In a renewed push for stronger institutional synergy, the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, has called for a deeper partnership between the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN). Speaking during a courtesy visit by MAN’s Director-General, Segun Ajayi-Kadiri, at the Customs House in Maitama, Abuja, on Thursday, 18 September 2025, CGC Adeniyi emphasized the importance of mutual understanding and long-term engagement.
CGC Adeniyi maintained that lasting collaboration could only be built when both sides fully grasp each other’s challenges, highlighting the need for clarity, commitment, and broader stakeholder involvement to drive sustainable solutions.
He praised MAN’s structured internal policy process, which involves rigorous debate across its ten sectors and over sixty sub-sectors before final decisions are made by its Economic Policy Committee.
The CGC outlined several key initiatives aimed at enhancing trade facilitation, including the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme, Advanced Ruling, Corporate Social Responsibility framework, Indigenous B’Odogwu platform, and dedicated special desks created for stakeholder engagement.
He also announced plans for a major stakeholder conference in November focused on the effective implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), inviting MAN to play an active role.
“After your consultations, you can get back to us so that we can fix a date and venue for a wider meeting. If it would make it easier, we are ready to travel to Lagos to meet with manufacturers at their base. We need to keep this conversation going without delay,” the CGC stressed..
He added that such a forum would provide an opportunity for robust discussion with all stakeholders across MAN’s diverse sectors.
Ajayi-Kadiri welcomed the renewed engagement, describing Customs as a vital partner in navigating Nigeria’s economic challenges. He commended the CGC’s openness and reaffirmed MAN’s commitment to collaboration over confrontation.
“I am happy that once again we are reigning what we used to have. Many developments in the economy require us to accelerate this engagement, expand it and make it work,” he said.
He commended the CGC for his openness to ideas and stressed that MAN’s structured approach to policy ensures that every decision reflects the realities manufacturers face across the country.
According to Ajayi-Kadiri, the association’s concern was to strengthen engagement, not confrontation, especially on issues that affect industries under pressure.