…As NCCSC Junior Course 22 Students Visit Imo/Abia Command on Operational Study Tour
By Gift Wada
As part of efforts to modernise its excise operations and boost revenue collection, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has revealed plans to phase out manual excise data collection and replace it with an automated Excise Register System (ERS).
This was disclosed during an operational study tour by Junior Division Course 22 students from the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada, Abuja, to the Imo/Abia Area Command.
The command spokesperson, Nnamdi Aligwekwe, in a press statement signed on 25 July 2025, said the one-week tour, which began on Sunday, 13 July 2025, brought senior officers undergoing academic training to the command headquarters in Owerri, where they engaged with customs officials and excise traders as part of a research-based requirement for their course.
Addressing the delegation, the Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Friday Akpan, urged the visiting officers to make the most of their tour by gathering valuable insights to support their research on excise operations.
During the tour, the students visited several excise factories, including the Nigeria Bottling Company (NBC) and Irete Plant, where factory officials outlined the challenges impacting production and, by extension, excise revenue.
“The more we produce, the more excise duty we pay,” said Acting Plant Manager Adedayo Adegeye, adding that power supply issues and high raw material costs significantly influence output.
A key highlight of the tour was a lecture on the Efficiency of the Newly Introduced Excise Register System, delivered by the Command Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Customs Nnamdi Aligwekwe. He described the ERS as a digital system linked to the Unified Customs Management System known as B’odogwu, which was developed to enhance transparency and block revenue leakages.
“The Nigeria Customs Service will soon end the manual collection of excise data era. All resident officers have been trained on the Excise Register System to ensure efficient operations across excise factories nationwide,” he said.
Another lecture by Acting Deputy Comptroller Revenue, Assistant Comptroller Ifedapo Akolade, highlighted how efficient excise operations can serve as a foundation for national economic development.
A panel session featuring representatives from excise factories such as Nigeria Breweries Plc, 7Up Bottling Company Ltd, Golden Guinea Breweries Plc, and Afro Beverages & Distillers Ltd provided a platform for industry players to share operational challenges ranging from insecurity to delays in clearing raw materials at ports.
