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MMCDC Hails NCS Over Training of 3,270 AEO Champions, Calls for Deeper Maritime Collaboration
MMCDC Hails NCS Over Training of 3,270 AEO Champions, Calls for Deeper Maritime Collaboration
By Okeoghene Onoriobe, Waterways News Correspondent, Lagos
The Maritime Media Capacity Development Center (MMCDC) has praised the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for its sustained push to build professional capacity within its ranks, spotlighting the growing momentum of the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programme as a pivotal driver of maritime trade efficiency.
In a statement released Friday and signed by the Centre’s Chairman, Sesan Onileimo, the MMCDC expressed strong encouragement over the NCS’s recent disclosure that 3,270 officers have been trained nationwide as AEO Champions, with 120 companies having attained full AEO certification.
Chairman of Maritime Media Capacity Development Center (MMCDC), Sesan Onileimo (left) and the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi
For a publication audience keenly attuned to the health of Nigeria’s maritime value chain, the figures carry significant weight. AEO-certified operators enjoy streamlined customs processing — a direct benefit to port throughput, cargo dwell times, and the competitiveness of Nigerian trade corridors.
“These milestones underscore the NCS’s commitment to fostering a culture of competence, transparency, and stakeholder engagement within the maritime and trade sectors,” Onileimo stated.
The MMCDC also drew attention to remarks made by Deputy Comptroller of Customs and NCS National Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Maiwada, at the 17th Session of the Capacity Building Committee of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) in Brussels, Belgium. Maiwada had outlined the Service’s reform communication framework, which centres on institutional capacity building, human resource development, and proactive stakeholder engagement — all of which have direct implications for Nigeria’s ports and inland trade infrastructure.
The Centre further commended the NCS for deploying digital tools such as the Unified Customs Management System, B’Odogwu, alongside programmes like the Time Release Study (TRS), the Advance Ruling Programme, and the Customs Integrity Perception Survey. Together, these initiatives are designed to sharpen operational transparency and align customs processes with measurable trade outcomes — concerns that resonate deeply across Nigeria’s maritime sector.
“As an organisation committed to building media and maritime sector capacity, the MMCDC recognises the profound impact of these initiatives in creating a cadre of well-trained officers who are capable of driving efficiency, integrity, and innovation across Nigeria’s maritime value chain,” Onileimo said, urging continued government investment in such programmes.
The Centre also reserved particular praise for Customs Comptroller General Adewale Adeniyi, crediting his leadership with elevating the NCS’s training infrastructure. Since his assumption of office, the Service has upgraded the Customs Command and Staff College in Abuja, as well as its two training colleges in Lagos and Kano — a development the MMCDC described as having “greatly enhanced the performance of all cadres of officers.”
The results, it noted, are visible in the NCS’s performance across trade facilitation, revenue collection, and the suppression of smuggling and the importation of contraband — all issues with direct implications for the integrity of Nigeria’s maritime gateways.
Onileimo concluded by signalling the MMCDC’s intent to deepen collaboration with the NCS, WCO member-administrations, and sector stakeholders to further advance maritime governance, professional training, and trade best practices.
“Nigeria must continue to lead,” he said. “And the work being done by the NCS is central to that ambition.”
Waterways News — Nigeria’s foremost publication for maritime and inland waterways intelligence.