By Abubakar Yunusa
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, has pledged the full support of the Nigeria Customs Service for the newly established South-South Development Commission.
Adeniyi said the Commission could drive economic growth in the region through strategic collaboration with Customs.
The CGC gave the assurance on Thursday during a courtesy visit by the Commission’s Managing Director, Usoro Akpabio, to the Customs House in Maitama, Abuja.
While congratulating Akpabio on her appointment, Adeniyi noted that the 2023 Customs Act introduced sweeping reforms which required broad consultations.
He promised that Customs would sustain conversations with the Commission to promote inclusivity and shared growth.
Adeniyi proposed the creation of a joint working team to serve as a sounding board for partnership in areas such as trade facilitation, border management, and economic integration.
He recalled that Customs recently launched a Corporate Social Responsibility programme to support host communities with projects in education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
“This reflects our commitment to inclusive growth and strong partnerships across regions,” he said.
Responding, Akpabio commended Customs for its reforms and modernisation efforts, describing them as exemplary.
She said the Commission, barely three weeks old, had been saddled with a broad mandate covering the blue economy, agriculture, human capital development, infrastructure, and utilities in the South-South.
According to her, Customs remains central to the region’s economic blueprint, given its roles in seaports, oil and gas operations, free trade zones, and border activities.
Akpabio assured that the Commission would build a strategic alliance with Customs that would promote transparency, regional growth, and national development.
