Nigeria Customs Strengthens WCO Integrity Partnership, Receives Global Commendation

Nigeria Customs Strengthens WCO Integrity Partnership, Receives Global Commendation

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has reinforced its commitment to institutional integrity and international best practices through deeper collaboration with the World Customs Organization (WCO) under its Anti-Corruption and Integrity Promotion (A-CIP) Programme.

This development followed a high-level meeting held at the WCO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on March 23, 2026, during a working visit by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, who currently serves as Chairperson of the WCO Council.

During the engagement, the WCO A-CIP team briefed the Comptroller-General on the progress made in ongoing collaboration with the NCS. Discussions focused on integrity capacity-building initiatives, the development of integrity-driven standard operating procedures, and plans to conduct an integrity risk assessment exercise within the Service in 2026.

The A-CIP team also outlined strategic priorities under Phase II of the programme (2026–2030), which aims to embed stronger integrity safeguards within automated customs systems, trade facilitation frameworks, and revenue administration processes.

Commending the NCS for its transparency and accountability efforts, the WCO team highlighted the Service’s active participation in the WCO integrity survey and its approval for the release of the survey outcomes. According to the organisation, the decision reflects a strong institutional commitment to openness.

The survey results also point to the impact of 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, Adeniyi expressed appreciation to the A-CIP team for its continued engagement and support, reaffirming the NCS’s determination to sustain and deepen the partnership.

Both parties acknowledged that maintaining strong institutional integrity remains critical for strengthening public trust and enhancing the credibility of customs administrations, particularly within the increasingly complex global trade environment.

As part of forward-looking steps agreed at the meeting, both sides resolved to publish the WCO integrity survey results to further demonstrate transparency, establish and train a dedicated implementation working group, and systematically integrate the survey’s recommendations into the operational and business processes of the NCS.

In a separate engagement, the Comptroller-General also held a strategic meeting with the WCO Secretary-General, Ian Saunders, alongside relevant secretariat officials. The meeting provided an opportunity to exchange updates on the activities of the WCO Policy Commission and Council.

The development was disclosed in a statement signed by the National Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Abdullahi Maiwada.