Lawmakers Pledge Support for Customs Reform as Comptroller Onyeka Showcases Performance
Author: Lucy Nyambi.
Members of the House Committee on Customs and Excise have pledged their commitment to driving legislative reforms to strengthen the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
This assurance was given during an oversight visit to the Tincan Island Port Area Command on Wednesday, 9 April 2025.
In his welcome address, the Zonal Coordinator for Zone ‘A’, Assistant Comptroller General (ACG) Charles Orbih, emphasised the dual mandate of the NCS in revenue generation and national security.
He stated that, beyond revenue generation, “our commitment to national security remains unwavering. Our enforcement arm has made critical interventions and seizures of prohibited items, particularly hard drugs, arms, and ammunition, to protect the sanctity of our society”.
Presenting the command’s performance report, the Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Frank Onyeka, revealed that in the 2024 fiscal year, the command collected over ₦1.25 trillion, representing 88.88% of the set target. “For the first quarter of 2025 alone, the command has already generated ₦347.9 billion, a 14.54% increase from the same period in 2024”.
“This performance underscores the effectiveness of our revenue generation strategies and reinforces our continued commitment to fostering economic development while maintaining zero tolerance for revenue leakages”, the CAC added.
On trade facilitation, the Customs Area Controller highlighted the importance of strong collaboration with stakeholders, such as shipping companies, terminal operators, agents, and security agencies. He also praised the responsiveness of the Service’s ICT unit in resolving technical downtimes.
“When we have issues of downtime, we quickly communicate to our ICT department in Abuja, and those issues are dealt with almost immediately”, he said.
The CAC, however, pointed out persistent challenges affecting operations, including inadequate port facilities, unsafe waterways, and poor road infrastructure.
“A customs officer resumes by 8am, but containers are not positioned until about 12pm due to lack of forklifts at the terminals. The facilities are not there, and those are the things that slow down our jobs as customs officers”.
Responding on behalf of the House Committee, the chairman, Hon. Leke Abejide, commended the command’s achievements and reassured officers of the Committee’s unwavering support.
“There are people working for you at the parliament, and we are not joking with it, and the speaker is equally with us, working with us to make sure customs is not relegated to the background”.
“We have seen how you’re able to perform within this first quarter, now, we are in second quarter, we appreciate you for that, because there’s hope that customs will meet up with ₦10 trillion target this year”, he concluded.
