The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has introduced a simplified cargo clearance framework under its One Stop Shop (OSS) platform as part of ongoing measures to fast-track goods clearance and strengthen trade facilitation across the nation’s ports.
Assistant Comptroller General of Customs, ACG Mohammed Babadende, while speaking on the new OSS initiative, urged importers and their agents to embrace sincerity in their declarations, noting that accurate documentation is critical to the effective functioning of the system.
He emphasized the importance of continuous engagement with stakeholders to ensure they fully understand the workings of the platform designed to enhance efficiency, transparency, and smooth trade operations.
Explaining the modalities of the One Stop Shop, the Project Manager for the Apapa Command, Assistant Controller Olawale Onigbanjo, said the platform integrates all major Customs functions into one digital interface, eliminating duplication and reducing delays.
According to him, the OSS clearance process begins with honest declarations by importers through the B’Odogwu platform, after which submissions undergo risk assessment at the Customs Processing Center. Entries flagged for inconsistencies are reviewed further.
Onigbanjo added that valuation, intelligence, and physical examination units now carry out joint reviews simultaneously on the same platform. Joint physical examinations are conducted where necessary, demand notices issued for additional duties, and seizures made in confirmed cases of non-compliance.
He disclosed that assessments for additional duties are fully digital, while cargo release and exit are granted once all requirements are satisfied, with authorization visible to all relevant stakeholders.
On dispute resolution, the Apapa OSS Manager stated that initial disputes can now be resolved within 14 hours, while structured escalation procedures have reduced the traditional 21-day timeline to as little as 48 hours.
Onigbanjo stressed that the new OSS initiative is designed to cut clearance times, improve predictability, reduce errors, and strengthen transparency—thereby enhancing Nigeria’s trade facilitation framework and boosting revenue collection.
He noted that the initiative aligns with Comptroller-General Adewale Adeniyi’s broader reform agenda, which prioritizes professionalism, compliance, and digital transformation in Customs operations.
Industry stakeholders have applauded the introduction of the OSS, describing it as a major step toward aligning Nigeria’s port processes with global best practices and improving the country’s competitiveness in international trade.
