By Joy Odor Reportcircle News
In a bold diplomatic and institutional statement, the Nigeria Customs Service took centre stage at the 17th Session of the World Customs Organization (WCO) Capacity Building Committee, unveiling a sweeping shift in how reform results are communicated and measured.
For three days at the WCO Headquarters in Brussels, delegates from Customs administrations across the globe listened as Nigeria laid out what officials described as a decisive transition from routine reporting to impact-driven storytelling.
At the heart of the presentation was Deputy Comptroller of Customs Abdullahi Maiwada, National Public Relations Officer of the Service, who delivered a paper titled: “Communicating the Results of Capacity-Building Initiatives More Effectively: Nigeria Customs Service Experience and Lessons Learned.”
Maiwada told the international audience that under the leadership of Comptroller-General Adewale Adeniyi, who also serves as Chairperson of the WCO Council, the Service has abandoned activity-based reporting for an evidence-backed communication model that foregrounds measurable outcomes.
According to him, the framework rests on three pillars: institutional capacity building, human resource development, and stakeholder engagement.
“Reforms must not only be implemented,” he stressed, “they must be understood, trusted and measured.”
Using Nigeria’s Time Release Study (TRS) as a case study, Maiwada disclosed how the Service deployed infographics and transparent data tools to demystify cargo clearance delays.
The findings were revealing.
A significant portion of delays, he said, stemmed from systemic idle time not inspection bottlenecks as widely assumed.
That single communication pivot, he explained, moved the narrative from defensive explanations to performance benchmarking and shared accountability across the trade chain.
The message was clear:
transparency builds credibility.
On the Advance Ruling programme, the figures were even more striking.
Maiwada revealed that 83 Advance Rulings were issued in 2025 alone.
Registered user accounts jumped from 60 in December 2024 to 173 by December 2025 a staggering 188.3 per cent increase in participation.
The programme accounted for 2.9 per cent of total revenue from goods valued at ₦240.89 billion in 2025, underscoring how structured communication can drive predictability and voluntary compliance.
Momentum was also evident under the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programme, where about 120 companies have now secured full certification.
To institutionalize the reform, 3,270 officers nationwide were trained as AEO Champions, a move designed to sustain implementation and deepen trust with compliant businesses.
Maiwada also spotlighted the indigenous Unified Customs Management System, known as B’Odogwu, describing it as a cornerstone of the Service’s digital transformation, backed by sustained sensitisation and user engagement.
In perhaps one of the most significant revelations, he pointed to the Customs Integrity Perception Survey as a data-driven accountability tool.
Integrity management within the Service, he said, is no longer anecdotal, it is measurable, tracked and continuously assessed.
He urged member administrations to integrate communication experts at the design stage of reforms, humanise institutional processes and strengthen peer learning across Customs jurisdictions.
As proceedings drew to a close, Nigeria further demonstrated its influence within the global Customs community by nominating LI Yan of China Customs for Chair of the 18th Session of the Committee, a nomination that received unanimous backing from delegates.
LI Yan, China’s Customs Attaché to Brussels since 2020, has served four terms as Vice Chair and was previously elected Chair at the 16th Session before her re-election at the just-concluded 17th Session.
By the end of the Brussels meeting, one theme resonated: reform without communication is invisible.
For Nigeria Customs, the strategy is now unmistakable measure it, communicate it, own it.
And in Brussels this week, Nigeria did exactly that.
