The Nigeria Customs Service has launched the Simplified Customs Advanced Declaration System (SCADS) at the international wing of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport as part of efforts to modernise passenger clearance processes and improve customs operations.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Tuesday by the service’s spokesperson, Abdullahi Maiwada.
According to the Customs Service, the digital platform is designed to simplify baggage declarations for inbound international passengers, reduce manual bottlenecks, improve transparency in revenue assessment, and enhance operational efficiency across Nigeria’s international airports.
Speaking during the launch, Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of ICT and Modernisation, Oluyomi Adebakin, described SCADS as another milestone in the agency’s digital transformation programme.
She explained that the initiative followed operational difficulties encountered with an earlier passenger declaration platform introduced earlier this year.
“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,” Adebakin said.
According to her, the platform will allow passengers to declare items before arriving in Nigeria, enabling faster clearance, easier compliance, and smoother movement through airports.
She added that the system would automatically calculate customs duties based on declared goods, quantities, and actual values, thereby reducing subjective assessments and improving transparency.
Also speaking, Customs Area Controller of the FCT Area Command, Comptroller Victoria Alibo, said the selection of Abuja for the pilot phase reflected confidence in the command’s operational readiness.
Alibo explained that the system integrates passenger baggage declarations and e-commerce declarations into a unified digital framework aligned with international customs standards.
The pilot phase is expected to run from May 18 to May 22, involving Customs officers, technical teams, airport authorities, and other government agencies within the aviation sector before wider nationwide deployment.
