The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, has assured non-oil exporters, especially agro-and allied products that the Service under his watch is more than ever committed to eliminating non-tariff barriers, addressing operational bottlenecks and working with relevant agencies to create an enabling environment as part of efforts to rejuvenate the country’s non-oil export trade.

The CGC made a pledge when he hosted a delegation from the Regional Observatory of Onion in West and Central Africa ORO/AOC, led by its President, Aliyu Maitasamu, who was on a courtesy visit to the Customs’ headquarters, Maitama, Abuja, recently.

He noted that the engagement was timely, disclosing that over the past six months, the Service had faced sustained pressure from economic operators in Benin and the Niger Republic over the use of Nigeria’s transit corridors, particularly routes through northeastern Nigeria and the Kamba axis.

“Let me assure onion farmers and other export-oriented stakeholders that the NCS will stand solidly behind you. We will remove all known non-tariff barriers and work with other government agencies and stakeholders to create a more facilitating environment for your trade.

“While discussions on transit corridors often focus on imports, the engagement with onion exporters presents an opportunity to strengthen Nigeria’s export narrative and unlock broader economic benefits.

“What you are doing will help us balance the story. We will not only be talking about imports and transit, but also about exports. Exports bring economic prosperity, create employment, support a favourable balance of trade and ultimately contribute to GDP growth”, the Comptroller-General said.

According to him, in addition to urging compliance among importers and exporters (shippers), regulatory agencies also have a responsibility to address legitimate stakeholders’ concerns.

It was gathered that following an earlier representation by the union, the CGC had directed the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Enforcement, Inspection and Investigation to establish a structured engagement framework.

Meanwhile, President of the union, Maitasamu, who spoke earlier, commended the Nigeria Customs Service for what he described as a prompt and decisive intervention following recent disruptions along the corridor.

“With recent developments and the reopening now in effect, we are here to appreciate the NCS for its prompt action,” he said, while calling for sustained engagement to ensure smooth and lasting operations, in line with earlier assurances given by the Comptroller-General in Kebbi State.

He further acknowledged the complexity of regulating cross-border trade and affirmed the association’s readiness to work closely with Customs, proposing improved coordination mechanisms for onion transit. He noted that ORO/AOC possesses the infrastructure, expertise and regional presence to support Customs operations, including documentation and compliance management across the corridor.

“Nigeria is Africa’s second-largest onion producer after Egypt, with an annual output of about 2.1 million metric tonnes, which underscores the sector’s economic significance.

“Also, data from the Food and Agriculture Organisation values Nigeria’s onion production at approximately ₦1.17 trillion, with the Niger Republic and other countries such as Algeria, Sudan, Burkina Faso and Cameroon playing complementary roles in the regional onion value chain.

“Nigeria and the Niger Republic currently remain the two most significant players in onion production and exchange within the Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS, and the Sahel regions”, the president said.

Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Enforcement, Inspection and Investigation, Timi Bomodi, who also spoke during the visit, described the engagement as being in alignment with government’s efforts to balance economic growth and security considerations.

Bomodi explained that the proposed token system discussed at the meeting has two core elements, which comprise data and infrastructure.

‘’One component is the data, which your association already has. The other is infrastructure. Trucks moving across these corridors put pressure on our roads, and the token system will enable the government to recover some of those costs over time for road maintenance”, he argued.