Tincan Customs Trains Maritime journalists on Trade modernisation, compliance
By Babatunde Aremu
The Tincan island Customs has again conducted another Training workshop for journalists covering the maritime industry in Nigeria.
In a deliberate move to bridge knowledge gaps, strengthen trust and improve public understanding of Customs reforms, the Tin Can Island Customs Command convened the capacity-building workshop for maritime journalists, placing compliance, collaboration and modernisation at the centre of the conversation.
Held on Wednesday, December 17, 2015, the training workshop was themed “Compliance, Collaboration and Modernisation: Aligning the Nigeria Customs with Global Best Practices.” Beyond classroom learning, the engagement was designed as a strategic interface between Customs and the press, reinforcing the role of informed journalism in shaping public perception, accountability and investor confidence in Nigeria’s maritime sector.
Welcoming participants, the Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Frank Onyeka, described the workshop as timely and critical, coming at a period when the Service is implementing far-reaching reforms aligned with international standards. He emphasised that maritime journalists are not just observers of port activities but partners in nation-building through accurate, balanced and responsible reporting.
According to Onyeka, the Nigeria Customs Service under the leadership of the Comptroller-General, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, PhD, places premium value on stakeholder collaboration, particularly with the media. He noted that the training was structured to deepen journalists’ understanding of Customs operations, trade facilitation tools, compliance requirements and modernisation initiatives, while also creating room for constructive engagement and knowledge exchange.…
The workshop opened with an in-depth session on the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, delivered by Deputy Comptroller Chinyere Nwachukwu (LLB, LLM). She explained that the Act repealed the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) of 1958, which had become obsolete after 65 years due to rapid changes in global trade, technology and customs administration. The new law, she said, provides a modern legal framework that strengthens institutional clarity, expands enforcement and investigative powers, and aligns Customs operations with global best practices.
Nwachukwu highlighted the Act’s trade facilitation and compliance provisions, new offences, dispute resolution mechanisms and stiffer sanctions aimed at deterrence, including heavy fines, forfeiture of goods, licence suspension or revocation, and imprisonment. She stressed that a solid grasp of the law would enable journalists to report more accurately on trade, enforcement and port activities, thereby promoting transparency and informed public discourse.
Attention then shifted to technology-driven reforms with a presentation on the Unified Customs Management System (UCMS), popularly known as B’Odogwu. Assistant Comptroller Mary-Anne Egwunyenga, Officer in Charge of 846, explained that B’Odogwu is more than an IT platform; it is a legally backed governance and trade facilitation tool central to Customs modernisation.
She noted that the platform improves cargo clearance timelines, reduces the cost of doing business at ports, enhances revenue assurance and strengthens data integrity. By automating processes such as PAAR documentation, cargo tracking and inter-agency coordination, B’Odogwu makes legitimate trade faster, more transparent and more predictable, without compromising regulatory control. Egwunyenga described journalists as strategic partners in the reform process, noting that accurate media reporting is essential to public understanding and acceptance of such innovations.
