Customs records 188% growth in Advance Ruling accounts

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it has strengthened trade predictability and transparency through its Advance Ruling programme, disclosing that registered accounts grew from 60 in December 2024 to 173 in December 2025, reflecting a 188.3 percent increase in stakeholder participation.

According to the NCS, 83 Advance Rulings were issued in 2025 alone with the initiative accounting for 2.9 percent of total revenue from goods valued at ₦240.89 billion during the same period.

Customs Public Relations Officer, Abdulahi Maiwada disclosed this while delivering a paper presentation titled “Communicating the Results of Capacity-Building Initiatives More Effectively: Nigeria Customs Service Experience and Lessons Learned.”at the 17th Session of the Capacity Building Committee of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) held at its Headquarters in Brussels last week.

In his address to delegates from member administrations, Maiwada explained that the NCS, under the leadership of the Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, who doubles as the Chairperson of the WCO Council, has deliberately transitioned from routine activity reporting to evidence-based storytelling that clearly demonstrates reform outcomes and measurable impact.

“The Service’s reform communication framework is structured around three core pillars: institutional capacity building, human resource development, and stakeholder capacity engagement, ensuring that reforms are not only implemented but clearly understood and trusted,” he noted.

Maiwada said the success of the Advance Ruling programme reinforced the role of structured communication in promoting predictability and voluntary compliance.

Using the Time Release Study (TRS) as a case study, he highlighted how the Service adopted transparent data presentation tools, including infographics, to demonstrate that a significant proportion of cargo clearance delays were attributable to systemic idle time rather than inspection procedures.

According to him, “This approach shifted the narrative from defensive explanations to performance benchmarking, strengthening shared accountability across the trade ecosystem.”

Highlighting progress under the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programme, he revealed that about 120 Companies have received full AEO certification. Additionally, 3,270 officers were trained nationwide as AEO Champions to sustain implementation and deepen stakeholder engagement.

He referenced the deployment of the indigenous Unified Customs Management System, called B’Odogwu, as a milestone in digital transformation, supported by continuous sensitisation and user engagement.

Furthermore, he highlighted the Customs Integrity Perception Survey as a data-driven tool for strengthening accountability and public trust, noting that integrity management within the Service is now measurable and continuously assessed.

Maiwada further encouraged WCO member administrations to integrate communication units at the design stage of reform initiatives, humanise institutional processes, sustain engagement beyond single events, and strengthen peer learning across Customs administrations.

At the end of the session, Nigeria nominated LI Yan of China Customs for the position of Chair of the 18th Session of the WCO Capacity Building Committee and was unanimously supported by all delegates.