The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Friday sensitised stakeholders in Zones B and D to the newly introduced automated overtime cargo clearance and disposal system.

The sensitisation, held at the Customs Training College, Goron Dutse, Kano, was themed “Driving Transparency, Efficiency, and Accountability in Cargo Clearance.”

Customs’ comptroller general, Bashir Adewale-Adeniyi, said the initiative was designed to deliver an efficient, transparent, and technology-driven process for managing overtime cargo clearance and disposal.

Mr Adewale-Adeniyi, represented by the controller in charge of post-clearance audit Zone B, Deborah Adeyemi, said the system would address congestion, paperwork, bottlenecks, abandoned cargo, and delays in clearance processes that had slowed economic activity.

“With the automated overtime cargo clearance and disposal system, we are demonstrating that customs can be both a facilitator of trade and a guarantor of integrity,” the comptroller-general said.

Mr Adewale-Adeniyi explained that the platform would enable stakeholders, including consignees, customs brokers, terminal operators, and customs officers, to apply, track, and receive approvals online without physical contact.

He stated that the system was supported by the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, which provides the legal framework for electronic processes, overtime cargo timelines, and disposal of consignments after 120 days, with provisions for condemnation, auction, or other disposal methods.

Mr Adewale-Adeniyi listed the benefits to include transparency through time-stamped actions, accountability through strict timelines, efficiency in terminal operations, and data integrity with all documents integrated on customs servers.

He urged stakeholders across the commands in Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, and Kogi to familiarise themselves with the process, train their teams, and engage constructively with customs officers for effective implementation.

“The Nigeria Customs Service is not merely automating a process; we are transforming a culture,” he stated. “Delay, opacity, and congestion are being replaced with efficiency, transparency, and accountability.”

In his remarks, the customs area controller, Kano/Jigawa command, Dalhatu Abubakar, assured the stakeholders that the command was committed to eliminating overtime cargo.

“As terminal operators, with proper sensitisation and capacity building, we have no reason to admit cargo as overtime in Kano,” he said.

(NAN)