The Nigeria Customs Service has backed down on its controversial plan to raise customs agents’ licence fees, restoring existing rates after talks with industry leaders.
Under the shelved proposal, new licences would have surged from ₦515,000 to ₦10 million, with annual renewals leaping from ₦215,000 to ₦4 million. But Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents president Emenike Nwokeoji told members in Lagos that sustained engagement had secured a reprieve. Customs, he said, had “allowed us to continue to renew at the old rates; the status quo remains”.
He credited dialogue with government agencies for easing tensions in a sector under mounting strain, while urging members to accelerate adoption of key digital trade tools such as the Authorised Economic Operator scheme, Advance Ruling system and the National Single Window project. Participation in ongoing training, he warned, is essential to survive the sector’s fast-approaching digital transition.
Customs Consultative Committee chairman, Hakeem Olanrewaju called for unity and structural reform, arguing that indigenous freight forwarders must embrace mergers and consortium models to compete in an era shaped by platforms like B’Odogwu and the Port Community System. He also pressed for safeguards to prevent foreign firms displacing local practitioners.
The well-attended NEC meeting drew leading ANLCA figures, including former president Prince Olayiwola Shittu and board chairman Taiwo Mustapha.