The Nigeria Customs Service has finalised plans to fully implement paperless operations by the second quarter of 2026, a move aimed at accelerating cargo clearance, reducing delays and enhancing trade facilitation across the nation’s borders.
This was disclosed on Friday during the formal launch of its One-Stop-Shop (OSS) platform in Lagos with the theme: “Enhancing trade facilitation through integrated risk intervention, faster clearance process and efficient dispute resolution.”
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, described the OSS as a continuation of trust-based engagement with the trading community and part of a broader digital transformation.
Adeniyi, who was represented by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Enforcement, Timi Bomodi, recalled last year’s launch of the Authorised Economic Operator programme and said, the OSS reflects the Service’s commitment, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to predictable, transparent, and accountable border processes that enhance investment and competitiveness.
According to him, delays at ports were often caused not by the time taken for inspections but also by fragmented procedures, overlapping checks, and idle waiting times.
He said National assessments, Nigeria’s Trade Policy Review at the World Trade Organisation, and the Service’s Time Release Study all highlighted these bottlenecks as increasing trade costs and weakening confidence.
To tackle these challenges, he explained that the OSS centralises valuation, processing centres, intelligence, enforcement, compliance monitoring, and gate operations into a single workflow, adding that digital tracking, automated alerts, joint inspections, and shared dashboards replace multiple fragmented interventions, making all actions traceable, accountable, and coordinated.
The platform targets a 48-hour clearance window; lower compliance costs, stronger revenue assurance, and enhanced transparency. He added that the paperless initiative, starting with core clearance, documentation, and approvals, is scheduled for rollout by the end of the second quarter.
(The Sun)
