategic hub in Nigeria’s excise industry, providing the Service with a strong foundation on which to build the nationwide rollout. The results of the pilot speak for themselves.

At BATN, the system recorded a 75 percent efficiency score during its testing. Across all three sites, Customs successfully integrated production and reporting systems, bringing both management teams and officers into stronger collaboration.

For once, the conversation was not about loopholes but about how to close them. With the ERS now fully operational at the three sites, every excise-related activity—production recording, duty computation, statutory reporting—has been shifted into the digital space.

The era of heavy paper files, missing records, and inconsistent reporting is drawing to a close. In its place comes a transparent, accountable, and technology-driven framework. The benefits are immediate and undeniable. Errors are reduced.

Human interference is minimised. Revenue leakages are plugged. And with a centralised platform, both Customs and the regulated industries can operate with a clarity that strengthens compliance. More importantly, the system signals a cultural shift within Customs itself.

Digitisation is not merely about replacing paper with screens. It is about changing habits, enforcing accountability, and ensuring that officers, manufacturers, and regulators alike understand that the process is bigger than any individual.

The Service has made it clear that the pilot is only the beginning. Lessons drawn from these first factories will form the blueprint for a nationwide rollout. Other excise-regulated industries—including beverages, spirits, and wider segments of manufacturing—are already in line to join this digital transformation.

This aligns perfectly with the broader Trade Modernisation Project that Customs has embarked upon. From clearance processes at the ports to excise operations inland, the Service is building a connected ecosystem where data flows seamlessly and oversight is sharper. Stakeholders are being urged to embrace the reform with open hands.

For manufacturers, the system is not a burden but a safeguard. For government, it is a guarantee of sustainable revenue growth. For Customs itself, it is a validation that reforms, when pursued with consistency, can yield tangible results.

The challenge now lies in expansion and sustainability. Reform projects in Nigeria often stumble when initial momentum fades. But if Customs can sustain the pace, train its officers adequately, and enforce compliance across industries, the ERS may become a landmark case of successful digital governance.

This development also speaks to the vision of Customs leadership, which has consistently emphasised innovation and technology as the foundation of modern administration. In a country where paper trails often become corruption trails, automation stands out as both shield and sword.

It is also a reminder that reforms do not thrive in isolation. They require the cooperation of industry operators, the buy-in of officers, and the support of government. Customs has issued the call for feedback and collaboration, and it remains to be seen how stakeholders will respond.

The ERS represents more than just another software. It is a test of will, discipline, and collective responsibility. If sustained, it could become a model for other government agencies wrestling with the burden of outdated systems and revenue leakages. As the Excise Register System grows from pilot to nationwide adoption, it carries the weight of expectation.

For government, it promises sustainable revenue. For industries, it promises fairness and clarity. For the public, it offers assurance that
accountability is not a lost cause. But beyond figures and reports, this is a story about trust.

It is about restoring confidence in an institution that touches every strand of the economy. It is about proving that reforms can work when the will is strong and the vision is clear. The digital register is not just a system—it is a symbol of what happens when technology and integrity meet in service of a greater good.

In the end, Nigeria Customs has shown that progress is not an accident. It is built, one reform at a time, one system after another, until a culture of accountability takes root. With every automation, the Service is not merely changing its methods; it is writing a new chapter in the story of Nigeria’s governance.

A chapter where the future is not imagined in theory, but lived in practice, and where every transaction echoes a promise: that this country can indeed rise to the height of its possibilities.

*Mahmud, Deputy Editor of PRNigeria, can be reached at: babasalam1989@gmail.com.*

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By Tahir Ahmad,

For years, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has wrestled with the challenge of protecting a vast and vulnerable border stretching over 4,000 kilometers. Much of it lies across rough, remote, and poorly monitored terrain—ripe for exploitation by criminal networks who always seemed one step ahead.

While smugglers adapted to new technologies and used the landscape to their advantage, our frontline officials were often left behind with paper logs and static checkpoints. That narrative is finally shifting. On June 2, 2025, a quiet revolution began in Abuja.

Through a strategic collaboration with the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Nigeria Customs launched the first Master Trainer Programme on Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) in West Africa.

This was not just another seminar or skills workshop. It marked a profound leap into a new era of intelligent border management. Geospatial Intelligence, often referred to as GEOINT, harnesses satellite imagery, GPS signals, and location-based data to help security officials see and understand what is happening across the land—often in real time.

For the Nigeria Customs, it offers the power to detect illicit activities from miles away, trace hidden smuggling routes, and position enforcement teams based on actual intelligence, not outdated assumptions.

With GEOINT, Customs officers are no longer limited by what their eyes can see or what informants whisper. From high-risk zones to far-flung paths, the system provides digital insight into terrains that were once invisible.

The border now has a voice, and it speaks through signals, satellites, and live mapping. As Comptroller-General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, pointed out during the launch, this breakthrough is the product of almost ten years of steady collaboration, forward-thinking, and strategic partnerships.

