One-Stop-Shop system to boost trade facilitation at seaports – Customs
Lagos, November 13, 2025, The Zonal Coordinator, Zone A, of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Assistant Comptroller-General Mohammed Babandede, says the service has launched a One-Stop-Shop (OSS) system.
He said the system would streamline interventions and boost trade facilitation at Nigeria’s seaports.
Babandede made this known during the launch of the One-Stop-Shop held in Apapa, Lagos, on Thursday.
He described the platform as a centralised framework designed to simplify interventions on flagged or non-compliant declarations.
According to him, the platform aims to enhance trade facilitation across Nigeria’s busiest ports and reduce cargo dwell time to an average of 48 hours per shipment.
He said the OSS represented a smarter, technology-driven approach to cargo clearance that would improve efficiency, transparency, and inter-agency collaboration.
“The OSS brings all relevant customs units under one operational roof, allowing joint review, examination, and decision-making at a single point of contact,” he said.
Babandede explained that the platform would complement the B’Odogwu digital system, enabling real-time data sharing, centralised documentation, analytical reporting, and seamless trader engagement through the Customs portal.
He added that the innovation was expected to reduce cargo dwell time to about 48 hours per shipment, cut demurrage costs, and foster accountability in port operations.
He said the OSS would eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks that often delay cargo release, ensuring that every flagged declaration is handled transparently and collaboratively.
Babandede commended the NCS-ICT team for developing the platform, describing it as a milestone in the service’s modernisation drive.
He noted that the success of the OSS would rely on the integrity of its implementation.
The Assistant Comptroller-General urged customs officials and the trading community to efficiently utilise the process.
He said the implementation of the OSS reinforced Customs’ commitment to strengthening trade for national growth through technology-driven reforms in line with global best practices.
The event attracted key port stakeholders, including Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba of Apapa Command and Comptroller Frank Onyeka of Tin-Can Island Port.
Also present were Comptroller Peter Ntadi of Western Marine Command, terminal operators, licensed customs agents, brokers, and representatives of freight forwarder associations.
Port users hailed the initiative as a welcome innovation to enhance trade facilitation and improve port operations.
