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 improve passenger clearance, enhance compliance and modernise Customs operations.
The platform, officially unveiled on Monday, May 18, 2026, is designed to simplify baggage declaration for inbound international passengers and reduce delays caused by manual processing at Nigeria’s airports.
Speaking during the launch, Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of ICT/Modernisation, Oluyomi Adebakin, described the initiative as another milestone in the agency’s digital transformation drive under the leadership of Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi.
Adebakin said the Service developed the new platform after experiencing operational difficulties with an earlier passenger declaration system introduced 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, SCADS enables passengers to declare their items before arriving in Nigeria, a development expected to speed up clearance procedures, improve compliance and ease movement through airports.
She further explained that the system would eliminate subjective revenue assessments by automatically calculating duties based on declared goods, their 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 added.
She also commended officers of the Non-Intrusive Inspection Unit, technical partners and members of the deployment team for their contributions to the successful pilot rollout.
Earlier, the Customs Area Controller of the FCT Area Command, Victoria Alibo, described the selection of the command for the pilot phase as a demonstration of confidence in its operational capabilities.
Alibo stated that the SCADS platform combines passenger baggage and e-commerce declarations into a unified digital framework aligned with global Customs standards and best practices.
“SCADS is designed to simplify declarations, reduce clearance time, eliminate manual bottlenecks and align our operations with international standards,” she said.
She disclosed that the pilot phase would run from Monday, May 18 to Friday, May 22, 2026, during which Customs officers would assess the platform’s performance in a live operational environment ahead of nationwide deployment.
The launch ceremony was attended by senior Customs officials, representatives of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, partner government agencies, technical teams and other stakeholders in the aviation and border management sector.
