By Harriet Tornguvan
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has launched a new digital platform aimed at ending delays associated with passenger clearance at Nigerian airports.
The platform, known as the Simplified Customs Advanced Declaration System (SCADS), was officially unveiled on Monday at the International Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, as part of efforts to modernise Customs operations and improve service delivery.
Designed to simplify baggage declaration for inbound international passengers, SCADS is expected to reduce manual bottlenecks, improve transparency in revenue assessment and enhance operational efficiency across the country’s international airports.
Speaking at the launch, the Deputy Comptroller General of Customs in charge of ICT and Modernisation, Oluyomi Adebakin, described the deployment as a significant milestone in the Service’s digital transformation agenda under the leadership of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi.
Adebakin explained that the initiative emerged following operational difficulties experienced with the Service’s earlier passenger declaration platform, noting that Customs chose to develop a more efficient alternative rather than allow the setbacks to hinder operations.
“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.
According to her, the new platform enables passengers to declare items before arriving in Nigeria, thereby reducing clearance time, improving compliance and ensuring smoother movement through airports.
“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.
Adebakin further stated that SCADS would eliminate subjective revenue assessment by generating duties automatically based on the nature, quantity and actual value of declared items.
“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 said.
She commended officers of the Non-Intrusive Inspection Unit, deployment teams and technical partners for their contributions to the successful pilot rollout of the system.
Earlier, the Customs Area Controller of the FCT Area Command, Comptroller Victoria Alibo, described the selection of the Command for the pilot phase as a demonstration of confidence in its operational capability.
Alibo said SCADS integrates passenger baggage and e-commerce declarations into a unified digital framework aligned with international Customs best practices.
“SCADS is designed to simplify declarations, reduce clearance time, eliminate manual bottlenecks and align our operations with international standards,” she stated.
She disclosed that the pilot phase of the platform would run for five days, from May 18 to May 22, 2026, allowing officers to test and assess the system in a live environment ahead of nationwide deployment.
The launch ceremony attracted senior Customs officers, officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, partner government agencies, technical teams and other stakeholders in Nigeria’s aviation and border management sector.
