Lagos — The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced plans to scrap the current 7 percent Customs collection fee and the 1 percent Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS) charge, replacing both with a newly introduced 4 percent Free On Board (FOB) levy at the nation’s ports.
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This development, unveiled at a stakeholders’ town hall meeting in Ikeja, Lagos, marks a strategic shift aimed at supporting the full deployment of the agency’s digital Customs modernization platform, known as the B’Odogwu Clearance System.
Addressing a cross-section of importers, freight forwarders, terminal operators, shipping companies, banks, and other trade and logistics stakeholders, Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, emphasized that the new levy is a critical component of the Service’s long-term transformation agenda.
“At the heart of our transformation is the B’Odogwu platform. We need sustainable funding to elevate it to global standards,” Adeniyi stated. “That is why the 4 percent FOB levy is being introduced — not to burden importers but to enable innovation and efficiency.”
He further clarified that the new levy is not arbitrary but was provided for under the Customs Act of 2023, initiated during the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
“When we introduced this levy some months ago, we were asked to hold on and consult with our stakeholders. I am now telling you that we have no choice but to introduce the levy because technology does not come cheap,” he added, drawing on a Yoruba proverb: ‘the soup that is sweet is as a result of money.’
The Customs boss assured that the move is designed to align Nigeria’s Customs operations with international best practices, boosting transparency, efficiency, and economic competitiveness through digital transformation.
The new 4 percent FOB levy is expected to take effect following final consultations and operational adjustments.
