from EMEKA OKONKWO in Abuja, Nigeria
Nigeria Bureau
ABUJA, (CAJ News) – NIGERIA’S Customs Service (NCS) has marked a major step in its digital transformation with the official launch of the Simplified Customs Advanced Declaration System (SCADS) at the country’s main international airport.
SCADS has been introduced at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in the capital, Abuja, to improve passenger clearance, compliance and customs operations.
Installed at the International Wing, the platform is designed to simplify baggage declarations for inbound international passengers. It is expected to reduce manual bottlenecks, improve transparency in revenue assessment and enhance operational efficiency at Nigeria’s international airports, where it will be rolled out following the launch in Abuja.
Nnamdi Azikiwe’s expanded international terminal has an upgraded maximum handling capacity of up to 15 million passengers per year.
SCADS enables passengers to declare items before arrival, thereby reducing clearance times while improving compliance and operational integrity.
Oluyomi Adebakin, NCS Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs for ICT and Modernisation, noted the introduction of the system follows operational challenges encountered on the NCS’s previous passenger declaration platform earlier this year.
“When the earlier platform experienced operational challenges, we chose not to see it as a setback. We saw it as an opportunity to build something better, stronger and more efficient,” she said.
Adebakin explained the new system would eliminate subjective revenue assessment by ensuring that duties are automatically generated based on declared items, their quantities and actual values.
“It means faster clearance, easier compliance and smoother movement through our airports,” she added.
The new platform is designed to integrate passenger baggage and e-commerce declarations into a single digital framework aimed at supporting global customs best practices.
– CAJ News