Esther Oritse
Lagos — Nigeria’s trading community is looking forward to the benefits of the National Single Window (NSW) project as preparations advance toward its planned roll-out in early 2026.
Recent meetings at the Customs Headquarters in Abuja have reassured stakeholders that the initiative, first unveiled by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in April 2024, will streamline cargo clearance, reduce bureaucracy, and enhance transparency. For importers, exporters, and logistics operators, the project is expected to cut costs, speed up transactions, and strengthen Nigeria’s competitiveness in global trade.
During the review meeting, key stakeholders—including the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi; the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zacch Adedeji; and the Director of the National Single Window, Tola Fakolade—reaffirmed their commitment to deepening inter-agency cooperation to drive the project’s success.
The discussions centered on aligning integration timelines and ensuring agencies are ready before the first-quarter 2026 deadline.
Recall that only three days ago, Adedeji and Mr. Fakolade revisited Customs Headquarters for a follow-up session, where the FIRS Chairman expressed satisfaction with the pace of work.
He commended the Customs management for their cooperation and noted that the progress reflects a strong will to deliver on the President’s mandate.
“I can’t thank you all enough for the wonderful progress as I’m seeing everything being completed. This has become the official headquarters of the implementation. Nigeria Customs Service is playing host to the core implementation scheme of Single Window”, the FIRS Chairman remarked.
Fakolade, in his briefing, approved a joint venture for broad stakeholder engagement sessions to be held across the four zones of the country in October 2025. He also confirmed that bi-weekly technical meetings will continue to address operational challenges and streamline integration processes.
“As part of the implementation of Single Window Project, there has been approval for the release of funds for the support of different MDAs, especially when it comes to IT infrastructure”, he said.
“We’d like to also gain approval to visit the various commands to figure out if there’s any support they might need so as to make this a reality,” he added.
In his remarks, CGC Adeniyi assured that the Service remains fully committed to the project, emphasising that Customs is not only meeting its technical responsibilities but also driving the broader vision of creating a seamless trade ecosystem.
“We are going to deliver on this mandate. At the rate that we are currently striking agreements on so many of these issues, I want to believe we would be right on target”, he said.
He continues, “I would like to reiterate our support for the build up towards the implementation of National Single Window”.
The NSW, when fully operational, is expected to cut down cargo clearance times, lower trade costs, curb revenue leakages, and position Nigeria as a more competitive player in global trade. With the renewed momentum and stronger agency partnerships, the project is on track to deliver lasting economic impact.
