Customs partners WCO, UK International Development to target corruption hotspots in clearance, procurement, HR

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), in collaboration with the World Customs Organisation (WCO) and UK International Development, has commenced a comprehensive corruption risk assessment aimed at identifying and addressing vulnerabilities across key Customs processes, including cargo clearance, procurement and human resource management.

The exercise, which focused on corruption risk analysis, risk mapping and the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), formed part of efforts to strengthen the Service’s internal integrity framework and promote greater transparency and accountability.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the workshop held at the NCS Headquarters, Maitama, Abuja, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, said the initiative represented an important step towards strengthening institutional growth, integrity and corruption risk management.

Adeniyi stressed that the exercise was not intended to find fault or apportion blame but to enable the Service to critically examine its processes, identify weaknesses and develop sustainable solutions.

“This has nothing to do with fault-finding or apportioning blame. Rather, it allows the system to look at itself, identify weaknesses and develop sustainable solutions,” he said.

According to him, the assessment covered critical areas of Customs operations, including regulatory and administrative procedures, cargo clearance, inspection and examination, enforcement and compliance, procurement and human resource management.

“The purpose of what we have therefore been doing with our partners was to identify such areas of vulnerabilities, assess the associated risk and develop practical measures to mitigate them,” Adeniyi stated.

The Customs chief said the Service would continue to strengthen transparency, accountability and internal controls while simplifying processes and deploying technology to reduce unnecessary human discretion.

He noted that a transparent, predictable and accountable Customs administration would be better positioned to facilitate legitimate trade, improve compliance and enhance public confidence.

The WCO Lead Technical Expert for the Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme, Arman Zhalitov, commended the Customs management for its support for the exercise and urged the working group to pursue the endorsement and implementation of the workshop outcomes.

He said the outcomes included a comprehensive action plan outlining practical steps to advance trade facilitation while strengthening the Service’s anti-corruption agenda.

Also speaking, WCO Programme Manager for the Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme, David Tanenbaum, highlighted progress achieved through the partnership in areas including the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme, post-clearance audit and time-release studies.

Tanenbaum stressed that integrity could not be treated in isolation from broader Customs reforms, saying the achievements recorded so far demonstrated that the partnership was producing tangible institutional and operational results.

“Our work continues to bring us closer to a systematic, preventive approach to identifying and managing corruption risks within Customs operations,” he said.

The latest exercise is expected to strengthen the Service’s capacity to identify corruption hotspots before they undermine operations, while providing clearer procedures and safeguards for mitigating risks.

Beyond enforcement, the initiative is expected to support a more predictable trading environment by reducing discretionary processes, strengthening internal controls and improving the overall integrity of Customs operations.