Customs CG assures manufacturers on 4% FOB dialogue, pledges trade facilitation

…announces integration of B’Odogwu into Single Window platform

The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, has reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to fostering industrial growth, assuring manufacturers of continued dialogue regarding the recently suspended 4% Free-on-Board (FOB) charge.

Adeniyi gave the assurance during a meeting with representatives from the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), in Lagos on Friday where he emphasized that while the 4 percent FOB charge exists as a legal provision under the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, effective implementation requires genuine consultations with those directly impacted.

“Recent developments, particularly that of the Ministry of Finance directive, regarding the suspension of the 4% FOB charge, have opened pathways for deeper dialogue between our institutions. While this charge exists as a legal provision under the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, effective implementation requires genuine consultations, like the ones we’re having today, with those that it impacts most directly. This process of consultation, therefore, balances fiscal responsibilities with industrial growth imperatives, ” Adeniyi stated.

He added, “Your voices matter, all our manufacturers, and your experience helps to shape our understanding of how customs procedures can either enable or constrain manufacturing excellence. The Nigeria Customs Service has consistently supported manufacturing through concrete initiatives that recognize the strategic importance of industrial competitiveness to our national economic objectives. Our support extends to structural trade facilitation improvements.

“The manufacturing sector is the backbone of our industrial development, and the success of that sector directly connects to our nation’s prosperity.

To support the sector, particularly in facilitatimg trade, Adeniyi said the Service has concluded the framework for establishing one-stop shops to revolutionize how manufacturers interact with customs and other regulatory agencies.

These initiatives, he said aim to eliminate bureaucratic processes that frustrate legitimate business operations while maintaining robust security and compliance standards.

Adeniyi said the NCS has also carried out a systematic streamlining of checkpoints along major highways, aimed at reducing unnecessary delays that increase costs without adding value to revenue generation or security outcomes.

He announced that the Service has commenced the integration of the B’Odogwu system into the National Single Window Project, which is expected to come on stream in the first quarter of 2026.

“Our engagement today has reinforced that Nigeria Customs Service and the manufacturing sector share fundamental objectives to support economic growth, job creation, industrial competitiveness, and national prosperity.

“Our role is to facilitate legitimate trade, as well as to continue to protect our borders and collect appropriate revenues. While your role is to drive industrial production, create employment, and contribute to our nation’s economic diversifications. These roles are complementary, and they require this kind of collaboration that we’re having to achieve optimal outcomes.

“So the discussions that we have lined up today show that structured dialogue produces better outcomes than isolated policy developments. We have identified specific areas where customs procedures can be refined to support manufacturing efficiency without compromising our regulatory mandate. I want to commit the Nigeria Customs Service that we will continue this dialogue beyond today’s meeting, ” he said.

Earlier in his welcome address, President of MAN, Otunba Francis Meshioye expressed concerns of members over the re-introduction of the 4% Free-on-Board (FOB) charge on imports and challenges arising from the new B’Odogwu customs trade portal.

“Matters of trade facilitation, industrial development, and economic growth for the overall well-being of Nigerian citizens is not a very small issue. It is a very issue that is fundamental to everyone who cares about the Nigeria that is such an important issue.

“The major issues affecting the core of our business operations in the past few weeks and cast a shadow of anxiety among chief executives of our association that has 2,500 members. I refer to the issues of the reintroduced 4% FOB and the B’Odogwu platform, ” he said.

Despite the challenges, Meshioye emphasized MAN’s commitment to collaboration with the NCS and the government.

He called for a constructive and focused engagement to address the challenges and find solutions that will benefit the manufacturing sector, the Customs Service, and Nigerians at large.

Meshioye reiterated MAN’s commitment to working with the NCS to streamline trade processes, reduce the costs of doing business at the port, and enhance industrial competitiveness.