The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has unveiled its innovative One-Stop Shop (OSS) Initiative, a transformative trade facilitation platform aimed at streamlining cargo clearance and reducing bureaucratic bottlenecks across the nation’s seaports, airports, and land borders.
Speaking during the Launch, the Zonal Coordinator, Zone A, Assistant Comptroller-General Mohammed Babandede, described the platform as a smarter, technology-driven approach to cargo clearance that will enhance efficiency, transparency, and inter-agency collaboration.
He explained that the OSS platform brings all relevant Customs Units under one operational roof, allowing joint review, examination, and decision-making at a single point of contact.
He affirmed that the project is backed by the B’Odogwu digital platform: the system enables real-time data sharing, centralised documentation, analytical reporting, and seamless trader engagement through the Customs portal.
“The OSS would eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks that often delay cargo release, ensuring that every flagged declaration is handled transparently and collaboratively,” he stated.
While commending the ICT team for the successful rollout of the initiative, the ACG described it as a milestone in the Service’s modernisation drive.
Babandede however noted that its success will rely solely on the integrity of the implementation. He therefore called on Customs officials and the trading community to efficiently utilise the process.ader engagement through the Customs portal.
According to the Service, the innovation is expected to reduce cargo dwell time to an average of 48 hours per shipment, cut demurrage costs for importers, and foster accountability in port operations.
With the OSS now operational, the NCS says it is reinforcing its commitment to “strengthening trade for national growth” through technology-enabled reforms that align with international best practices.
For better understanding of the OSS project, the initiative was formally presented by Assistant Controller of Customs Kou Kou, who serves as the Project Manager, Technical Services, Nigerian Customs Service, during a stakeholders’ session featuring the Trade Facilitation Unit. The presentation highlighted the NCS’s renewed commitment to efficiency, transparency, and innovation in line with the vision of the current Customs administration.
According to Assistant Controller Kou, the One-Stop Shop is designed as a single treatment centre for all Customs interventions, ensuring that redundant checks are eliminated and dispute resolutions are handled in real time through a unified digital platform.
“This initiative represents a new era in trade facilitation,” Kou stated. “Through collaboration among all relevant Customs units and partner government agencies, we are ensuring faster, transparent, and accountable cargo processing. Our goal is to achieve 48-hour cargo clearance compared to the current average of 21 days.”
The OSS platform will consolidate all cargo checks and decision-making processes into a coordinated workflow, enabling stakeholders to monitor progress and hold responsible officers accountable. It will feature real-time electronic tracking, where each declaration is timestamped, allowing users to view the precise status of their cargo at any point in the clearance process.
The initiative also introduces a structured dispute resolution framework and plans to incorporate financial guarantees, such as bonds, to facilitate faster resolution of flagged or non-compliant declarations.
Reaffirming the NCS’s commitment to innovation, the Assistant Controller recalled the earlier remarks of the Assistant Comptroller General (ACG), who described the Customs Service as “a leading government agency in innovation and stakeholder engagement.”
The OSS initiative is part of NCS’s broader modernization agenda, developed in collaboration with other government regulatory bodies to enable joint inspections and real-time decision-making. It aims to minimize cargo delays, reduce demurrage costs, and decongest ports while improving Nigeria’s ranking in global trade logistics.
“This system is built to be transparent, efficient, and performance-driven,” Kou added. “Stakeholders can now expect measurable accountability through clear Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that track clearance time and service delivery.”
In his remarks, the Apapa Customs boss, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, assured that the nation’s premier port will be a model Command for OSS.There were concerns expressed by stakeholders,who feared the OSS project might turn out to worsen the situation it sets out to amend.
However, the NCS allayed their fears and assured that the project would add value to customs operations and improve cargo clearance time up to 48 hours.
With this launch, the Nigerian Customs Service moves closer to realizing its vision of becoming a digitally driven, trade-friendly agency — a step that stakeholders hope will significantly enhance Nigeria’s business environment and competitiveness in global trade.