In a move aimed at tackling clearance delays and improving passenger clearance compliance, the Nigeria Customs Service has officially launched the Simplified Customs Advanced Declaration System at the International Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Abdullahi Maiwada, a Deputy Controller of Customs, announced this in a statement on Wednesday obtained by The NGGOSSIPS.
Maiwada explained that the platform, designed to simplify baggage declaration for inbound international passengers, “is expected to reduce manual bottlenecks, improve transparency in revenue assessment and enhance operational efficiency at Nigeria’s international airports”.
Speaking at the official launch, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Information and Communication Technology/Modernisation, Oluyomi Adebakin, said the deployment marks another major step in the Service’s digital transformation agenda under the leadership of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi.
Adebakin said the initiative became necessary following operational challenges encountered on the Service’s previous passenger declaration platform earlier this year, stressing that rather than allow the setbacks to slow operations, the NCS chose to develop a stronger, more efficient alternative.
“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,” Adebakin said.
According to her, the newly introduced SCADS platform allows passengers to declare items before arrival, thereby reducing clearance time while improving compliance and operational integrity.
“For passengers, this system creates the opportunity for advance declaration before arrival. It means faster clearance, easier compliance and smoother movement through our airports,” she added.
She further explained that the system will eliminate subjective revenue assessment by ensuring that duties are automatically generated based on declared items, their quantities and their actual values.
“When we talk about revenue collection, it is not about collecting more or less. It is about collecting the right revenue. With this system, assessment will now be more objective, accurate and driven by data,” she stated.
She commended officers of the Non-Intrusive Inspection Unit, members of the deployment team and technical partners whose efforts made the pilot rollout possible.
Earlier, the Customs Area Controller in charge of the Federal Capital Territory Command, Victoria Alibo, described the selection of the command for the pilot phase as a vote of confidence in its operational capacity.
She said the new platform integrates passenger baggage and e-commerce declarations into a single digital framework designed to support global customs best practices.
“SCADS is designed to simplify declarations, reduce clearance time, eliminate manual bottlenecks and align our operations with international standards,” Alibo said.
She disclosed that the pilot phase will run for five days, from Monday 18 May to Friday 22 May 2026, during which officers will evaluate the system in a live environment ahead of nationwide deployment.
The pilot launch of SCADS was attended by senior customs officers, officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, partner government agencies, technical teams and other key stakeholders in Nigeria’s aviation and border management ecosystem.
