Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has stepped up efforts to boost excise revenue and deepen compliance, engaging key manufacturers and excise-paying firms in a month-long sensitisation drive aimed at strengthening government earnings.
The familiarisation and stakeholder engagement programme, followed the assumption of office by the Customs Area Controller, Lagos Industrial Area Command
Comptroller Adebola Salawu.
According to a statement by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Juliana Tomo, the initiative was designed to enhance collaboration with industry players and improve the Command’s overall excise revenue performance.
Addressing stakeholders during the engagements, Comptroller Salawu reviewed existing excise payment processes and stressed the importance of prompt and accurate remittance in line with statutory requirements.
“I reaffirm my commitment to contributing meaningfully to Nigeria’s economic advancement, and I regard this effort as a patriotic responsibility,” Salawu said.
She warned that non-compliance and delayed payments would attract penalties under the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, urging manufacturers to prioritise transparency and adherence to regulations.
“The B’Odogwu platform is designed to ensure seamless, transparent and efficient excise duty payments. Payment delays could attract penalties, including a 10 per cent surcharge on late excise duties, in addition to other sanctions for trade violations,” she cautioned.
Salawu encouraged excise-paying firms to fully adopt the Unified Customs Management System, popularly known as the B’Odogwu platform, for real-time payment and monitoring of excise obligations.
She also highlighted Customs’ broader trade facilitation initiatives aimed at improving the ease of doing business and supporting private sector growth, including export facilitation processes, the one-stop-shop initiative, the Authorised Economic Operators programme, Advance Ruling, and opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA.
The Command said the engagements reflect Customs’ resolve to combine enforcement with partnership, as it seeks to expand excise revenue while fostering a more compliant and business-friendly operating environment.
