BY: AYO AGBEOLUWAYE
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), in collaboration with the National Single Window (NSW) Secretariat, has commended an intensified sensitization implementation programme for Customs officers, shipping lines and other maritime stakeholders, as the maritime manifest submission phase begins.
Speaking during a sensitisation at Apapa Area Command, Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of ICT/Modernisation, Oluyomi Adebakin, noted the exercise builds on stakeholder engagements held before and after the successful launch of Phase one of the NSW, describing the platform as an international best practice that strengthens Nigeria’s position in global trade.
“Since the introduction of the National Single Window, the country as a whole, not only the NCS, has begun to experience its benefits. Nigeria’s standing in international trade is improving, and the NCS remains committed to supporting the successful implementation of this initiative.”
Adebakin explained that the NSW goes beyond revenue generation to deliver trade facilitation, reliable data and stronger anti-smuggling measures while assuring participants that the electronic submission would not alter the Service’s statutory responsibilities.
In his remarks, Zonal Coordinator for Zone ‘A’, Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs Mohammed Babandede, said stakeholder engagement remains a hallmark of the Service stressing that the Nigeria Customs have consistently carried along industry players before introducing new policies and digital solutions.
National Coordinator of the National Single Window Project, Tola Fakolade, commended the NCS for its unwavering support and noted that the platform has achieved significant milestones, including the issuance of over 100,000 licences and permits and the registration of more than 1,000 users.
The Customs Area Controller, Apapa Area Command, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, commended participants for their active engagement and urged shipping companies, terminal operators, and other stakeholders to sustain collaboration with the NCS and the NSW Secretariat to accelerate trade facilitation, improve compliance, strengthen transparency, and reinforce Nigeria’s position as a competitive trading nation
