By Martha Agas
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is partnering with the World Bank Group under the Accelerated Revenue Mobilisation Reform (ARMOR) Programme to equip its personnel with modern audit techniques.
The two-week Technical Assistance Mission on Post Clearance Audit (PCA) which began at its headquarters in Abuja aims to strengthen compliance management, revenue assurance and trade facilitation through modern audit practices.
A statement of the event was made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja by NCS`s Spokesperson, Abdullahi Maiwada.
In the statement, NCS`s Comptroller-General (C-G), Bashir Adeniyi, described the mission as a significant step in advancing the service’s modernisation agenda and strengthening its capacity as a technology-driven, intelligence-led and globally competitive customs administration.
Adeniyi represented by Babatunde Olomu, the Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Post-Clearance Audit noted that modern customs administrations increasingly relied on intelligence-led, risk-based and post-clearance interventions.
He said such interventions promote voluntary compliance while supporting legitimate trade and economic growth.
According to him, the mission offers an opportunity to assess existing processes, identify operational gaps, adopt international best practices and develop practical solutions to strengthen the PCA framework.
The C-G identified risk-based targeting, case management, registry management, quality assurance, standardisation and integrated audit systems as key areas of focus.
He emphasised that effective PCA would enable customs to move beyond transaction-based controls to a strategic compliance management approach that enhances revenue assurance, facilitates legitimate trade, strengthens transparency and boosts public confidence.
“This mission presents a valuable opportunity to critically assess our existing processes, identify gaps, learn from international best practices and develop practical solutions that will strengthen our PCA framework and overall compliance management system,” he said.
He restated the commitment of NCS to modernisation and capacity building while appreciating the World Bank and other development partners for their sustained support in advancing customs reforms.
He urged the personnel at the workshop to participate fully in the programme and ensure that lessons learned were translated into measurable improvements in their daily operations.
Also speaking, World Bank Task Team Lead, Moses Kajubi, said the mission was designed to strengthen the capacity of PCA officers through modern customs practices, practical audit tools and internationally recognised methodologies.
Kajubi explained that participants would be exposed to global best practices, case management techniques and compliance management strategies that could be adapted to Nigeria’s operational environment.
He emphasised on leveraging technology, structured case management systems and data-driven decision-making to improve audit quality, compliance monitoring and trade facilitation outcomes.
The engagement, he said, would strengthen institutional capacity and contribute significantly to NCS’s modernisation objectives.
“This engagement will equip participants with practical tools and global best practices that can be applied directly in the field to improve the effectiveness of Post Clearance Audit operations,” he said.
On his part, the Lead Consultant for the ARMOR-P, Colonel Aloke Dutt, said the mission sought to enhance trade facilitation, optimise revenue and improve compliance management through a more structured and unified approach to PCA.
Dutt unserscored the need for standardised audit methodologies, effective monitoring mechanisms and the integration of data analytics into audit processes to improve accountability and operational efficiency.
He also emphasised the importance of leveraging technology-driven solutions such as the B’Odogwu platform and developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to support a competency-based audit system across the service.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the two-week workshop would end on June 12.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
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