Customs Automation: The X-ray and Computerized Risk Management Systems Era

Though established by the promulgation of the Customs and Excise Management Act of 1958, The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) traces its origin to 1891 when the British colonial administration appointed the first Director-General of Customs, Mr. T. A. Wall. Having operated as a major Government revenue collection agency for decades, the customs formation formally embraced automation in 2006 when the Federal government through the Federal Ministry of Finance entered into a 7-year build-own-operate-transfer contract with four private companies to provide computerized risk management system (CRMS) and X-ray cargo scanning services to modernize Customs operations, boost revenue generation, and protect the economy and lives of Nigerians. This paper reviews the state of the journey to automation and the current state of affairs in this very important revenue collection and enforcement agency. We also discussed the problems, challenges, prospects of computerized automation.