Customs, Shippers’ Council Brainstorm to Resolve Complaints Over B’Odogwu System
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has opened high-level consultations with the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to address complaints arising from the rollout of its Unified Customs Management System, popularly known as B’Odogwu.
The engagement followed concerns raised by freight forwarders and licensed Customs agents over delays, demurrage charges, and other operational challenges linked to the new platform.
Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, on Monday, hosted the Executive Secretary of the NSC, Dr. Akutah Ukeyima, at the Service’s headquarters in Abuja.
A statement issued on Tuesday by the NCS National Public Relations Officer, Assistant Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, said the meeting provided an avenue for both agencies to deliberate on practical solutions to ease the inconveniences experienced by port operators.
According to the statement, Dr. Ukeyima presented industry feedback highlighting issues with system integration, documentation, and port logistics, stressing the need for urgent intervention to reduce financial losses and prevent disruptions in the cargo clearance chain.
The Customs boss, however, reaffirmed that B’Odogwu remains a flagship project under the Service’s modernisation programme, designed to ensure a transparent, technology-driven, and globally competitive clearance process.
He assured stakeholders that initial implementation challenges would be systematically resolved through phased improvements, system upgrades, and continuous engagement with industry players.
“Transitional issues are expected in large-scale reforms,” the statement quoted him as saying, “but measures are being taken to minimise disruptions and shield operators from excessive costs such as demurrage.”
The NCS explained that B’Odogwu is an indigenous innovation aimed at centralising Customs processes, cutting clearance timelines, reducing costs, improving compliance, and boosting government revenue.
Both agencies emphasised the need for sustained dialogue, pledging to extend consultations to other critical stakeholders, including shipping lines and terminal operators.
The Customs Service also called on industry players to support the project, provide constructive feedback, and partner with the government in building a modernised trade ecosystem that promotes efficiency, competitiveness, and national development.
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