Customs Introduce One-Stop-Shop To Minimise Cargo Clearance Time

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it has officially introduced its one-stop-shop inaugural to trim cargo clearance clip to 48 hours. The inaugural was unveiled during a gathering with NCS  absorption and customs country controllers successful Abuja, the work said successful a connection yesterday.

The meeting, chaired by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, brought unneurotic elder officers to deliberate connected the service’s modernisation docket and the relation of enactment successful driving reforms crossed commands.

Adeniyi described the inaugural arsenic a “transformative shift” successful enactment with planetary champion practices and the national government’s easiness of doing concern policy. He said the betterment is designed to sanitise operations, trim duplication of efforts, and guarantee predictability successful Customs procedures.

“The OSS inaugural volition not lone shorten clearance clip from 21 days to 48 hours, but it volition besides fortify trader confidence, reconstruct transparency, and marque our operations much business-friendly,” the CGC said.

While acknowledging the relation of exertion successful Customs operations, Adeniyi emphasised the value of carnal engagement with officers.

“As overmuch arsenic exertion has helped us, it has its limits. There are moments erstwhile carnal beingness coming unneurotic nether 1 extortion adds value and worth to our deliberations. Meetings similar this fortify our unity of intent and guarantee we talk with 1 voice,” helium noted.

“Under the framework, each customs units volition enactment jointly connected flagged declarations, eliminating aggregate checks and reducing delays. Consignments cleared nether the OSS volition not beryllium taxable to re-interception, a determination aimed astatine reducing costs and enhancing commercialized facilitation,” the connection work successful part.

The Abuja gathering besides provided a level to reappraisal the Service’s accountability framework, including a caller cardinal dashboard that tracks clearance times, interventions, and stakeholder satisfaction.

Adeniyi assured the Customs Area Controllers that the betterment would beryllium piloted astatine Apapa, Tin Can Island, and Onne Ports earlier being rolled retired nationwide, adding that the inaugural is afloat supported by the NCS Act 2023 and aligned with the World Trade Organisation’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).

“This is not conscionable a policy. It is simply a connection of intent that reflects our determination to physique a modern, transparent, and trader-friendly Customs Service,” helium concluded

Following respective responses and interventions connected the OSS Initiative, the customs country controllers pledged their afloat support, describing it arsenic timely and indispensable to reposition the Service for efficiency.