The Nigeria Customs Service has announced that its Advance Ruling Account grew from 60 in December 2024 to 173 in December 2025, adding that the initiative accounted for 2.9 per cent of total revenue from goods valued at N240.8bn in 2025.
The National Public Relations Officer of the service, Abdullahi Maiwada, a Deputy Controller of Customs, announced this in a statement on Sunday. According to the statement, Maiwada presented the figures while delivering a paper at the 17th Session of the Capacity Building Committee of the World Customs Organisation held at its headquarters in Brussels last week.
The paper was titled, “Communicating the Results of Capacity-Building Initiatives More Effectively: Nigeria Customs Service Experience and Lessons Learned.”
In his address to delegates from member administrations, Maiwada explained that the NCS, under the leadership of the Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, who also serves as the Chairperson of the WCO Council, has deliberately transitioned from routine activity reporting to evidence-based storytelling that clearly demonstrates reform outcomes and measurable impact
On the Advance Ruling programme, Maiwada disclosed that, “83 Advance Rulings were issued in 2025, while registered accounts grew from 60 in December 2024 to 173 in December 2025, reflecting a 188.3 per cent increase in stakeholder participation. The initiative accounted for 2.9 per cent of total revenue from goods valued at N240.8bn in 2025, reinforcing the role of structured communication in promoting predictability and voluntary compliance.”
According to him, the service’s reform communication framework is structured around three core pillars: institutional capacity building, human resource development, and stakeholder capacity engagement, ensuring that reforms are not only implemented but clearly understood and trusted.
Using the Time Release Study as a case study, Maiwada highlighted how the service adopted transparent data presentation tools, including infographics, to demonstrate that a significant proportion of cargo clearance delays were attributable to systemic idle time rather than inspection procedures.
“This approach shifted the narrative from defensive explanations to performance benchmarking, strengthening shared accountability across the trade ecosystem,” he said.
Highlighting progress under the Authorised Economic Operator Programme, he revealed that about 120 companies have received full AEO certification. “Additionally, 3,270 officers were trained nationwide as AEO champions to sustain implementation and deepen stakeholder engagement,” Maiwada stressed.
He referenced the deployment of the indigenous Unified Customs Management System, called B’Odogwu, as a milestone in digital transformation, supported by continuous sensitisation and user engagement.
The NCS’s image maker further highlighted the Customs Integrity Perception Survey as a data-driven tool for strengthening accountability and public trust, noting that integrity management within the service is now measurable and continuously assessed.
Maiwada further encouraged WCO member administrations to integrate communication units at the design stage of reform initiatives, humanise institutional processes, sustain engagement beyond single events, and strengthen peer learning across Customs administrations.
The Advance Ruling initiative is a trade facilitation mechanism introduced by the NCS. It allows importers, exporters, customs brokers, and other qualified operators to request a written, binding decision from Customs on key aspects of a goods transaction before the goods are imported or exported. These decisions cover issues such as tariff classification, valuation, origin, and certain duty exemptions — giving traders clarity and certainty on customs treatment in advance.
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