The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced the successful resolution of a technical glitch that had caused significant delays in import clearance processes on the newly launched B’Odogwu trade facilitation platform. The disruption had affected the transmission of vital documentation, including product certificates for Form M and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP), which are crucial for obtaining the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR).
The development, which initially sparked concerns among importers and clearing agents, was attributed to integration difficulties encountered during the onboarding of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) onto the B’Odogwu platform on July 23, 2025.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the National Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Chief Superintendent of Customs Abdullahi Maiwada, confirmed that the disruption had been swiftly addressed in collaboration with SON.
“The attention of the NCS was drawn to concerns raised by importers and licensed customs agents regarding recent delays in the transmission of product certificates for Form M and SONCAP required for PAAR processing on the B’Odogwu platform,” Maiwada said.
He disclosed that the glitch was primarily caused by technical integration issues during SON’s system onboarding. This, he explained, temporarily impacted the ability of traders to correctly capture critical information on their Form M, PAAR, and Single Goods Declaration (SGD).
Highlighting the specific system-related challenges, Maiwada said traders faced hurdles such as:
Limited character space for company or trader names,
Incorrect data formatting,
Missing 10-digit product codes required by SONCAP,
Ambiguous or unclear error prompts, and
Difficulty linking traders’ Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) to their operational profiles.
Although NCS promptly resolved the internal system bugs, the full restoration required joint technical coordination with SON to ensure that document transmission between both systems resumed without error.
“While NCS was able to promptly resolve the issues within its system, further coordination was required to complete the resolution on SON’s side,” Maiwada explained.
He affirmed that both agencies have now resolved the glitch, restoring smooth data flow and clearing the backlog of delayed transactions.
“We can confirm that product certificates and SONCAP documents are now being transmitted seamlessly, and the backlog of affected transactions is being cleared,” he added.
The B’Odogwu platform, part of NCS’s digital transformation drive, has now been rolled out nationwide across Zones A, B, C, and D. Trained customs officers have been deployed to provide real-time technical assistance to importers and agents using the platform.
According to Maiwada, the NCS remains committed to stakeholder engagement, transparency, and continuous capacity building.
“Regular training sessions for stakeholders are ongoing across various commands. These sessions not only build user capacity but also serve as a platform for surfacing and resolving operational challenges with the new platform,” he stated.
The B’Odogwu platform was designed to enhance Nigeria’s cross-border trade efficiency, reduce corruption loopholes, and provide end-to-end automation of import procedures. With the resolution of these recent issues, the NCS reassured stakeholders of its unwavering commitment to ensuring a fully digitized and trader-friendly environment.
Industry players have welcomed the prompt resolution, calling for more proactive communication during system transitions and sustained collaboration between regulatory agencies.