Customs AEO Portal Gets a Boost with 562 Applications, 121 Certifications

The Nigeria Customs Service has revealed that it’s Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) is steadily getting a boost, and that between December 2025 till date, the platform has recorded 562 applications while 121 applications have already been certified after verification.

The Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs, Tariff & Trade, Caroline Niagwan stated this at the official launch of the One-Stop-Shop Platform in Lagos on Friday.

According to her, the Customs Fast-track scheme designed for compliant traders and importers was officially ended in December 2025, even as the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi later granted an extension till January 2026 due to some backlogs in the system.
However, DCG Niagwan said the AEO Programme is now live, and that this is in sync with the World Customs Organization Standard Operating Procedures.

According to her “There is nowhere in WCO or programmes where you see anything called fast track, the Fast-track was what the Nigeria Customs Service domesticated for semi compliant traders. But now we are aligning with international best practices through implantation of the AEO Programme.

“For you to qualify, you must meet certain safety and security requirements, you must have a history of proven compliance, you must have a secured supply chain, you must have an accurate and timely data submissions, and you must be financially solvent.

“For those that have applied, we have 562 applications already on our portal, these are people that applied between December 2025 till date, and we are validating them. We have two sets of validation, we have the documents and the on-site.

“It is not what we do in a rushing manner, we have to follow the standard procedure as applied by WCO in order to maintain integrity of the programme”

DCG Niagwan urged applicants into the AEO Programme to exercise patience with the service, adding that due diligence must be done before any company is granted certification.
She assured that the service is equally extending it’s tentacles to other zones, including Zone C, Port Harcourt where other applications abound, in order to carry out its on-site validation.

“You just have to be patient with us, we are working on them. This time around, we are expanding our tentacles to Zone C, we also have people that applied from Port Harcourt and so on and so forth, not just Lagos.

“For as many that apply, we are going to validate, and if you qualify according to the requirements, we shall enlist you, but if you dont qualify, you will have to go back and work on your subsequent file.

“Currently, we have about 39 companies that we have done on-site validation for that are not yet enlisted because there are certain requirements they are yet to fulfill.
25 have just left the customs fast track programme into the main AEO just last week, these are the ones that made voluntary disclosures, altogether, we have 121 companies that have been certified.

“For the new applicants, we are working on them, you dont have to call, you dont have to come to the headquarters, we are doing it based on your compliance history, no amount of phone call that will change it because we must follow the requirements” she said

DCG Niagwan revealed that a company was recently suspended for trying to undermine the system, and that investigation is currently ongoing about activities of the company.