Group Links Customs Reforms to Support for Tinubu’s Second Term

By Atlantic Reports

The Revenue Monitoring Group of Nigeria (RMGN) says reforms under Nigeria Customs Service Comptroller-General Bashir Adeniyi could boost support for President Bola Tinubu’s second-term bid.

In a statement made available on Monday, jointly signed by its President, Dr Ifeanyi Duruaku, and Secretary-General, Tor Lumun, the socio-political group linked its prediction to what it described as improvements in port and border operations.

RMGN said the reforms had reduced clearance delays, eased the movement of legitimate trade and created a more predictable operating environment for importers, exporters, manufacturers and freight forwarders.

“These gains have reinforced stakeholders’ confidence in the administration’s economic agenda and its efforts to improve trade facilitation and public revenue collection,” the statement said.

The group argued that more efficient customs operations could support commerce and strengthen the business environment. It also claimed that businesses benefiting from the changes were becoming more supportive of the administration.

“Stakeholders who have benefited from the improved operating environment are now more inclined to work tirelessly for the continuity of the reforms, including supporting President Tinubu’s bid for a second term,” it said.

However, the statement did not identify the stakeholders whose political preferences it described or provide survey findings to support the claimed increase in backing for Tinubu.

It also supplied no comparative figures on clearance times, business costs or revenue collection to establish the scale of the operational improvements it attributed to the reforms.

For businesses using Nigeria’s ports and borders, the practical questions include whether customs procedures are becoming faster, charges more predictable and processes more transparent. The statement did not detail how consistently the claimed benefits were being experienced across different locations or categories of traders.

RMGN commended Adeniyi and the Customs team for what it described as efforts to facilitate legitimate trade, strengthen revenue collection and improve cooperation with stakeholders.

The group urged the service to sustain the reforms, address remaining challenges at ports and borders, deepen transparency and extend the benefits across the trade value chain.

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