The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) announces its readiness to implement full paperless operations to fast track efficient clearing of cargoes at ports and border posts
By Innocent Chukwu
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said it has concluded all arrangements for the implementation of all-round automated operations in the second quarter (Q2) of 2026. The NCS said there would be paperless work in its offices across the country at the borders, seaports and airports where cargoes are cleared.
The expected paperless services for the trading public is intended to reduce the length of time being spent by the business community in the course of getting their imports out of the ports and border posts across the country. The NCS said the initiative encapsulated in what it code-named “One-Stop-Shop”(OSS) initiative is expected to speedy up Customs’ cargo clearing processes and reduce unnecessary delays. The initiative will also beef up the Service’s pursuits.
At a stakeholders meeting to officially unveil the One-Stop-Shop (OSS) initiative in Lagos on Friday, February 13, 2026, the NCS said the initiative will build trust in the cargo clearance processes between the business community and the Federal Government tax collection agency.
The theme of the stakeholders’ engagement was “Enhancing Trade Facilitation Through Integrated Risk Intervention, Faster Clearance Process and Efficient Dispute Resolution.” Speaking at the event, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, who was represented by the Deputy Comptroller General (DCG) in charge of Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Timi Bomodi, the OSS is a continuation of trust-based engagement with the trading community and a key component of Nigeria’s broader digital transformation strategy.
The CGC stated further that the initiative will reflects Nigeria Customs commitment to predictable, transparent, and accountable border processes intended to achieve more investment and competitiveness in the economy under the Present Bola Ahmed Tinubu government.
Adeniyi added that the delays at Nigerian ports were often caused not by the time taken for inspections, but by fragmented procedures, overlapping checks, and idle waiting times.
According to him research and assessments, Nigeria’s Trade Policy Review at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and the Service’s Time Release Study have all identified these bottlenecks as major factors increasing trade costs and weakening investor confidence.
The OSS centralizes valuation processes, processing centres, intelligence and enforcement, compliance monitoring, and gate operations into a single workflow. Digital tracking, automated alerts, joint inspections, and shared dashboards replace fragmented interventions, making all actions traceable, accountable, and coordinated.
“Multiple checkpoints are collapsed into one decision space, with interventions that are collective, fully auditable, and aligned with institutional responsibility,” Adeniyi explained.
The platform targets a 48-hour clearance window for cargo, lower compliance costs for traders, stronger revenue assurance, and enhanced transparency across all processes.
The paperless initiative, starting with core clearance, documentation, and approvals, is scheduled for rollout by the end of the second quarter of 2026. Adeniyi said, “This will reduce physical interfaces, improve processing speed, and strengthen audit controls”.
The Customs boss stressed the importance of inter-agency collaboration under the “One Government” directive and reaffirmed the NCS support for the National Single Window(NSW) initiative, which will complement the OSS by extending coordination across the entire border management ecosystem.
During her welcome address, the DCG Tariff and Trade Caroline Kemen Niagwan, revealed that the OSS adoption began in 2018 and faced implementation challenges, mainly due to communication gaps.
DCG Niagwan said, “The digital platform now consolidates all risk interventions into a single interface, eliminating procedural complications and improving clearance efficiency.”
She urged officers at ports and border stations to take ownership of the process, and insisted that active participation from all teams will ensure the platform’s success.
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), represented by Director General Segun Oshidipe, lauded the Nigeria Customs Service for improving the ease of doing business in Nigeria. Oshidipe described the OSS as a deliberate step to streamline procedures, reduce bottlenecks, enhance inter-agency coordination, and improve operations at ports and borders.
He praised the creation of an open forum where stakeholders can voice concerns and propose practical solutions, emphasizing that collaboration and transparency are essential to building trust, driving reforms, and strengthening Nigeria’s global competitiveness.
MAN expressed readiness to collaborate for the OSS’s successful implementation, hoping the engagement would boost operational efficiency, enhance trade facilitation, and contribute to national economic development.
However, Oshidipe stressed that true success depends on seamless, timely trade facilitation at reasonable costs, achievable through better understanding, stronger partnerships, and deeper stakeholder engagement.
“The long-term goal is a more efficient and digitally secure trade environment that drives compliance, lowers costs, and spurs economic growth,” he said.
President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Emenike Nwokeoji, commended the management of the Nigeria Customs Service under Comptroller-General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi.
“We have been eager to see this and we are in full support. We believe that implementation of the One-Stop-Shop will reduce human contact at the port,” Nwokeoji said.
