A policy think tank has called for stronger institutional governance within the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), warning that reforms could be undermined without a stable and professionally driven leadership structure.
The Sea and Empowerment Research Centre (SEREC) made the appeal in an executive brief presented to journalists in Abuja by its Head of Research, Eugene Nweke.
The group acknowledged that the Customs Service has made significant progress in areas such as digital transformation, revenue generation, enforcement efficiency, and stakeholder engagement. However, it cautioned that these gains remain at risk due to frequent leadership transitions and inconsistent policy direction.
According to Nweke, sustaining the ongoing transformation requires a career-based leadership system that embeds reforms within the institution rather than tying them to individual office holders.
He argued that past deviations from professional leadership models have often led to policy setbacks and institutional instability, stressing the need to avoid such practices going forward.
SEREC further recommended that leadership within the service should be developed internally, with emphasis on institutional knowledge retention and structured career progression to ensure continuity.
The centre described the Customs Service as a “relay institution,” where successive administrations are expected to build on existing reforms rather than discard them.
It also commended the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, and his management team for ongoing modernisation efforts, noting that such progress must be formally entrenched to guarantee long-term impact.
The organisation urged the service to consolidate current reforms and strengthen its position as a benchmark for public sector transformation.
It emphasised the role of mid- and junior-level officers in sustaining reforms, describing them as key custodians of institutional continuity who must move beyond routine compliance to long-term stewardship.
SEREC proposed several guiding principles for sustaining reforms, including policy stability, full digital integration, preservation of institutional memory, stakeholder-focused governance, and merit-based professionalism.
The group also recommended legislative support for Customs reforms, faster implementation of the National Single Window project, and the creation of independent mechanisms to audit reform progress.
It further called for enhanced digital transparency tools and stronger institutional record systems to safeguard continuity.
According to SEREC, the durability of any reform effort is measured not by its introduction but by its ability to endure over time, urging that current gains within the Customs Service be protected and built upon rather than reversed.