NCS Launches Digital Baggage Declaration System to Ease Passenger Clearance, Modernise Revenue Collection

Five-day pilot underway at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport ahead of nationwide rollout

ZAINAB JUNAID

As part of efforts to speed up passenger clearance and modernise revenue collection within the airport environment, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has officially launched the Simplified Customs Advanced Declaration System (SCADS) at the International Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

The platform, unveiled on Monday, 18 May 2026, is designed to simplify baggage declaration for inbound international passengers, reduce manual bottlenecks, improve transparency in revenue assessment and enhance operational efficiency across Nigeria’s international airports.

Speaking at the launch, the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of ICT and Modernisation, Oluyomi Adebakin, described the deployment as a major milestone in the Service’s digital transformation agenda, driven by the leadership of Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi.

DCG Adebakin disclosed that the initiative was borne out of operational difficulties encountered with the Service’s previous passenger declaration platform earlier in the year. “Rather than allow the setbacks to stall progress, the Service chose to develop a more efficient and resilient alternative”.

“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.

SCADS enables passengers to declare items before arrival, significantly reducing clearance time while improving compliance and operational integrity. The platform integrates passenger baggage and e-commerce declarations into a single digital framework, aligned with global Customs best practices.

With SCAD, duties are automatically generated based on declared items, their quantities and actual values, eliminating the subjective, manual assessments that have historically created inconsistencies in revenue collection.

“For passengers, this system creates the opportunity for advance declaration before arrival. It means faster clearance, easier compliance and smoother movement through our airports,” DCG Adebakin said.

On revenue, she was equally emphatic: “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.”

She commended officers of the Non-Intrusive Inspection Unit, members of the deployment team and technical partners whose contributions made the pilot rollout possible.

The Customs Area Controller for the FCT Area Command, Comptroller Victoria Alibo, explained that SCADS is designed to simplify declarations, reduce clearance time, eliminate manual bottlenecks and align Customs operations with international standards.

She described the selection of Abuja command for the pilot phase as a vote of confidence in its operational capacity and informed that the pilot phase will run for five days, from Monday, 18 May to Friday, 22 May 2026, during which officers will evaluate the system in a live airport environment ahead of a planned nationwide deployment.

The launch was attended by senior NCS officers, officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), partner government agencies, technical teams and key stakeholders across Nigeria’s aviation and border management ecosystem.

If the pilot delivers on its objectives, SCADS is expected to meaningfully reshape the passenger experience at Nigerian international airports while strengthening the integrity of Customs revenue collection nationwide.