The Nigeria Customs Service has pledged to support the South-South Development Commission (SSDC) in its quest for regional growth. Comptroller-General Adewale Adeniyi made this commitment on September 18, 2025, during a courtesy visit from SSDC’s Managing Director, Usoro Akpabio, to the Customs House in Abuja.
Adewale emphasized that strategic collaboration between Customs and SSDC could drive regional economic growth. This development comes as the SSDC, established to address infrastructure deficits and promote socio-economic development in Nigeria’s South-South region, begins to take shape.
The SSDC’s establishment is part of President Bola Tinubu’s initiative to promote regional development across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. The commission’s leadership, Usoro Akpabio as Managing Director, has garnered support from various stakeholders, who praise their vision for regional growth and development.
CGC Adeniyi, congratulated the MD on her appointment, noted that the 2023 Customs Act had introduced far-reaching reforms whose implementation required broad consultations, while also assuring that Customs would keep conversations with the Commission open to ensure inclusivity and shared growth.
He added that, given the urgency of the issues at hand, both institutions should meet again soon to mobilise broader stakeholder participation.
He further congratulated the Commission on its inauguration, stressing that Customs’ management, including officers from outside the South-South are committed to supporting its mandate.
CGC Adeniyi suggested the creation of a joint working team that would serve as a sounding board for partnership, especially in areas such as trade facilitation, border management, and economic integration.
CGC recalled that the Nigeria Customs Service recently launched its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, designed to give back to host communities through projects that promote education, healthcare, and infrastructure development.
He stated that the initiative reflects the Service’s broader commitment to inclusive growth and strengthens its partnerships with stakeholders across regions.
On her part, the Managing Director of the South-South Development Commission, Usoro Akpabio, commended the reforms and modernisation efforts undertaken by Customs, describing them as exemplary.
She explained that the Commission, barely three weeks after inauguration, had been saddled with a broad mandate covering the blue economy, agriculture, human capital development, infrastructure, and utilities across the entire South-South region.
Akpabio emphasised the importance of Customs in the region’s economic blueprint, given its substantial presence in seaports, oil and gas operations, free trade zones, and border activities.
She assured that the Commission would pursue a strategic alliance with the Service that would outlive his tenure, promoting transparency, regional growth, and national development.
