The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have reinforced their collaboration to monitor imported telecommunications equipment in order to enhance national security and protect the financial system.
The partnership, which was announced during a meeting between the heads of both agencies in Abuja, focused on three key areas namely, securing the nation’s digital space, blocking financial leakages, and ensuring public safety.
Speaking on the initiative, Comptroller-General of the NCS, Adewale Adeniyi, stressed that the Service was expanding its focus beyond revenue generation to address the national security threats posed by unchecked imports.
According to him, to achieve this goal, all mobile phones, network boosters, and similar devices must undergo proper certification and classification to effectively close all channels being used by smugglers to import the devices into the country.
While outlining plans for joint staff training and harmonizing customs codes with the NCC’s certification system, the Comptroller-General maintained that “for both security and revenue, Customs is committed to deepening this collaboration.”
Adeniyi linked the initiative to broader public safety, highlighting the need for vigilance around high-rise buildings and sensitive institutions major cities in the country.
In his remarks, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, spoke on the commission’s Device Management System (DMS), designed to track imported phones, block counterfeit devices, and improve service quality, as a critical tool for the partnership.
He said: “Substandard devices undermine service quality regardless of operators’ investments. That is why the DMS project is critical.”
Maida also raised concerns about illegal network boosters, which degrade telecom services, and called for Customs’ support in keeping uncertified equipment out of the country.
