By Joy Odor Reportcircle News
Nigeria on Monday placed its ports under a global stopwatch and the early verdict from the World Customs Organisation (WCO) is clear: the country’s Time Release Study (TRS) could become a turning point for faster cargo movement, safer borders and stronger trade competitiveness across Africa.
At the formal presentation of the TRS Report at Tin Can Island Port, the Secretary-General of the WCO, Ian Saunders, hailed the study as a hard-nosed, evidence-based reform that moves beyond policy rhetoric to expose, in measurable terms, how Nigeria’s border clearance system actually performs.
Saunders said the study delivers “specific and objective insights” into where time is lost, where processes work, and where decisive intervention can unlock speed, efficiency and safety across Nigeria’s trade corridors.
Implemented under the WCO Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme, the TRS, he noted, converts reform ambitions into operational results, a shift he described as critical for modern Customs administration.
“The findings of this study give Nigeria a clear opportunity to deliver equally clear improvements that will strengthen both the economy and national safety,” Saunders said, underscoring the dual role of Customs as trade facilitator and security gatekeeper.
He explained that the Time Release Study is one of the WCO’s most powerful performance measurement tools, already deployed worldwide to improve transparency, predictability and efficiency without weakening border controls.
But the WCO chief was blunt about what comes next: success will not come from Customs acting alone.
“Trade facilitation is not achieved by policy alone,” Saunders warned.
“It is realised through consistent, efficient and sound practices. The Time Release Study shows what is working, what is not, and where leadership and investment are required.”
From the government side, the message was equally firm.
Delivering the keynote address, the Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, said the TRS fits squarely into the Federal Government’s push for data-driven reforms aimed at cutting transaction costs and improving efficiency at Nigeria’s ports and borders.
She described the study as more than a diagnostic snapshot, calling it a strategic policy instrument that allows governments to measure performance objectively, identify bottlenecks and strengthen transparency across the trade ecosystem.
“The Time Release Study is not merely a diagnostic exercise,” Uzoka-Anite said. “It is a reform tool that supports smarter regulation, evidence-based decision-making and improved coordination across border agencies.”
The Minister stressed that in today’s global economy, competitiveness is increasingly defined by speed, certainty and compliance, noting that efficient clearance processes are essential to investor confidence and sustained economic growth.
She assured stakeholders of continued government backing for reforms that modernise border management, build institutional capacity and deepen collaboration among all agencies involved in trade regulation.
Echoing this position, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, praised the Nigeria Customs Service for confronting systemic bottlenecks head-on, describing the TRS initiative as a clear signal of the government’s determination to improve efficiency across the entire trade ecosystem.
At the operational core of the reform, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, said the Service is embedding the Time Release Study into its broader transformation agenda to accelerate cargo clearance and raise service delivery standards.
Adeniyi said the study provides credible, actionable data on cargo dwell time, allowing Customs and partner agencies to pinpoint procedural overlaps, eliminate avoidable delays and streamline clearance processes.
“The Time Release Study allows us to move from assumptions to facts,” he said. “It tells us exactly where time is lost and where reforms must be focused to achieve measurable improvements.”
He maintained that while speed is critical, it will not come at the expense of control, stressing that trade facilitation must advance alongside strict compliance and security standards.
International partners also weighed in.
A representative of the United Kingdom High Commission to Nigeria commended the Customs Service for embracing WCO trade facilitation tools, particularly the TRS, noting that the initiative is supported through a programme of His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
Rounding off the technical perspective, the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Strategic Research and Policy, Dera Nnadi, said insights from the TRS report will shape operational adjustments, policy refinement and infrastructure planning as the Service works with stakeholders to deliver a more predictable, efficient and business-friendly trade environment.
With the stopwatch now running, Nigeria’s challenge is no longer knowing where the delays are but how fast it can act on the data to turn reform promises into time saved at the ports.
