The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Edo/Delta Area Command, said it has introduced a new operational framework to standardise cargo examination, reduce clearance delays and strengthen coordination among agencies in trade operations, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), has said.

The framework, known as the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Coordinated Cargo Examination and Trade Facilitation, is also designed to eliminate duplication of responsibilities, improve compliance with Customs laws and safeguard government revenue.

Acting Customs Area Controller, Edo/Delta Area Command, Mr Dominic Ortsen, disclosed this at the launch of the document at the Command Headquarters in Warri, Delta State.

Ortsen, in a statement by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Peters Josu, on Tuesday in Benin, described the initiative as an institutional reform aimed at establishing clear, uniform and coordinated procedures for cargo examination.

Ortsen said the SOP was developed, following operational assessments and consultations with officers and stakeholders across the Command. (Nigerian tribune)