The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, has inaugurated a Green Channel initiative at the Lekki Deep Sea Port, a move aimed at simplifying cargo clearance processes, reducing delays, and improving operational efficiency for port users.
The launch, which took place on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, marks a significant milestone in the Nigeria Customs Service’s (NCS) ongoing efforts to enhance trade facilitation through technology-driven processes and stronger collaboration with stakeholders across the maritime value chain.
Speaking at the event, Adeniyi explained that the Green Channel initiative, introduced by the Lekki Deep Sea Port and subsequently approved by NCS Management, was designed to address longstanding challenges associated with container stacking and cargo examination at major Nigerian ports.
He noted that such bottlenecks have historically slowed cargo processing and increased the cost of doing business.
“This particular intervention helps to move containers right from the vessel into a dedicated place where customers can have access. And between the time the container moves from the vessel to this particular place, it is tracked,” the CGC stated.
According to him, the Green Channel provides a dedicated corridor for cargo movement with minimal bureaucratic hurdles, enabling faster turnaround time for importers, freight forwarders, and other port stakeholders.
The initiative leverages technology and real-time tracking to ensure transparency, security, and efficiency in the movement of containers.
Adeniyi further described the Green Channel as a product of mutual trust between the Nigeria Customs Service and its stakeholders, stressing that compliance and cooperation are critical to its success.
“What we have done today is a product of the kind of trust that we have invested in our stakeholders and the confidence that we also have in them, that they would do this in the spirit of compliance and trade facilitation,” he said.
Beyond easing port operations, the CGC emphasized that the initiative aligns with Nigeria’s broader economic objectives of creating a more competitive and efficient trade environment.
He added that the Green Channel is expected to significantly reduce the time and cost required to move goods through the ports, ultimately enhancing revenue generation, improving ease of doing business, and boosting investor confidence in the country’s maritime and logistics sector.
