Customs Backs Nigeria’s $1tn Economy Target, Says Adeniyi

The Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, has pledged the full support of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) towards the Federal Government’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy.

Adeniyi made the commitment while delivering a keynote address at the New Nigeria Festival held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Conference Hall, Abuja.

He said the $1 trillion economic target was achievable if strategies and policies designed to attain it were effectively implemented, stressing the need for institutions to move beyond rhetoric and translate national aspirations into measurable results.

According to him, the Customs Service has already begun taking practical steps towards supporting the country’s economic ambition through its ongoing modernisation reforms.

He cited the deployment of B’Odogwu, the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme and the Advance Ruling mechanism as key initiatives aimed at facilitating legitimate trade, improving predictability in the trading environment and strengthening revenue generation.

“Execution is nothing if it is not concrete. We have to move from ideas to action and ensure that whatever we plan translates into results. That is how we can begin to see the kind of transformation we are talking about,” Adeniyi said.

The Customs boss stressed that the responsibility for achieving the $1 trillion economy could not be left to government agencies alone, noting that institutions, businesses and citizens must collectively take ownership of the national economic objective.

He noted that the NCS, given its responsibilities in revenue collection, trade facilitation and border management, was strategically positioned to contribute significantly to Nigeria’s economic transformation.

Adeniyi therefore called for a shift from rhetoric to implementation, saying the country’s economic ambition would only be realised when institutions and citizens translated plans into concrete and measurable actions.