Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has expressed readiness to partner with Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) to deepen diaspora engagements, facilitate humanitarian interventions, and support strategic investments by Nigerians abroad.

This commitment was made during a courtesy visit by the Chairman/CEO of NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, to the service headquarters in Abuja, where both agencies reaffirmed the importance of structured collaboration in advancing national development.

Speaking during the visit, Dabiri-Erewa informed the Comptroller General on the preparations for this year’s Nigeria Diaspora Day, which would focus on Diaspora Health Impact Initiative 2026 (DHII 2026), scheduled to hold from July 20 to 23, 2026, across states in Nigeria as part of the National Diaspora Day celebrations on July 25 and 26 in Abuja.

Dabiri-Erewa highlighted challenges faced by diaspora Nigerians, who import medical equipment and relief materials for genuine humanitarian purposes in the country.

She called for the establishment of a structured framework to support legitimate diaspora interventions, including waivers for medical and educational equipment.

Under the initiative, seven major diaspora medical associations will be deployed to designated regions across the country to conduct medical outreaches and specialised training.

The associations will cover various spheres of medicine across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones before rounding off in Abuja for National Diaspora Day 2026.

Dabiri-Erewa appealed to the service for seamless collaboration in participating at the 2026 Diaspora Day, clearing medical equipment and supplies to be brought in for the outreach, while also seeking moral, financial, and institutional support for the event.

In his response, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, commended NiDCOM for its impactful work over the past six years in projecting a positive image of Nigerians globally and strengthening ties between the diaspora and the Nigerian government.

He explained that while revenue generation remains a core mandate of the Service, the NCS had become increasingly deliberate about trade facilitation to improve turnaround time, reduce the cost of doing business, and ultimately enhance revenue performance.

He welcomed NiDCOM’s proposal for joint training and announced that the service already operates a help desk, which could also serve as a focal point within the service to specifically handle diaspora-related matters.