Nigerian Importers To Start Clearing Goods From Cotonou Ports, Says Customs Chief.

Adewale Adeniyi, the Acting Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has revealed that Nigerian importers will soon be able to clear their goods from ports in Cotonou, Benin Republic.

Adeniyi disclosed this following a two-day meeting between senior customs officials from Nigeria and Benin Republic. At the high-level meeting, agreements were reached to boost trade relations and combat smuggling.

Adewale said, "We are building confidence in the system offered by the Republic of Benin; our importers are using their ports, and vice versa. If people in the Benin Republic want to use our ports, we trust trust in our systems.

"And by this agreement, it means that Nigerian importers willing to use the ports in Cotonou can have their goods cleared in those ports because there would be an opportunity for them to pay duties on goods that are liable for payment of duties.

"We can account for the duties on those goods in the ports of arrival. So they will now be free to enter Nigeria,

He addressed the high case of vehicle smuggling within that route: "It goes beyond vehicles. Any goods arriving in Cotonou, or the duty can be accessed, payment can be made, and the Nigeriano the Nigerian territory.