PEBEC ranks Customs among top agencies in trade facilitation

By Adebola Isimijola, Lagos

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has emerged as one of the country’s top-performing government agencies in trade facilitation after earning full compliance in the 2025 Business Facilitation Act (BFA) Compliance Assessment conducted by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC).

The assessment recognised the Customs Service for meeting all prescribed compliance standards and recording significant improvements in the speed and efficiency of its trade-related services, placing it among the highest-performing Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) evaluated.

The report was made available to journalists on Tuesday by the National Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service, Assistant Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada.

According to the Director-General of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council, Zahrah Audu, the Nigeria Customs Service distinguished itself by complying with all required standards while improving the timeliness and responsiveness of its operations.

“The Nigeria Customs Service stood out by meeting all the required standards while recording notable improvements in the timeliness and efficiency of its response to trade-related matters,” Audu said.

She noted that the achievement reflects the Service’s commitment to promoting a more transparent, efficient and business-friendly trading environment, in line with the Federal Government’s Ease of Doing Business reforms.

Audu also attributed the positive outcome to the Service’s sustained focus on operational efficiency and improved stakeholder experience, adding that the performance aligns with the Federal Government’s efforts to strengthen trade facilitation across the country.

She further disclosed that 98 per cent of the 69 MDAs assessed under the Business Facilitation Act now meet the expected service delivery standards, describing the result as evidence that the ongoing reforms are yielding positive outcomes nationwide.

The recognition comes on the heels of several reforms introduced by the Nigeria Customs Service to modernise customs administration. These include the B’Odogwu Unified Customs Management System, the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programme and the Advance Ruling System, all aimed at simplifying import and export procedures, reducing cargo clearance delays and enhancing transparency in customs operations.This follows the Hope Newspaper style, with the attribution to the Customs spokesman appearing in the third paragraph.