The Comptroller-General of Customs, CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has reaffirmed the significance of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in combatting illicit financial flows in the country.
CGC Adeniyi made this known during the opening session of the National Conference on Combatting Illicit Financial Flows held in Abuja on Tuesday, July 22, 2025.
He disclosed that Customs’ daily operations include closely monitoring cross-border movements of cash and negotiable instruments, as well as enforcing mandatory declarations above threshold values.
“In the last six months, Customs has tightened loose ends at all our borders to ensure that declaration protocols are diligently implemented,” Adeniyi stated.
He highlighted the complexity of illicit financial flows, noting that the forthcoming Financial Action Task Force (FATF) assessment requires a whole-of-society approach.
This, he said, involves Customs, tax authorities, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and other agencies working collaboratively.
On her part, the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, affirmed that Nigeria had relied heavily on volatile oil revenues for decades.
Uzoka-Anite emphasised that current reforms recognise the urgent need to diversify Nigeria’s revenue base, shifting focus to non-oil sources, particularly taxation.
“The participating members should create a more inclusive and accountable fiscal framework capable of funding national development, reducing debt dependency, and ensuring all sectors contribute fairly to growth,” she added.
