With the official confirmation of Wale Adeniyi as the Comptroller-General (CG) of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), has urged him to prioritise trade facilitation and remove all non-tariff barriers to trade in order to boost Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and revenue generation at the gateways.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO), CPPE, Dr. Muda Yusuf, stressed that in his period, there should be a tariff regime that adequately protects local industries in the country.

According to him, the practice by customs operatives and other security agencies intercepting cargoes that have been duly cleared at any of the nation’s ports should be discontinued. He stated that the relevant authorities should put a stop to these disruptions of business activities in the country at a period the business community is facing prevalent challenges on all fronts.

“The practice has been proven to be disruptive to trade and mostly extortionist. Just recently, freight forwarders had to protest the frequent interception of cargo by the police in Lagos. The relevant authorities should put a stop to these disruptions of business activities in the country.”

“Trade policy reforms typically do not feature prominently in economic conversations in this country. We need to ensure a tariff regime that adequately protects local industries. Import duty on intermediate products and critical industrial inputs should be reviewed to reduce production costs. Tariff review processes should be more inclusive and transparent. There should be a credible dispute resolution system to mediate between customs and the business community, especially with respect to valuation and tariff classification.”

Adding that the government should ensure a balance between the revenue objectives and trade facilitation objectives of the NCS, Yusuf said there is currently a disproportionate focus on revenue generation to the detriment of investment growth and well-being of businesses.