Unilever Nigeria Plc and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have strengthened their collaboration against counterfeit products and illicit trade, with a new partnership aimed at protecting consumers and supporting legitimate businesses.
The partnership was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by both organisations, establishing a framework for intelligence sharing, product authentication, inspections, capacity development and other enforcement measures.
The companies said the agreement would improve visibility across supply chains and help ensure that consumers have access to genuine and properly verified products.
They noted that counterfeit goods pose serious threats to public health, consumer confidence, fair competition and government revenue, with the danger considered particularly significant in the beauty and personal care market, where fake products may contain harmful substances capable of putting consumers’ health at risk.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Unilever Nigeria’s Managing Director, Tobi Adeniyi, described the agreement as an important development in efforts to tackle counterfeiting and illicit trade in Nigeria.
Adeniyi said counterfeit products harm consumers, legitimate businesses and the wider economy by eroding trust and giving illicit operators an unfair advantage.
He said combining Unilever’s expertise in identifying genuine products with the enforcement capacity of the Nigeria Customs Service would strengthen efforts to keep counterfeit goods away from the Nigerian market.
The Unilever chief also described the agreement as evidence of the value of collaboration between government and the private sector in addressing challenges affecting businesses and consumers.
The Comptroller-General of the NCS, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, pledged that the agency would implement the agreement professionally and transparently in line with its statutory responsibilities.
He stressed that tackling counterfeiting and other forms of illicit trade requires coordinated action between government institutions and businesses.
According to him, the partnership would help protect consumers, improve confidence in products and promote legitimate trade.
The Customs boss said the agency was committed to translating the agreement into practical measures that would contribute to economic growth and protect the integrity of Nigeria’s marketplace.
Under the MoU, Unilever and the NCS are expected to deepen cooperation through enhanced intelligence gathering and sharing, continuous capacity building, product verification and stronger protection of intellectual property rights.
The partnership is ultimately expected to make it more difficult for counterfeit products to reach consumers while creating a fairer environment for businesses operating legally in Nigeria.
