Tin Can Customs boosts media capacity

The Tin Can Island Port Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has trained over 100 maritime journalists in a sustained capacity-building programme aimed at strengthening compliance, trade facilitation and accurate reporting as Customs accelerates its modernisation drive anchored on the Customs Act 2023 and the B’Odogwu Unified Customs Management System.

The second batch of the Maritime Journalists Training Workshop, held at the Command underscored Customs’ push to align Nigeria’s port operations with global best practices while closing knowledge gaps that often fuel misconceptions about cargo clearance, port delays and compliance enforcement.

Declaring the workshop open, the Customs Area Controller (CAC), Tin Can Island Port Command, Comptroller Frank Onyeka, said the initiative came at a critical phase of the Service’s reforms, stressing that an informed media was indispensable to transparency, accountability and public enlightenment in the maritime sector.

He said: “The media, especially maritime journalists, play a strategic role in this journey, as partners in information dissemination, public enlightenment and accountability.

“As we deliberate on compliance, collaboration and modernisation, our collective goal is to align the Nigeria Customs Service with global best practices while promoting national economic growth and national security.”

He explained that the training was designed to deepen journalists’ understanding of Customs operations, compliance requirements and trade facilitation tools, while also addressing long-standing misconceptions surrounding port processes.

Onyeka added that the Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr. Adewale Adeniyi, places high priority on stakeholder collaboration, noting that effective service delivery could only be achieved through collective effort with the media, private sector operators and other government agencies.

The workshop, which had as its theme “Compliance, Collaboration and Modernisation: Aligning the Nigeria Customs with Global Best Practices,” featured five technical and professional sessions covering the NCS Act 2023, the B’Odogwu platform, the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme, Time Release Study (TRS), global supply chain security under the World Customs Organisation (WCO) SAFE Framework of Standards, and ethics in maritime journalism.

In Session one, Deputy Comptroller Chinyere Nwachukwu provided an overview of the NCS Act 2023, explaining that the law repealed the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) of 1958 after 65 years, in response to rapid technological advancement and evolving global trade practices. She said the new Act introduces clearer institutional structures, expands enforcement and investigative powers, modernises procedures and embeds trade facilitation and compliance provisions aligned with international standards.

According to her, the Act prescribes stiffer sanctions to deter violations, including imprisonment, fines of up to N50 million, monetary penalties, forfeiture of goods and the suspension or revocation of licences.

“A proper understanding of the NCS Act 2023 will enable maritime journalists to report more accurately on trade, enforcement and port activities, thereby promoting transparency and accountability,” she noted.

The second session focused on the B’Odogwu Unified Customs Management System, with Assistant Comptroller Mary-Anne Egwunyenga describing the platform as more than an IT solution but a legally grounded trade facilitation and governance tool driving Customs reforms.

She said B’Odogwu directly impacts cargo clearance timelines, cost of doing business, revenue assurance and trade data integrity by simplifying and automating processes without weakening regulatory control.

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“B’Odogwu makes legitimate trade faster, more predictable and more transparent, while strengthening risk management and inter-agency collaboration,” Egwunyenga said, highlighting features such as paperless PAAR processing, improved cargo tracking, smarter data management and nationwide visibility of cargo movement.

On customs modernisation, AC Adeiza Ibrahim explained that the AEO programme and Time Release Study are flagship instruments aligning Nigeria with WCO standards, aimed at easing bottlenecks, improving competitiveness and strengthening revenue assurance across ports and border stations.

Addressing global supply chain security, Deputy Comptroller Azikiwe Ejidoh said modern Customs administration must balance trade facilitation with effective control.

He described security as a collective responsibility and outlined the WCO SAFE Framework’s three pillars, including Customs-to-Customs, Customs-to-Business and Customs-to-Other Government Agencies cooperation, as critical to building a secure and resilient global supply chain.

Beyond technical sessions, the workshop also challenged journalists on professionalism and ethics. In a presentation titled “Recalibrating the Compass: Character as the True North of Maritime Journalism,” Publisher of Inside Watch Africa, Oluwaseyi Adeyemo, urged reporters to see themselves as critical stakeholders in the growth of Nigeria’s maritime industry.

“If the maritime sector must grow, we must grow in character. Character is our true North. Nigeria does not need more maritime stories; Nigeria needs better maritime journalism,” Adeyemo said.

Earlier, the training coordinator, Innocent Orok, said the programme was conceived in 2024 following a media report alleging that Customs caused delays to extort importers, leading to high demurrage and increased prices of goods. He explained that such issues had been addressed decades ago through trade facilitation tools, highlighting the need to equip journalists with accurate knowledge of Customs processes.

Orok said the first batch of the training was held on November 1, 2024 under the leadership of the then Comptroller, now Deputy Comptroller-General, Dera Nnadi, while the second batch was organised to accommodate more journalists. He commended Comptroller Onyeka for what he described as an unprecedented commitment to media development and capacity building.

Participants from across the maritime media spectrum described the programme as highly impactful, noting the training would significantly enhance the quality and depth of their reporting on Customs operations and the broader maritime industry.

The one-day workshop concluded with the presentation of certificates, plaques and modern electronic work tools to participants and resource persons, underscoring the Service’s commitment to strengthening professionalism in maritime journalism in line with its push to align port operations with global best practices.