By Enyeribe Anyanwu
The Nigeria Customs Service has unveiled a simplified cargo clearance system aimed at boosting efficiency, transparency, and trade facilitation under its one-stop shop (OSS) initiative.
Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, ACG Mohammed Babandede, who spoke on the OSS during an interaction with stakeholders, urged importers and agents to be sincere in their declarations, stressing that sincere declarations makes the OSS work better.
He said the interaction was necessary to keep the stakeholders abreast with the workings of the new platform meant to make cargo clearance seamless.
Explaining the working of the platform, the Project Manager for Apapa Customs Command, Asst. Comptroller Olawale Onigbanjo, said the OSS integrates all Customs functions into a single digital platform, eliminating duplication and reducing delays.
He explained that the key steps in the OSS clearance process involves importers filing declarations through the ‘Bodobo’ platform, while on risk assessment the Customs Processing Centre (CPC) evaluates submissions against risk parameters, flagging non-compliant entries for review.
He further explained that the relevant customs units –including valuation, intelligence, and physical examination –collaborate simultaneously on one platform for the joint review. He said physical examination is carried out when required, and demand notices are issued for additional duties, just as seizures are initiated if non-compliance is confirmed.
Onigbanjo added that additional duties are assessed and processed digitally, while cargo is cleared for exit once requirements are met, with digital authorization that is visible to all stakeholders.
The Project Manager, speaking on dispute resolution, said disputes are resolved within 14 hours with structured escalation, reducing timelines from 21 days to as little as 48 hours.
He noted that the OSS initiative is designed to cut clearance times, improve predictability, and reduce errors. He said by consolidating processes and ensuring transparency, the system strengthens Nigeria’s trade facilitation framework while enhancing revenue collection.
“The initiative forms part of the broader reform agenda of Comptroller-General Adewale Adeniyi which prioritizes professionalism, compliance, and digital transformation in customs operations,” he noted.
The stakeholders have welcomed the system as a step towards aligning with global best practices, positioning the country for greater competitiveness in international trade.
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