Stakeholders back Customs post-clearance audit for transparency - Punch Newspapers

Stakeholders in the maritime sector have commended the management of the Nigeria Customs Service following its sensitisation exercise on the service’s Post-Clearance Audit. The stakeholders stated this on Thursday in Lagos during a Post-Clearance Audit Sensitisation Programme themed, ‘Post-Clearance Audit Reform for Greater Transparency and Revenue Protection’. Speaking, the National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, Mr Emenike Nwokeoji, commended the service for the sensitisation programme. Nwokeoji, who was represented at the event by Mr Bola Muse, described PCA as a globally recognised tool for modern customs administration. “It promotes voluntary compliance, correct revenue assurance, and the issue of doing business, as licensed customs agents and ANLCA members are critical partners in this process. “We view PCA not as a punitive measure, but as a collaborative platform to identify gaps, correct declarations, and strengthen trust between the NCS and the trading public. And we pledge our continued support. We intensify member education on accurate classification, validation, and documentation,” Nwokeoji said. He highlighted that the association is happy that the PCA exercises are conducted with transparency, professionalism, and within business timelines. “We thank the Controller CG and the entire management of Nigeria Customs for this initiative. We look forward to robust engagement that will further deepen our partnership for national economic growth,” he said. A representative from the Lagos Chamber of Commerce, Mr Laz Shobande, commended the service for the initiative. Shobande maintained that the initiative would boost the nation’s economy. “On behalf of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce Fifth World Aspirant Group, and to say a very big thank you for this event, although the notice was short, I am glad to be here with a lot of my colleagues and stakeholders, and we cannot put aside the functions of the Post-Clearance Audit. “The bottom line is to improve the economy of our country. On that note, I want to thank you for this event, and I wish all of us stakeholders a beautiful deliberation,” Shobande said. He called for more sensitisation of stakeholders by the service on the Authorised Economic Operator introduced by the NCS. “But having said that, I want to say again that the aspect of the authorised economic operator, the AEO, we need to be engaged; it’s a well-formed development because it’s an international thing. Apapa Customs intercept N43.58bn drugs, expired goods Customs intercept N604m contraband in Kwara Customs moves to revive inter-zonal games “If you are authorised here in Nigeria, then you can operate anywhere in the world. It’s very good. I want to thank the Comptroller General that this is coming on during your time. I think we need some more specialization on that. That’s what I would say,” he said. Earlier, the Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of PCA, Babatunde Olomu, said, “This agreement comes at a very critical time in our efforts to strengthen the Post-Clearance Audit office as a strategic instrument for revenue assurance, voluntary compliance, trade facilitation, and improved customs administration. “It also provides an important platform for strengthening understanding, cooperation, and mutual trust between the service and our esteemed stakeholders.” He pointed out that the programme is geared towards strengthening three objectives, including enhancing stakeholders’ understanding, strengthening revenue assurance, deepening partnership, and institutional cooperation. In his speech, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, maintained that some of the reforms put in place by his service are irreversible, adding that he is happy that most of the initiatives are things that stay long after the exit of this current administration from the service. “Some of these reforms are irreversible. There’s nothing we can do about it. We have to go ahead with it. The part that gladdens my heart is that as we are taking our exit from the service, we are happy that we are leaving these initiatives as legacy programmes that have been owned, that have been understood, that have been nurtured by the younger generation of customs officers who are coming behind here,” Adeniyi said. He emphasised that the sensitisation exercise is going to be continuous, adding that it would be taken to other parts of the country. “This is going to be a continuous conversation. We have started this here in Lagos; I also know that we are going to be in Port Harcourt along the line, and we are also going to gather stakeholders like this together. “What we have done here today- the presentations, apart from the fact that we put them in your email, there is a document that has been published in conjunction with the World Customs Organisation,” he added. According to Adeniyi, PCA did not arrive in Nigeria by accident. “It arrived because there were two things that happened at about the same time. The first is the Nigerian Customs Service Act 2023. And that is the Act that gave this service a modern legal foundation. “And with it, an express mandate to verify compliance after goods have been released. The second is that the Federal Government set a clear direction on revenue and on the business environment. And asks agencies and governments to meet both objectives at once. That instruction deserves to be stated very clearly.” The PCA is a modern customs control strategy that balances the need for trade facilitation with compliance and revenue protection. By conducting risk-based audits after the release of goods, PCA minimises Delta, reduces costs for traders and ensures that customs regulations are met. The NCA Act 2023 provides a legal framework for the PCA, supporting its implementation as a key element of risk management and trade facilitation in Nigeria. Anozie Egole Anozie is a Chief Correspondent at Punch Newspapers with over 13 years of experience covering entertainment, maritime, and transport sectors. He specializes in producing insightful, engaging stories that provide clarity and depth across his beats. Anozie’s work reflects substantial newsroom experience and a strong commitment to accurate and compelling journalism.

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