Yes, I was at the ECOWAS Joint Border Post for the technical launch of the SIGMAT programme. It’s a bilateral effort between Nigeria and Benin, coordinated by ECOWAS Secretariat, to provide a platform for transit, import, and export trade among our various countries. And so, in the future, we will be talking of a command that will superintend and manage international trade that is technology-driven. So it’s going to represent a new watershed in history. It is going to change the narrative of cross-border trade.  Today’s launch is more than a technical achievement, it is a powerful demonstration of regional solidarity and institutional leadership. Let us harness this momentum to transform our trade corridors into engines of prosperity, security, and opportunity for the people of West Africa.

SIGMAT stands for the Interconnected System for the Management of Goods in Transit. It’s a flagship initiative of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), aimed at digitalizing and harmonizing customs transit operations across member states. It was designed to improve visibility of goods in transit, combat diversion and fraud, enhance inter-agency coordination, simplify border procedures, and facilitate trade while securing state revenue.

I’m pleased to report that the Nigeria Customs Service has completed all technical, operational, and policy pre-requisites. This includes the development of a dedicated SIGMAT application built by our in-house technical team, integration with our Unified Customs Management System (B’Odogwu Application), establishment of secure connectivity with Benin, and deployment at the Seme Area Command as the pilot corridor. We also successfully connected to the ECOWAS e-Hub in Lomé, Togo. Some key achievements include the successful testing of real-time transit message exchange between Nigeria and Benin, mapping and harmonisation of entry/exit itineraries at the Seme-Krake border, and strengthened collaboration with the Benin Customs Administration through multiple bilateral technical meetings. These milestones reflect our technical capacity and unwavering commitment to regional integration.

Yes, there were. Challenges include the deployment of new clearance applications in both Nigeria and Benin, delays in technical feedback from Benin at critical stages, varying levels of automation across border posts, the need for stakeholder sensitisation and training, language barriers during technical meetings, and limited operational awareness among some border communities. We propose to expand SIGMAT deployment to other border locations like Idiroko, Chikanda, and Katsina; strengthen bilateral communication; collaborate with ECOWAS and GIZ for capacity building; establish a joint SIGMAT Monitoring Taskforce; and continue engagement with the ECOWAS SIGMAT Steering Committee. We reaffirm our full support for the ECOWAS digital trade facilitation agenda, including the expansion of SIGMAT to multimodal transport corridors, alignment with the ECOWAS Regional Trade and Transport Observatory, collaboration on cross-border digital identity, and harmonisation of legislation for SIGMAT operations.

I need you to know that not everybody that is eligible for promotion can be promoted, because of the pyramid rule. So there are 1,000 spaces for two-star officers. By the time you get to three-star, the number reduces. By the time you get to superintendent, the number reduces further; because in any organization, it must be a pyramid. So there is no magic to it. When there are promotion exams, prepare well for it. The best will be most eligible, and they will be promoted. Let me add something to it. In the last deployment that we did, for the promotion of new Controllers, my DCG here can bear witness. What we did was that we took the results of the promotion exams from Deputy Controller to Controller. And what did they say? They said if you come first in that exam, you should count for something. We should not give you the same assignment as somebody who came 50th because he knows somebody. So we just took it from number one. Number one, who came first? Which is the most strategic of our posting? Go to this place. Who came second? Which one is next in terms of size and volume? Go to this place. And that was what we did for the first 10. And as long as I remain Comptroller General, it is that merit that will continue to shape what we do. We also don’t sacrifice fairness. I have said so much, but I just want you people to understand that we can achieve a very healthy balance between fairness and merit and still get our system going.

The idea of giving equal opportunity to everybody and ensuring that fairness drives our decisions and our strategic choices—that we give merit a say in everything we do—has been my primary motivating factor. I see myself as a product of merit, a product of fairness, and I must say I’ve enjoyed the grace of God. When that happens, you owe God that obligation to be fair to everybody and to ensure that you give merit a chance in what we do. That has been my motivating factor. So, irrespective of where you come from, whether your forefathers were among those who came to Badagry in 1752 or not, if we find you very capable of being here, we will send you here.

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