THE Nigeria Customs Service has said it would fully go paperless by the second quarter of 2026 to fast-track cargo clearance, reduce delays and improve trade facilitation across the nation’s borders.
The announcement was made on Friday during the formal launch of its One-Stop-Shop (OSS) platform in Lagos, under the theme, ‘Enhancing Trade Facilitation through Integrated Risk Intervention, Faster Clearance Process and Efficient Dispute Resolution.’

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr. Bashir Adeniyi, who was represented at the event by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Enforcement, Timi Bomodi, described the OSS as a continuation of trust-based engagement with the trading community and part of a broader digital transformation.
He recalled last year’s launch of the Authorised Economic Operator programme, noting that the OSS reflects the Service’s commitment, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to predictable, transparent, and accountable border processes that enhance investment and competitiveness.
Adeniyi noted that delays at ports were often caused not by the time taken for inspections but by fragmented procedures, overlapping checks and idle waiting times.

He said national assessments,
Nigeria’s Trade Policy Review at the World Trade Organisation, and the Service’s Time Release Study all highlighted these bottlenecks as increasing trade costs and weakening confidence.
To tackle these challenges, he explained that the OSS centralises valuation, processing centres, intelligence, enforcement, compliance monitoring, and gate operations into a single workflow.
According to him, digital tracking, automated alerts, joint inspections, and shared dashboards would replace multiple fragmented interventions, making all actions traceable, accountable, and coordinated.

“Multiple checkpoints are collapsed into one decision space, with interventions that are collective, fully auditable, and aligned with institutional responsibility,” Adeniyi said.
He said the platform targets a 48-hour clearance window, lower compliance costs, stronger revenue assurance, and enhanced transparency.
He added that the paperless initiative, starting with core clearance, documentation, and approvals, is scheduled for rollout by the end of the second quarter.

Adeniyi affirmed that the OSS represents a shift from fragmented interventions to coordinated governance, from discretion to data, and from isolated actions to collective responsibility.
He urged stakeholders to engage constructively, use the platform responsibly, and hold Customs to its commitments.
“When border processes function efficiently, industries become more competitive, jobs expand, and national productivity rises –because progress at the border remains progress for the nation,” he said.

Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Tariff and Trade, Caroline Niagwan, noted that the OSS adoption began in 2018 but faced challenges, mainly due to communication gaps.
According to her, the digital platform now consolidates all risk interventions into a single interface, eliminating procedural complications and improving clearance efficiency.
She urged officers at ports and border stations to take ownership of the process.

“Your involvement is crucial to achieving the objectives of the One-Stop-Shop. Active participation from all teams will ensure the platform’s success,” she said.
In a goodwill message, the Director General, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), who was represented by Mr. Segun Oshidipe, lauded Customs for improving the ease of doing business.
He said the OSS represents a deliberate step to streamline procedures, reduce bottlenecks, enhance inter-agency coordination, and improve operations at ports and borders.

Oshidipe praised the creation of an open forum where stakeholders can voice concerns and propose practical solutions, emphasising that collaboration and transparency are essential to building trust, driving reforms, and strengthening Nigeria’s global competitiveness.
He expressed MAN’s readiness to collaborate for the OSS’s successful implementation and hoped the engagement would boost operational efficiency, enhance trade facilitation, and contribute to national economic development.

Oshidipe, however, stressed that true success depends on seamless, timely trade facilitation at reasonable costs, achievable through better understanding, stronger partnerships, and deeper stakeholder engagement.
On his part, the President of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Mr. Emenike Nwokeoji, expressed full support to the initiative, stating that the OSS would not only reduce cost, but would also reduce human intervention.