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Trade Facilitation at Border: Seme Customs Deploys Simplified Baggage Import Declaration System
Comptroller AS Kaila, CAC, Seme Command, NCS
As an added mechanism towards achieve seamless operations in the land border trade corridor, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Seme Area Command has commenced the full operationalization of the Simplified Declaration for Passenger Baggage Import.
This according to the statement emanating from the command, is in furtherance of the Service’s commitment to digital innovation, trade facilitation and improved passenger clearance processes.
The statement also clarified that the deployment is designed to simplify the declaration and assessment of passenger baggage, reduce clearance time, enhance transparency and facilitate the movement of legitimate travelers and cross-border traders through the Seme border corridor.
It was explained that, the simplified system enables passengers to initiate baggage declarations through mobile devices or complete the process at designated digital kiosks at the Command. Standardized and pre-programmed assessment tables are applied to declared personal goods, enabling the system to calculate applicable duties and generate receipts upon payment automatically.
This deployment is also aimed at reducing manual processes and discretionary assessment, while providing passengers with a transparent, predictable and efficient process for clearing dutiable goods.
Meanwhile, since the commencement of the deployment, the Seme Area Command has recorded an average passenger baggage clearance turnaround time of under five minutes, reflecting the impact of digital processing on passenger facilitation.
The statement signed by the command’s image maker Superintendent of Customs John Tunde Ayagbalo however disclosed that within the first few days of implementation, the Command generated a total revenue of ₦10,340,260.02 (Ten million, three hundred and forty thousand, two hundred and sixty Naira, two Kobo) in revenue from passenger baggage declarations alone, with the automated process providing a direct and transparent channel for the collection of duties payable to the Federation Account.
Presently, the simplified baggage declaration system is being implemented alongside strengthened enforcement measures to ensure that trade facilitation does not compromise border security or compliance with customs laws.
Through enhanced risk management and intelligence-led controls, the Command continues to identify and intercept attempts to conceal commercial quantities of restricted or prohibited goods as passenger baggage.
The Command reiterates that the deployment of the Simplified Declaration for Passenger Baggage forms part of its broader efforts to modernize customs operations, improve the passenger experience and strengthen revenue collection through transparent and technology-driven processes. The Command will continue to collaborate with relevant stakeholders and sister agencies operating at the Seme border corridor to ensure the smooth movement of legitimate passengers and goods, while maintaining effective controls against smuggling and other forms of cross-border illicit trade.
Meanwhile, the Customs Area Controller, Seme Area Command, Comptroller Abdullahi Kaila, on whose watch the whole exercise the operation is being conducted reaffirms the commitment of the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, PhD, to deploying technology and innovative processes that promote trade facilitation, transparency, accountability and compliance at the border. The Command encourages passengers, cross-border traders and other members of the trading community to make use of the simplified declaration system and comply with applicable customs requirements, while assuring the public that legitimate travel and commerce will continue to receive the necessary facilitation within the framework of national security and economic protection.