In the past, Customs efforts were largely reactive—officers patrolled without clear guidance, and data was rarely used in real-time operations. With GEOINT, that old playbook is being rewritten.

Imagine Customs officers working from command centers with digital maps highlighting smuggling hotspots, tracking patterns of illegal movement, and receiving alerts from AI systems scanning satellite feeds. This is not science fiction.

This is now the reality Nigeria is stepping into. Criminals may still know the back trails and forest paths. But they cannot escape the watchful eye of technology. GEOINT allows security officials to study and act on suspicious movements long before a vehicle reaches a checkpoint or contraband crosses the line.

This is not just about catching criminals; it is about staying ahead of them. The significance of this move goes beyond Nigeria. The Master Trainer Programme brought together officers from several West African nations, making it not just a national initiative but a regional turning point.

By building a corps of experts equipped to train others in GEOINT, Nigeria is helping shape the future of border security across the subcontinent. WCO’s representative, Motohiro Fujimitsu, captured the moment when he called it a game-changer.

And rightly so. In a region battling arms trafficking, drug routes, and illicit trade, shared intelligence and technological synergy may well be our strongest line of defense. Japan’s backing through JICA further reinforces this effort.

It is not just a gesture of goodwill—it is a vote of confidence in Nigeria’s growing leadership in modern customs practices. As trade opens up across Africa through AfCFTA, securing those corridors becomes a priority.

GEOINT stands out as a smart, scalable solution to safeguard those routes without slowing trade. This milestone was made possible by a blend of diplomacy, policy, and technical innovation.

Under the leadership of Assistant Comptroller-General Dera Nnadi and the Strategic Research and Policy Department, Nigeria is no longer waiting to be trained by others. It is taking ownership of regional security development. This is not dependency. This is direction.

Ultimately, the value of this initiative goes beyond maps and machines. It is about transforming the identity of Nigeria Customs—from an agency overwhelmed by evolving threats into a forward-looking institution driven by data, intelligence, and foresight.

As CGC Adeniyi emphasized, the criminal underworld is evolving in method and sophistication. Our response must be even more sophisticated. Geospatial Intelligence offers exactly that edge—and Nigeria is not just catching up; it is taking the lead.

This digital transition is not merely a tool of convenience. It is the lifeline our borders have long needed. With GEOINT, Nigeria Customs is now walking confidently into the future, guided not by guesswork but by clarity from above.

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TECH DIGEST- Vice President Kashim Shettima, Comptroller General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, have been recognised for their outstanding contributions to Nigeria’s economic development.

VP Shettima was awarded the Economic Advisory Leadership accolade, while CG Adewale was named CEO of the Year in the public sector. Dangote, on the other hand, was awarded the CEO of the Year in the private sector.

The awards were presented during the second edition of the Economic Confidential lecture and book launch, titled “Impactful Public Relations in Customs Management: The CG Wale Adeniyi Example”.

Dr. Sule Ya’u Sule, Chairman of the Board of Image Merchants Promotion (IMPR), the publishers of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential, lauded VP Shettima’s pivotal role in driving Nigeria’s economic growth and development under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

“Through his leadership, the National Economic Council (NEC) has fostered collaboration, shaped policies to stimulate investment, and addressed key economic challenges, including revenue generation, unemployment, and diversification, providing strategic guidance to transform Nigeria’s economy,” Dr. Sule said.

Regarding CG Adewale, the Chairman highlighted his exceptional leadership in running the Nigerian Customs Service, leveraging strategic communication to drive revenue growth and enhance national security.

“His innovative strategies have boosted revenue, improved cargo clearance, and reduced smuggling, earning the Service numerous accolades and cementing its reputation as a model for effective communication and revenue generation,” Dr. Sule added.

Dangote, described as Africa’s leading entrepreneur and philanthropist, was recognized for his role in driving Nigeria’s economic growth through diversified investments under the Dangote Group.

“His investments in cement, sugar, flour, and oil refining have created jobs, enhanced industrial capacity, and transformed the construction and energy sectors. Dangote’s commitment to infrastructure and social responsibility has profoundly impacted Nigeria’s socio-economic landscape, earning him numerous accolades as a key driver of the nation’s economic development,” the Chairman stated.

Other award recipients included the Central Bank of Nigeria for Outstanding Interagency Collaboration, the FCT Minister Barrister Nyesom Wike for Outstanding Infrastructural Development, Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State as Governor of the Year for Outstanding Infrastructural Development, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State for Outstanding Revenue Generation, and Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi, for Outstanding Strategic Communication.

In his remarks, VP Shettima, who was represented by Special Adviser on Economic Matters, Dr. Tope Fasua, commended the Image Merchants Promotion team for their consistency in research and investigative journalism. He emphasized the importance of effective communication in governance, particularly in the Information Age, and highlighted the Tinubu administration’s efforts to ensure a redistribution of income in favor of the most vulnerable.

The highlight of the occasion was the public lecture and book presentation by Kabir Abdulsalam and Maryam Na’Allah of PRNigeria, which was endorsed by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC).

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