On September 10, 2026, the WCO said Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is strengthening its ability to identify and address corruption vulnerabilities across customs functions. The WCO worked with the NCS Integrity Working Group during a week-long mission to review pilot risk analyses and strengthen Customs officers’ skills. New risk maps and an updated integrity action plan give the service a clearer evidence base for preventive measures and stronger internal controls.
Strong and effective customs administrations are built on a foundation of integrity, transparency and public trust. From August 17-21, 2026, the WCO Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme worked with the NCS to strengthen integrity practices and corruption risk management. The programme is funded by the UK’s His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. It has been working with WCO members to implement the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).
In concert with the NCS Integrity Working Group, the WCO reviewed how newly instituted procedures were tested across air, land and sea operations. The mission also strengthened officials’ ability to conduct and validate corruption risk analyses. This cooperation reflects the WCO’s role in bringing customs together for a safer, more prosperous and sustainable world.
The mission to Abuja built on the integrity support provided by the WCO since 2022. This has included integrity diagnostic, customs integrity perception surveys in 2022 and 2025 and the development and pilot testing of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for regular internal corruption risk analysis.
The WCO team and the Integrity Working Group reviewed the pilot application of the SOPs across several NCS commands. Together, they examined the quality of the analysis, validated the results and reinforced a consistent approach that can be applied across different customs environments.
By moving from a broad diagnosis to a repeatable internal process, the NCS is better equipped to identify where integrity safeguards need attention. The emphasis is on addressing vulnerabilities before they undermine customs operations, staff accountability or public confidence.
The exercise mapped risks across regulatory and legal frameworks, core customs operations and administrative and support functions. The findings were consolidated into a corruption risk heat map, giving the NCS an evidence base to inform staff rotation and other preventive measures.
This engagement also contributed to an updated integrity action plan with more than 100 action items. The plan addresses vulnerabilities in regulatory frameworks, operational processes, risk management, clearance, post-clearance audit, coordinated border management and administrative functions.
The team presented the results to the NCS Comptroller-General, who is also the WCO Council Chairperson, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi. He welcomed the exercise and stressed that one objective was to identify vulnerabilities and develop sustainable solutions. He reaffirmed the NCS commitment to transparency, accountability and stronger internal controls, including simpler processes and greater use of technology.
The mission demonstrated the complementarity between the Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme and the WCO Anti-Corruption and Integrity Promotion (A-CIP) programme. The programme’s practical tools, risk analysis and institutional measures align with A-CIP’s emphasis on peer learning, data-driven approaches and integrating integrity across customs functions.
This work forms part of the broader WCO-NCS partnership to advance implementation of the WTO TFA. The programme supports Nigeria in post-clearance audit, authorised economic operator programmes, risk management, time release studies and coordinated border management.
Integrity is central to these reforms. Stronger safeguards and clearer internal controls help make border procedures more transparent, predictable and efficient, enabling customs to facilitate legitimate trade while maintaining public trust.