Customs automates overtime cargo clearance to boost transparency, efficiency
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has introduced a new automated system for clearing overtime cargo at the nation’s ports. This initiative aims to streamline the clearance process, reduce human interaction, and improve transparency in the disposal of uncleared goods.
Under the new system, consignees can apply for an additional 90-day extension after the initial 30-day cargo dwell time, in line with Section 30(1) of the NCSA 2023. After this extended period, any uncleared goods will be subject to the new automated disposal process. This measure is designed to create space for new imports and prevent port congestion.
Speaking at a stakeholder sensitisation event in Lagos on Monday, Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, said that more than half of the daily complaints he receives are related to the management of overtime cargo.
He explained the new system’s objectives: “Our objectives for deploying the system include to facilitate trade, to get imported goods to their owners.
And more importantly, we want to manage space so that other imports that are coming can have space in our ports and then they can be cleared in a very swift manner. So this system will be deployed and we will appreciate the feedback that we are going to be getting from our stakeholders.”
Adeniyi emphasised that revenue generation is not the primary goal, noting that sales from overtime cargo account for less than 1% of the NCS’s total revenue.
“I need to reiterate and reemphasize the fact that revenue is not the aim. It is not the objective of what we are doing,” he said. “The objective is to inject transparency, to reduce corruption, and make the system more efficient. And I want to give you an example.
In 2024, our revenue profile rose to N6.3 trillion. Less than 1% of that was taken from the sales of over time cargo. So our objective is not about making revenue.”
To prevent delays for critical imports, Adeniyi said the NCS has created specialised desks to manage consignments for government agencies, the private sector, and diplomatic missions.
“One of the things that I have done was to set up specialised desks at headquarters and in different commands to manage imports done by government and government agencies. We don’t want those imports to stay longer in our ports,” he said.
He added that projects vital to public infrastructure and health will not be abandoned in the ports. The same preference for quick clearance is extended to imports by the organized private sector and manufacturers, as well as to consignments for embassies and international organizations.
Adeniyi also warned that while the system is designed to be transparent, the NCS is aware that criminals may try to exploit it. He assured stakeholders that the system is configured to shut out those without legitimate claims and that intelligence units will be on the lookout to prevent sabotage.
In his welcome address, Assistant Comptroller General of Customs, Isah Umar, stated that the new system will improve data integrity, reduce human interaction, and build public confidence in the NCS.
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Stakeholders at the meeting, including Prince Segun Oduntan, Vice President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), praised the initiative for its potential to alleviate port congestion.
However, Oduntan urged customs to remain vigilant against criminal elements and to ensure that consignees who deliberately abandon their cargo do not benefit from the new system.
“Any consignee who abandon or deliberately leave his cargo in the terminal, should not be the beneficiary,” Oduntan said.
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