Customs Targets Seamless Transit for Nigeria’s N1.17tn Onion Industry

Customs Targets Seamless Transit for Nigeria’s N1.17tn Onion Industry

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has pledged to ensure smoother export corridors for Nigeria’s onion industry, valued at approximately N1.17 trillion annually, as part of efforts to strengthen non-oil exports and enhance regional trade.

The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, gave the assurance recently, during a courtesy visit by the Regional Observatory of Onion in West and Central Africa (ORO/AOC) at the Customs House, Abuja.

Adeniyi said the Service would remove identified non-tariff barriers, address operational bottlenecks and collaborate with relevant government agencies to create a more enabling environment for onion exporters and other export-oriented stakeholders.

“So let me assure onion farmers and other export-oriented stakeholders that the NCS will stand solidly behind you. We will remove all known non-tariff barriers and work with other government agencies and stakeholders to create a more facilitating environment for your trade,” he said.

The CGC described the engagement as timely, noting that in the past six months the Service had experienced sustained pressure from economic operators in Benin and the Niger Republic over access to Nigeria’s transit corridors, particularly routes through the North-East and the Kamba axis.

According to him, while discussions around transit corridors have largely focused on imports, strengthening exports such as onion trade would help balance the narrative and deliver broader economic benefits.

“What you are doing will help us balance the story. We will not only be talking about imports and transit, but also about exports. Exports bring economic prosperity, create employment, support a favourable balance of trade and ultimately contribute to GDP growth,” Adeniyi stated.

He added that regulatory agencies have a responsibility not only to enforce compliance but also to respond to legitimate concerns raised by stakeholders. He disclosed that following earlier representations by the onion association, he directed the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Enforcement, Inspection and Investigation to establish a structured engagement framework to address emerging issues along the corridor.

President of ORO/AOC, Aliyu Maitasamu, commended the Customs Service for what he described as prompt and decisive intervention following recent disruptions affecting onion transit.

“With recent developments and the reopening now in effect, we are here to appreciate the NCS for its prompt action,” Maitasamu said, while calling for sustained engagement to guarantee smooth and lasting export operations.

Highlighting the sector’s economic significance, he disclosed that Nigeria is Africa’s second-largest onion producer after Egypt, with an annual output of about 2.1 million metric tonnes.

He said data from the Food and Agriculture Organisation values Nigeria’s onion production at approximately ₦1.17 trillion.

Maitasamu noted that while countries such as the Niger Republic, Algeria, Sudan, Burkina Faso and Cameroon play complementary roles in the regional onion value chain, Nigeria and Niger remain the most significant players in onion production and exchange within the ECOWAS and Sahel regions.

Also speaking, the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Enforcement, Inspection and Investigation, Timi Bomodi, said the engagement aligns with government efforts to strike a balance between economic growth and security concerns along transit routes.

He explained that a proposed token system discussed during the meeting would focus on two key elements, data and infrastructure.

“One component is the data, which your association already has. The other is infrastructure. Trucks moving across these corridors put pressure on our roads, and the token system will allow the government to recover some of those costs over time for road maintenance,” Bomodi said.