The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has reduced cargo clearance time from 43 hours, through the deployment of state-of-the-art technology.
Comptroller-General of Customs Mr. Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this at the World Customs Day celebration, where many officers and men of the NCS received awards for meritorious service in Abuja, nigeria’s Capital.
The C-G said in pursuit of operational efficiency, the Service had made significant strides in modernizing its processes and procedures.
“In pursuit of operational efficiency, the Service has made significant strides in modernizing our processes and procedures. Our commitment to efficiency is evidenced by several key achievements over the years. Notably, the successful implementation of the Advanced Ruling System, providing binding decisions on classification and valuation before shipment arrival, thereby reducing clearance delays and disputes, is one of the resent reference to our efforts to deliver efficiency.
Moreover, the remarkable success of our Authorized Economic operator (AEO) program, which has achieved an average release time of 43 hours for certified companies, representing a 66.9% reduction in cargo clearance time is another recent instance. Over the years the Service has modernised its processes to make the trading experience soothing for Nigerians.
Late last year we announced the indigenous development and deployment of our customs clearance platform, ‘B’Odogwu’, which has already processed transactions worth billions in revenue within its pilot phase”
In his Keynote address, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, said the Customs Service plays a crucial role in ensuring the smooth flow of goods across borders, while protecting the country from illicit trade, smuggling and other threats.
” In line with this aspiration, the WCO chooses a theme that resonates with the dynamic environment of the Global Customs Administration to celebrate a day like this, bearing in mind that such a theme captures the needs of our partner agencies and stakeholders. It is in line with this that the WCO theme for the year 2025 is Customs, delivering on its commitment to efficiency, security, and prosperity. This aim is to encourage Global Customs Administrations to reflect on their commitments in relation to WCO tools and instruments and transform them into tangible actions that advance security, facilitation, ensure supply chain security, and foster sustainable economic growth across the globe”.
The secretary General World Customs Organization, Mr. Ian Saunders said the celebration is to encourage Global Customs Administrations to reflect on their commitments in relation to the Organization’s tools and instruments to foster sustainable economic growth across the globe.
Your unwavering commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity and professionalism is commendable and serves as a shining example for all. Your dedication to embracing new technologies, implementing best practices, and fostering international cooperation has been instrumental in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of customs operations across the country. As we move forward, let us continue to work in synergy with other agencies, strengthening our partnership, sharing knowledge, and leveraging our collective expertise to further improve customs processes, enhance duty measures, and drive economic prosperity for our nation and its people’.
The Nigeria customs service pledges to deploy best practices and focus on transformative initiatives that will revolutionize trade facilitation and enforcement for economic growth.
The theme of the 2025 international customs Day celebration is “Customs Delivering on its Commitment to Efficiency, Security, and Prosperity,”.
Olusola Akintonde
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