• NIPR says Customs’ perception deficit impedes public trust 

Stakeholders have decried what they termed flagrant disregard of the directives by the Federal Government and the Minister of Finance to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to discontinue the collection of a four per cent Free on Board (FOB) charge. 
 
Recall that the Ministry of Finance suspended the charge last week and directed NCS to discontinue its collection after widespread condemnation from manufacturers, importers, clearing agents, and the business community at large.
 
A licensed exporter, Bolade Oladipo, confirmed that customs was still collecting the charge as of yesterday afternoon, even though they objected to it.
 
“We raised the alarm that what they are doing is against the presidential directive, but instead, they told us that they have yet to get a white paper from the government. When it was to go into effect, they did that immediately without waiting for the white paper, but now they have been asked to remove it; it has been excuses and stories for over a week,” he said.
 
Another agent, Kayode Collins Farinto, also confirmed that the charge had remained in the system even though they were told it would be removed yesterday. 
 
The Director-General, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Dr Chinyere Almona, expressed concern over the continuous enforcement of the levy and called on customs to recalibrate its systems without delay to reflect the ministerial directive and issue a public notice confirming compliance. She also urged the Ministry of Finance and the National Assembly to tackle any legal ambiguity.
 
Attempt to get the reaction of Customs to the allegations was not successful as the National Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Customs, Abdullahi Maiwada, said: “I have been out of Abuja attending a workshop and I just got back. I can neither deny nor confirm these allegations, but I will get back to you when I have more information.”

Meanwhile, the President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Dr Ike Neliaku, has challenged the Customs to channel strategic efforts toward rebuilding public perception of its operations to earn and sustain public trust.
 
Describing the NCS as a Federal Government agency whose policies and operations have long suffered from public misconceptions, Neliaku emphasised that addressing the entrenched perception deficit was crucial to restoring the agency’s integrity.
 
Speaking yesterday at the opening of the 2025 edition of the Nigerian Customs Service Public Relations Workshop, held at Bayero University, Kano, Neliaku underscored the importance of effective communication, behavioural change, and stakeholder engagement as key elements in addressing negative perceptions.
 
The NIPR President highlighted the critical role of PR officers in reshaping the Service’s reputation, building credibility, promoting policies, and mitigating potential risks. He stressed that transparency and integrity must form the bedrock of Customs PR operations if public trust is to be rebuilt.