By Peace Udugba -The daily torch media
The Nigerian Revenue Service (NRS), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), and the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) on Tuesday conducted an assessment visit to the National Single Window (NSW) office in Apapa, Lagos, to evaluate progress, identify challenges, and map out the next steps for the newly launched trade facilitation platform.
During the visit, NRS Chairman, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, acknowledged the role of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in actualising the long-anticipated project after several unsuccessful attempts in the past.
Addressing concerns raised by stakeholders over initial operational challenges, Adedeji assured that the government would cushion the financial burden on affected traders.
“This is a special period. We will engage terminal operators and relevant stakeholders to ensure that demurrage charges are waived on affected containers,” he said.
He explained that some of the delays experienced were due to the complexities involved in migrating data from the old system to the new platform, noting that only a fraction of transactions had been impacted.
Adedeji also commended the level of acceptance the platform has received across the trading community, urging stakeholders to remain patient as improvements continue.
“When you have a project of this magnitude, you will definitely experience hitches. But compared to where we are coming from, the process is far more efficient. Instead of submitting cargo documents in multiple locations, stakeholders can now submit in one place,” he added.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, described the visit as a working review of the system’s performance since its launch, reaffirming the Service’s commitment to its success.
“We are here to assess the progress made, the challenges encountered, and how best to address them moving forward,” he said.
Adeniyi emphasized the long-term benefits of the platform, stating that the National Single Window would transform Nigeria’s trading environment, enhance trade facilitation, and improve the country’s economic competitiveness.
He acknowledged that initial glitches were inevitable but noted that significant progress had already been made in resolving issues related to manifest uploads, shipping processes, and stakeholder training.
Drawing from the experience of the Customs B’Odogwu platform, he expressed confidence that the current challenges would be resolved more quickly.
Also speaking, the Director-General of PEBEC, Zahrah Mustapha Audu, described the NSW initiative as a key component of Nigeria’s ease-of-doing-business reforms.
She noted that while software-related challenges were expected, the initiative represents a significant step forward for the country’s trade ecosystem.
Audu expressed optimism about achieving the administration’s goal of reducing cargo dwell time to less than seven days, adding that with sustained collaboration and political will, it could drop further to between three and four days.
She reaffirmed PEBEC’s commitment to working with stakeholders to ensure that government policies translate into tangible benefits for businesses.
The visit concluded with commendations for the progress recorded so far, alongside a renewed commitment by all parties to ensure the successful implementation of the National Single Window platform.
