The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has stepped up the defence of its ongoing digital transformation and administrative reforms, insisting that tighter technology-driven controls, merit-based career progression and statutory oversight are making it increasingly difficult for revenue leakages and procedural abuses to thrive within the Service.
The NCS made the position in response to questions arising from an investigative report published by SaharaReporters on August 7, 2026, which examined enforcement activities along border corridors in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo states, while also raising concerns about vehicle valuation procedures at the Apapa, Tin Can Island and PTML Area Commands.
National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Abdullahi Aliyu Maiwada, said the issues raised provided an opportunity to explain the systems being deployed to reduce human discretion, strengthen accountability and improve revenue collection.
At the centre of the reforms, he said, is the digital Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)-Valuation system, which has become the standard mechanism for vehicle assessment nationwide.
Under the system, standard vehicles are automatically assessed against global manufacturer specification databases, significantly reducing the scope for arbitrary valuation by individual officers.
Maiwada explained that only vehicles with non-standard or non-compliant VINs are subjected to the extended valuation procedure known as the “846” Extended Procedure Code.
Such vehicles, he said, include specialised heavy equipment, classic and vintage vehicles, as well as customised builds that may not be captured by the standard valuation database.
He added that applications under the extended procedure require secondary…
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