The Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) have reviewed the progress of the National Single Window (NSW) system while granting demurrage waivers to over 10,000 containers trapped at the ports following operational challenges from regulatory agencies.

During the on-the-spot assessment of the NSW platform, yesterday, the Executive Chairman of the NRS, Dr Zacch Adedeji, addressed stakeholders who complained that over 10,000 containers have remained trapped at the Lagos ports due to regulatory bottlenecks and operational challenges linked to activities of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).

The stakeholders claimed the two agencies were the primary sources of significant obstacles within the NSW framework, delaying the clearing of consignments for over two weeks due to persistent systemic inefficiencies and increasing the financial burden on importers and agents.

Responding, the Chairman of the NRS assured stakeholders of immediate action to resolve the crisis, pledging to engage the leadership of the NSW Project to ensure closer collaboration with NAFDAC and SON aimed at expediting the release of the affected containers.

Adedeji said discussions would be held with terminal operators to grant temporary relief to importers by waiving demurrage charges during the period of disruption.

“We will speak with the director of the Single Window to work closely with NAFDAC and SON to get the containers out. Also, we will engage terminal operators. This is a special situation, and they must waive demurrage and related charges,” he stated.

The NRS boss acknowledged that while initial operational challenges, including delays, are inevitable in projects of such scale, the new system already represents a significant improvement over the previous fragmented structure.

Adedeji attributed some of the early bottlenecks to the transition from legacy systems, noting that inconsistencies between old and new processes, such as split documentation across platforms, have contributed to temporary disruptions.

Despite these challenges, Adedeji expressed optimism about the system’s adoption rate, emphasising that stakeholders have largely embraced the reform without resistance.

Comptroller General of Customs, Dr Bashir Adeniyi, told stakeholders that strong political will from the Federal Government is the critical factor driving the renewed implementation of the NSW initiative to transform the country’s trade environment.

Adeniyi noted that previous attempts to implement the system since 2009 had faltered despite promising starts, largely due to the absence of sustained political backing.

Adeniyi also acknowledged past challenges encountered during transitions between various customs platforms, including ASYCUDA upgrades and the Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System (NICIS), noting that lessons from the experiences would guide the progress of the NSW.

The Customs boss said Nigeria, as a leading economy in West Africa, stands to maximise the benefits of the system, which has already proven effective in smaller economies.

Adeniji, however, stressed that the success of the NSW requires collective responsibility, urging stakeholders to embrace compliance and participate actively in capacity-building programmes.

Adeniyi also disclosed that Customs is working closely with the PEBEC to improve port operations in the area of joint cargo inspection, revealing that a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) would soon be introduced to streamline inspection processes, alongside increased deployment of scanners to reduce physical examination of containers.

The Director-General, PEBEC, Zahrah Audu, expressed strong optimism over ongoing digital-driven reforms in the ports, noting that Nigeria must keep pace with global trends in trade facilitation through technology adoption.

Speaking on recent developments with the NSW, Audu said the deployment of digital solutions within the port ecosystem would significantly ease processes for key stakeholders, including importers, exporters, and freight agents.

The PEBEC boss acknowledged that initial challenges are inevitable with new digital systems but stressed that such teething problems are part of technological evolution.