Economy Customs unveils system to fast-track cargo processing

The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Bashir Adeniyi, says full implementation of the One-Stop Shop (OSS) will make customs operations paperless and significantly enhance trade facilitation.

Speaking while inaugurating the One-Stop Shop for customs operations in Lagos on Friday, Adeniyi said the platform would dismantle procedures that encourage multiple checkpoints and delays in cargo clearance.

Represented by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Enforcement and Investigation, Timi Bomodi, he said the initiative was a deliberate shift from fragmented procedures to coordinated governance.

According to Adeniyi, the digital OSS centralises all risk interventions at the Area Command level into the Query & Amendment (Q&A) process while coordinating valuation interventions.

He explained that the platform also integrates the Customs Processing Unit and Customs Intelligence Unit into one physical and digital space through a checkbox and flagging system.

The CGC said delays at ports were often caused not by inspections themselves but by uncoordinated processes and system gaps, which the One-Stop Shop seeks to eliminate.

According to him, the platform integrates valuation, intelligence, compliance monitoring, enforcement and processing units into one workflow supported by digital tracking and shared decision dashboards.

He noted that Nigeria’s recent Trade Policy Review at the World Trade Organization acknowledged efforts to streamline customs procedures and introduce modern compliance frameworks while calling for further improvements in risk management.

“When border processes function efficiently, industries become more competitive, employment opportunities expand, and national productivity is strengthened.

“This engagement is the beginning of an ongoing reform process as the One-Stop Shop framework will be subject to continuous review, with performance data guiding refinements, stakeholder feedback shaping upgrades, and emerging technologies integrated where they demonstrably add value.

“Throughout this process, our objective remains consistent: to facilitate legitimate trade without compromising control, to enhance efficiency without weakening compliance, and to pursue innovation firmly anchored in institutional discipline and regulatory responsibility,” Adeniyi said.

In her welcome address, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Tariff and Trade, Caroline Niagwan, said the establishment of the One-Stop Shop aligns with the trade facilitation agreement of the World Customs Organisation, which obliges member states to consult stakeholders.

She explained that work on the initiative began in 2018 but faced challenges due to communication gaps and limited opportunities for internal and external stakeholders to contribute and understand the vision.

Niagwan said the platform had been reintroduced in line with the CGC’s policy thrust of consolidation and collaboration to centralise risk interventions, eliminate duplications and improve clearance efficiency.

“Today, the Nigeria Customs Service is introducing the digital One-Stop Shop platform, an innovative system designed to consolidate all risk interventions at the ports into a single electronic interface aimed at streamlining multiple checks under one digital umbrella,” she said.

She urged customs officers to consider stakeholders’ concerns, noting that feedback revealed how multiple checkpoints negatively affect business operations.

Niagwan also charged officers and men of the service to uphold transparency, noting that the success of the initiative depends largely on their commitment to the process.

The President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Chief Francis Meshioye, commended the Customs Service and pledged manufacturers’ support for efforts to improve ease of doing business through the initiative.

“This initiative represents an international step toward streamlining customs procedures, reducing bottlenecks, enhancing inter-agency coordination and improving ease of doing business at Nigeria’s ports and borders.

“We appreciate customs for creating this open forum where every voice can be heard and practical solutions will be created,” Meshioye said.

Meshioye, who was represented by the association’s Director of Research, Dr Oluwasegun Osidipe, said collaboration of this nature builds trust, drives reforms and strengthens economic growth and global competitiveness.

Also speaking, the President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, Mr Kingsley Emenike, expressed support for the initiative, noting that it would enhance trade facilitation and reduce human contact in cargo processing.

Similarly, the President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, Chief Tochukwu Ezisi, represented by a member of the association, Mr Innocent Agu, described the initiative as a long-awaited remedy for trade facilitation challenges.

Ezisi stressed that efficiency was non-negotiable for successful implementation and urged stakeholders to collaborate in making Nigerian ports a preferred cargo destination in West and Central Africa.

The Chairman of the Customs Consultative Council, Mr Hakeem Olanrewaju, said the initiative demonstrates collaborative reform and symbolises efficiency, compliance strengthening and improved national competitiveness.

Providing an overview of the platform, Assistant Superintendent of Customs I, Francis Edejor, said Section 77 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 empowers customs to investigate value claims, adding that the highest authority at the Area Command can make final tariff decisions.

According to him, the OSS discourages multiple checkpoints by ensuring risk interventions are treated once within an integrated system.

Our correspondent reports that the high-level stakeholder engagement drew audience from regulators, manufacturers, customs agents, freight forwarders and industry operators

They described the initiative as a long-awaited reform capable of transforming Nigeria’s trade environment and improving ease of doing business at ports and borders.