Oritsegbubemi Omatseyin
Lagos — The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has intensified efforts to curb the illegal trade in environmentally sensitive commodities by organizing a four-day Train the Trainers workshop aimed at enhancing the capacity of its officers in enforcing environmental trade regulations.
The workshop, brought together Customs officers for intensive training on environmental governance, trade control measures, enforcement strategies and inter-agency collaboration to strengthen compliance with international environmental conventions.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, represented by the Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Strategic Research and Policy, Nafiu Isiyaku, commended stakeholders whose support contributed to the successful implementation of the programme.
Adeniyi said the success of the training would be measured not only by the knowledge acquired by participants but by their ability to transfer such knowledge to other officers and translate it into improved operational outcomes across various Customs formations.
According to him: “We have explored critical issues relating to environmental governance, trade control measures, enforcement strategies and inter-agency collaboration, all of which are essential to protecting our environment and securing our borders.”
Also speaking, Regional Programme Officer of the International Trade Centre, Richard Eke-Motoho, lauded the NCS for its commitment to building expertise in environmental trade regulation.
He said the programme was expected to create a larger pool of national trainers who could eventually serve as regional resource persons, thereby strengthening capacity across the region and promoting environmentally sustainable trade practices.
“The International Trade Centre and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) will continue to collaborate in strengthening initiatives that promote regional integration and economic development,” Eke-Motoho said.
