QThe Sea Empowerment and Research Centre (SEREC) has urged the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to adopt a phased implementation of its new standard operating procedure (SOP) for regulating courier companies.

The SOP applies to courier firms operating under the delivered duty paid (DDP) incoterm.

SEREC’s Head of Research, Eugene Nweke, made the call on Tuesday in Abuja.

The NCS on January 13 announced a new procedure directing courier companies intending to operate under the DDP regime to obtain licences from its headquarters.

The NCS said the procedure provides a unified framework for registration, manifest submission, declaration, valuation, clearance, delivery and compliance monitoring in line with global best practices.

Mr Nweke said effective implementation of the SOP should prioritise corrective advisories over punitive sanctions during the initial phase.

He also recommended pilot enforcement in selected commands before a nationwide rollout.

He said, “The NCS should enforce mandatory capacity certification for courier operators, including the retention of certified customs compliance officers by licensed DDP operators. “

He added that operators should partner with the NCS Training College, Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding accredited institutions and World Customs Organisation (WCO) endorsed programmes for training.

Mr Nweke also advised that zonal or area commands should be allowed to conduct preliminary checks on DDP applications, while final licensing approval remains with the NCS headquarters.

“The NCS should deploy decentralised pre-vetting with central oversight by allowing zonal or area command-level pre-vetting of DDP applications, while retaining final licencing approval at NCS Headquarters,” he said.

He urged flexibility in applying the rules, noting that enforcement should be proportionate to shipment value and risk.

He stated, “A tiered SOP application based on shipment risk and value should be adopted by differentiating compliance requirements for low-value parcels, commercial consignments, and high-risk goods. NCS should avoid a one-size-fits-all enforcement model.”

He further called for the establishment of a special unit to handle DDP shipment valuation disputes to ensure prompt and transparent resolution.

Mr Nweke also urged the NCS to create a compliance forum for stakeholders and introduce regular feedback mechanisms and SOP reviews.

He stressed the need to ensure technology readiness and system integrity to support the new procedure.

He added, “SEREC affirms that the NCS SOP on DDP courier operations is a necessary and overdue reform, aimed at restoring integrity, accountability, and transparency within Nigeria’s courier and express logistics sector. However, regulation without proportional capacity-building, stakeholder inclusion, and adaptive enforcement risks defeating its own objectives.

“We support the SOP in principle, but strongly advocate a consultative, phased, and intelligence-driven implementation approach that balances revenue protection with trade facilitation, market inclusiveness, and economic sustainability.

“A well-implemented SOP will not only strengthen customs administration but also position Nigeria as a competitive and compliant hub for e-commerce, express logistics, and cross-border trade in Africa.”

 (NAN)