The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has launched the Simplified Customs Advanced Declaration System (SCADS) at the International Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, in a move aimed at improving passenger clearance, boosting compliance and enhancing Customs operations across Nigeria’s international airports.
The platform, unveiled on Monday, is designed to simplify baggage declaration for inbound international passengers by enabling advance declarations before arrival. Customs authorities say the initiative will reduce manual bottlenecks, improve transparency in revenue assessment and speed up passenger processing at airports.
Speaking during the official launch, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of ICT/Modernisation, Oluyomi Adebakin, described the deployment as another milestone 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.
“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 allows passengers to declare items ahead of arrival, a feature expected to reduce clearance time while improving compliance and operational efficiency.
“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.
She further noted that the platform would eliminate subjective revenue assessment by automatically generating duties based on declared items, quantities and actual values.
“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 stated.
The Deputy Comptroller-General also 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 confidence in its operational capacity.
She explained that 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,” Alibo said.
She disclosed that the pilot phase of the platform would run from Monday, 18 May to Friday, 22 May 2026, during which officers would assess the system in a live operational environment ahead of nationwide deployment.
The launch event was attended by 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.
