CUSTOM INTRODUCES ‘ONE-STOP’ PLATFORM TO CUT PORT DELAYS NATIONWIDE

The event involving stakeholders took place on Friday at the Lagos Marriott Hotel Ikeja. It brought together regulators, manufacturers, customs agents, freight forwarders, and other industry players, who all supported the initiative as a much–needed reform that could change Nigeria’s trade environment and make it easier to do business at ports and borders.

Caroline Kemen Niagwan, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs responsible for Tariff and Trade, spoke at the meeting.
She said the OSS platform meets international standards that require governments to consult with stakeholders before making big trade decisions.

She mentioned that talks about a single intervention platform started as early as 2018 but were delayed because of poor coordination between different agencies and stakeholders.

She added that the new platform brings all risk management activities under one digital system, removing the need for multiple checkpoints that used to slow down the process of clearing goods and increase costs for businesses.

“Multiple checks and fragmented interventions have impacted business processes for years. The One-Stop-Shop now brings all relevant units under one coordinated system to ensure faster and more predictable clearance,” she stated.

She urged customs officers and stakeholders to support the system, noting that its success depends largely on operational discipline and cooperation.Similarly, Mr. Segun Osidipe on behalf of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mr. Segun Osidipe described the initiative as a strategic step toward eliminating port bottlenecks and strengthening inter-agency coordination.

He said manufacturers see the OSS platform as critical to lowering production costs, improving cargo turnaround time, and boosting Nigeria’s competitiveness in global trade.

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In a similar way, the President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Chief Emenike Nwokeji, promised support from customs agents and expressed confidence that the initiative would greatly improve how trade operations work.

Support was also given by the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) and the Customs Consultative Council (CCC).
Their representatives highlighted that working together is essential for making trade flow smoothly across the country.

A presentation by a member of the OSS implementation team, Superintendent of Customs Francis Edejor, discussed how countries like New Zealand and Singapore successfully used similar unified clearance systems to cut down delays and improve how rules are handled.

He pointed out that Nigeria’s initiative matches global trade facilitation standards set by the World Trade Organization.
The WTO says that making border processes more efficient can greatly cut down trade costs in developing countries.

In his keynote speech on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, DCG Enforcement and Investigation Timi Bomodi shared the reform message of CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi.
Adeniyi described the initiative as a clear move away from disjointed processes towards a more coordinated way of managing customs.

BY JENN NOMAMIUKOR