By Modupe Gbadeyanka

In a move aimed at improving passenger clearance, compliance and customs operations, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has introduced the Simplified Customs Advanced Declaration System (SCADS).

This platform was launched at the International Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Monday, May 18, 2026.

This initiative will simplify baggage declaration for inbound international passengers and reduce manual bottlenecks, improve transparency in revenue assessment and enhance operational efficiency at Nigeria’s international airports.

It allows passengers to declare items before arrival, thereby reducing clearance time while improving compliance and operational integrity.

The introduction of this scheme became necessary following operational challenges encountered on the Service’s previous passenger declaration platform earlier this year, and rather than allow the setbacks to slow operations, customs chose to develop a stronger and more efficient alternative.

“When the earlier platform experienced operational challenges, we chose not to see it as a setback. We saw it as an opportunity to build something better, stronger and more efficient.

“For passengers, this system creates the opportunity for advance declaration before arrival. It means faster clearance, easier compliance and smoother movement through our airports,” the Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of ICT/Modernisation, Ms Oluyomi Adebakin, said yesterday.

She noted that the system will eliminate subjective revenue assessment by ensuring that duties are automatically generated based on declared items, their quantities, and their actual values.

“When we talk about revenue collection, it is not about collecting more or less. It is about collecting the right revenue. With this system, assessment will now be more objective, accurate and driven by data,” she stated.

Earlier, the Customs Area Controller for FCT Area Command, Comptroller Victoria Alibo, described the selection of the command for the pilot phase as a vote of confidence in its operational capacity.

According to her, the new platform integrates passenger baggage and e-commerce declarations into a single digital framework designed to support global Customs best practices.

“SCADS is designed to simplify declarations, reduce clearance time, eliminate manual bottlenecks and align our operations with international standards,” Ms Alibo said, adding that the pilot phase will run for five days, from Monday, May 18, to Friday, May 22, 2026, during which officers will evaluate the system in a live environment ahead of nationwide deployment.

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The price of aviation fuel, also known as Jet A1, has been reduced by Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals to N1,650 per litre from N1,750 per litre.

The company, in a statement, said this price slash was done to ease cost pressures on airlines and ensure an uninterrupted fuel supply across the country.

This is in addition to a 30-day interest-free credit facility backed by bank guarantees (BG) for marketers and airline operators and a shift from a dollar-denominated pricing structure to a naira-based model.

The private refiner also stated that these interventions come amid growing concerns over the rising operational costs faced by domestic carriers, with aviation fuel accounting for a significant portion of airline expenses.

Industry stakeholders have repeatedly warned that escalating Jet A1 prices were placing severe financial strain on operators and threatening the sustainability of flight operations.

The refinery’s decision is expected to provide relief to airline operators by lowering fuel procurement costs, improving operational stability, and supporting efforts to moderate airfares.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE) has revealed that Nigerian airlines are battling a severe jet fuel crisis, triggered by soaring jet fuel prices and supply shortages.

This is the latest blow to the aviation industry, which escaped an industrial action by airline operators over the price of jet fuel.

The latest development is increasing costs, disrupting flights and creating concerns about operational safety and sustainability.

According to Reuters, the persistent scarcity of jet fuel has triggered ⁠widespread operational challenges, including flight delays, route adjustments and extended crew duty periods, as airlines struggle to manage schedules amid rising costs.

According to the President of the association, Captain Bunmi Gindeh, the fuel shortages were pushing crews beyond planned limits, increasing fatigue and potentially eroding safety margins in an industry governed by strict rest regulations.

According to local carrier Rano Air, it revealed that jet fuel prices had more than quadrupled, as well as made some routes commercially unsustainable, forcing operational adjustments.

Other carriers have also begun rescheduling or cancelling flights and cutting unprofitable routes, industry ‌sources ⁠cited by Reuters said.

This comes at a difficult time for Nigeria’s aviation sector, already strained by foreign-exchange volatility, high aircraft maintenance costs, airport infrastructure strains and fuel price swings.

Airlines group, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), last month threatened to suspend operations over what they described as crippling and artificially inflated jet fuel prices.

Nigeria’s airline industry carries millions ⁠of passengers annually across an extensive domestic network and plays a critical role in connecting cities where road travel is often slow or insecure, making reliable air services economically and socially important.

The publication reported that the Nigerian Midstream ⁠and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has said fuel prices would not be capped, adding that any decisions on deregulated products would be formally communicated.

The crisis is worsening existing problems in Nigeria’s aviation sector, including forex instability, expensive aircraft maintenance and weak infrastructure.