Customs Pledges Support for Onion Exporters
By Queen Abayomi
The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, has assured onion farmers and exporters of the Nigeria Customs Service’s (NCS) commitment to eliminating non-tariff barriers and improving export operations.
He gave the assurance on 9 February 2026 during a visit by the Regional Observatory of Onion in West and Central Africa (ORO/AOC), led by President Aliyu Maitasamu, at the Customs Headquarters in Abuja.
Adeniyi stated that Customs would collaborate with relevant agencies to remove operational bottlenecks and create a more enabling export environment. He noted that recent concerns from Benin and Niger Republic over Nigeria’s transit corridors — especially through the Northeast and Kamba axis — highlight the need to strengthen export facilitation.
He also emphasized that exports contribute to employment, GDP growth and a favourable balance of trade. He also disclosed that a structured engagement framework has been established under the Deputy Comptroller-General for Enforcement to address stakeholder concerns.
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Maitasamu commended Customs for resolving recent corridor disruptions and pledged closer collaboration, noting Nigeria’s position as Africa’s second-largest onion producer with annual output of 2.1 million metric tonnes valued at about ₦1.17 trillion.
Deputy Comptroller-General Timi Bomodi added that a proposed token system for corridor operations would improve data management and support road maintenance funding.
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER, FEBRUARY 11TH 2026)
