The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, has called for stricter data validation and wider stakeholder engagement in ongoing fiscal and regulatory reforms, as the Nigeria Customs Service NCS hosted the leadership of the Beer Sectoral Group in Abuja.

The engagement, which took place at the CGC’s Board Room, was attended by senior executives from major brewing companies across the country and focused on tax administration, trade transparency and the growing debate surrounding the proposed tax stamp policy currently under government consideration.

Addressing the delegation, CGC Adeniyi said policy decisions affecting critical sectors of the economy must be anchored on verifiable data and a shared understanding of market realities.

“We need to have a clear understanding of what constitutes illicit trade. Some of these products are legitimately manufactured in Nigeria. In other jurisdictions, customs administrations are already engaging in discussions around how such products find their way across borders and into unauthorised markets,” CGC Adeniyi said.

He stressed that while the government continues to pursue reforms to strengthen revenue assurance and compliance, the credibility of industry figures presented to policymakers must remain beyond question.

The CGC also pointed to ongoing reforms within the Service, noting that several trade facilitation tools have been introduced to reduce bottlenecks and improve efficiency across the supply chain.

“We have consistently introduced initiatives aimed at facilitating trade. We introduced the Advance Ruling. We introduced the Authorised Economic Operator programme. We also rolled out several reforms on our own initiative, not because we were under pressure, but because we recognised the need to improve trade facilitation,” he said.

Regarding the proposed tax stamp policy, CGC Adeniyi stated that consultations are ongoing, adding that the government has taken no final implementation decision.

Earlier, the leader of the delegation and Chief Executive Officer of Guinness Nigeria Plc, Girish Sharma, said the industry had come to present its concerns on the proposed tax stamp framework, which he noted has generated significant debate within the sector.