Customs Identifies Technology as Game Changer in Excise Administration
Customs Identifies Technology as Game Changer in Excise Administration
By Bashir Rabe Mani in Sokoto
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Enugu/Anambra/Ebonyi Area Command, has highlighted the critical role of digital technology in revolutionizing excise duty collection and curbing illicit production across the country.
The Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller of Customs, Adeyinka Bodunde, made this known when receiving students from the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College (NCCSC) Junior Course 25 during a two-day Operational Study Tour at the Command Headquarters in Enugu.
The study tour, themed “Leveraging the Use of Technology as a Tool for Effective Excise Control and Protection of Society,” aimed to bridge theoretical classroom training with hands-on operational experience.
Bodunde explained that excise duties form a major share of the Command’s revenue and noted that tech-driven platforms have eliminated legacy inefficiencies in monitoring factories and manufacturing facilities. “Technology has changed the way we carry out excise operations. Through the Excise Register System and the Universal Customs Management System (B’Odogwu), we have improved compliance, strengthened transparency, and virtually eliminated manual record-keeping,” Bodunde said.
The study tour delegation was led by Chief Instructor Senior Course, Assistant Comptroller of Customs Happiness Onwuka, who emphasised that field exposure is vital for training future Customs leaders to manage evolving trade environments effectively.
As part of the curriculum, Assistant Comptroller Oseser Woy delivered a technical lecture on technology’s role in revenue assurance, compliance monitoring, and tracking illicit production.
To observe these systems in action, the delegation toured Nigeria Breweries Plc (Ama Brewery) in Enugu to inspect automated production tracking and seamless digital tax payment workflows.
The two-day exercise concluded with an interactive session featuring key industrial stakeholders, including representatives from International Breweries Plc, Eastern Distilleries, Samana Foods, Aromsy Industries, and IG Chemicals and Allied Ltd, focused on strengthening public-private cooperation to enhance compliance and protect legitimate businesses.
