The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Monday launched the Simplified Customs Advanced Declaration System (SCADS) at the International Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja in a move aimed at improving passenger clearance, boosting compliance and enhancing its operations across Nigeria’s international airports.
The platform is designed to simplify baggage declaration for inbound international passengers by enabling advance declarations before arrival in order to reduce manual bottlenecks, improve transparency in revenue assessment and speed up passenger processing at airports.
Speaking during the launch of the SCADS, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of ICT/Modernisation, Mrs. Oluyomi Adebakin, described the deployment as another feat in the Service’s digital transformation drive under the leadership of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi.
Adebakin explained that the development of SCADS followed operational challenges experienced on the Service’s previous passenger declaration platform earlier this year.
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She said: “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.
“For passengers, this system creates the opportunity for advance declaration before arrival. It means faster clearance, easier compliance and smoother movement through our airports.
“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,” Adebakin added.
She commended officers of the Non-Intrusive Inspection Unit, members of the deployment team and technical partners whose efforts contributed to the successful pilot rollout.
Earlier, the Customs Area Controller, FCT Area Command, Victoria Alibo, described the selection of the Command for the pilot phase as a demonstration of the Service leadership’s confidence in its operational capacity.
On the platform, she further clarified: “SCADS is designed to simplify declarations, reduce clearance time, eliminate manual bottlenecks and align our operations with international standards.”
Alibo disclosed that the pilot phase of the platform would run from Monday, 18 May, through Friday, 22 May, during which officers would assess the system in a live operational environment ahead of nationwide deployment.
