The Nigeria Customs Service says it has deepened bilateral cooperation with the Royal Malaysian Customs Department on trade facilitation and border management.

The cooperation was sealed following an official visit of the NCS’s comptroller-general, Bashir Adeniyi, to the director-general of RMCD, Dato’ Haji Amran bin Haji Ahmad, in Malaysia.

This was on the sidelines of his participation at the 2026 Defence Services Asia Exhibition and Conference in Malaysia.

NCS’s spokesperson, Abdullahi Maiwada, in a statement on Thursday, said the leaders held high-level discussions on institutional collaboration, customs modernisation and coordinated border management frameworks aimed at strengthening efficiency alongside regulatory integrity.

He said the engagement, held against the backdrop of expanding bilateral trade, stemmed from the service’s commitment to strengthening international customs cooperation and enhancing trade facilitation.

He added that Nigeria’s imports from Malaysia rose from N159.9 billion in 2020 to  N716.0 billion in 2024, while cumulative trade value reached approximately N1.82 trillion over a five-year period.

He said the engagement held against the backdrop of expanding bilateral trade stemmed from the service`s commitment to strengthening international customs cooperation and enhancing trade facilitation.

Mr Maiwada said that both administrations acknowledged the absence of a formal legal framework guiding bilateral customs cooperation despite longstanding trade relations.

To address this gap, he said, both parties agreed to initiate processes toward establishing a Mutual Recognition Agreement under the framework of the World Customs Organisation, to be pursued through appropriate diplomatic channels.

According to him, this initiative is expected to provide a structured basis for cooperation, enhance mutual trust and support reciprocal trade facilitation measures.

He said during the visit, the NCS boss highlighted the service’s ‘Authorised Economic Operator’ programme and other trade facilitation frameworks designed to ensure predictable clearance processes, reduce transaction costs and strengthen compliance.

Mr Maiwada said both sides emphasised the importance of deeper collaboration in intelligence sharing, enforcement coordination and technology-driven border management, particularly in addressing illicit trade and transnational trafficking.

To this end, he said that the NCS reiterated its commitment to strengthening bilateral and multilateral partnerships as part of its broader modernisation agenda.

In the statement, Mr Adeniyi said that the scale and trajectory of Nigeria-Malaysia trade relations had necessitated a more structured and formalised customs-to-customs partnership.

He said that Malaysia remained a significant trading partner for Nigeria, with key imports including crude palm oil, refined palm olein, jet fuel, and other industrial inputs.

Mr Adeniyi reiterated the critical role of customs administrations in facilitating legitimate trade while safeguarding national economic and security interests.

He highlighted the NCS’s AEO programme and other trade facilitation frameworks designed to ensure predictable clearance processes, reduce transaction costs and strengthen compliance.

As part of ongoing efforts to deepen institutional collaboration, he visited the Nigerian Diplomatic Mission and Defence Office in Malaysia and commended them for their roles in advancing Nigeria’s interests and supporting nationals abroad. 

(NAN)