The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has engaged the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) in high-level consultations to address concerns surrounding the implementation of its Unified Customs Management System, popularly known as B’Odogwu.
The meeting, held on Monday, 19th August 2025, at the NCS headquarters in Abuja, was led by the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and the Executive Secretary of the Shippers’ Council, Dr. Akutah Ukeyima.
The engagement followed complaints by freight forwarders and Licensed Customs Agents over delays and rising demurrage costs linked to the ongoing rollout of B’Odogwu.
Dr. Ukeyima presented industry feedback, highlighting operational difficulties with system integration, documentation, and port logistics. He called for urgent steps to minimise financial losses and ensure smoother cargo clearance processes.
Responding, the CGC Adeniyi reaffirmed that B’Odogwu remains a flagship project of the Customs Modernisation Programme, designed to deliver transparency, efficiency, and global competitiveness. He assured stakeholders that the Service was working on phased improvements, structured engagements, and continuous system upgrades to ease the transition.
Both agencies underscored the need for sustained collaboration with freight forwarders, shipping lines, and terminal operators to streamline operations and cushion operators from undue costs.
According to the NCS, B’Odogwu is an indigenous digital platform that integrates all Customs processes into a single system, with the aim of reducing clearance timelines, cutting costs, boosting compliance, and strengthening revenue generation.
The Service urged stakeholders to continue supporting the reform through constructive feedback and partnership in building a modernised trade ecosystem.
