Importers To Clear Cargo In Two Hours With Nigeria Customs' B’Odogwu System At Lagos Ports

• Nigeria Customs Service introduced the B'Odogwu system in January 2025, with a promise to get rid of gridlock around the ports
• The implementation started immediately with a pilot phase done at the TinCan Island and Apapa ports
• The latest update shows that all is set for full implementation, and the comptroller has explained what exporters should expect

Legit.ng journalist Ruth Okwumbu-Imafidon has over a decade of experience in business reporting across digital and mainstream media.

Nigerian importers will soon be able to clear their cargo at Tin Can Island and Apapa ports in as little as two hours with the new B’Odogwu system.

According to the Nigeria Customs Service, the B’Odogwu system will enable cargo clearance within two hours once it is fully implemented at the Tin Can Island command.

The Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, earlier said that the B’Odogwu system, a localised online platform, would eliminate glitches in the cargo clearing system, fast-tracking the documentation and clearance processes.

This was further reiterated by the Customs Area Comptroller (CAC), Tin-Can Island Command, Compt. Franklin Onyeka, when he played host to executives of the Shipping Correspondent Association of Nigeria (SCAN).

For years, the grid at Apapa and TinCan ports corridor has worried the authorities, defying all attempts to resolve it.

With speedy clearance from the ports, the gridlock can be expected to ease as the cargoes leave the ports speedily.

Nigeria Customs crash cargo clearance time

Comptroller Onyeka praised the B’Odogwu system as a seamless technology designed to eliminate bottlenecks in cargo clearance, ensuring clearance within two hours.

His words:

“We are targeting a minimum of two hours cargo clearance the moment B’Odogwu takes off here in Tin-Can Island Command. Under normal circumstances, if you declare properly at TinCan, with B’Odogwu, you can move in two hours.”

He emphasised that with proper stakeholder engagement, the B’Odogwu system will be fully implemented, boosting trade facilitation in Nigeria, Daily Trust reports.

Recall that the Nigeria Customs Service has already begun the pilot of Form M on the B'Odogwu portal.

About 25 banks have been integrated into the portal to make payments seamless and transparent.

Full implementation would reduce the time spent on cargo clearing processes, making it possible for importers to clear their cargos in a matter of hours.

Nigeria Customs issues warning about scammers

Legit.ng earlier reported that the Nigeria Customs had warned applicants, importers, and the general public to beware of impersonators.

The service disclosed that it had received notice of impersonators sending emails and messages to unsuspecting Nigerians.

Such communications sometimes request sensitive details and banking information, and the NCS warned the public to be wary of them.

Nigeria Customs adds Form M on B'Odogwu system

In related news, the initial operations of the B'Odogwu portal have commenced at the TinCan Island and Apapa Ports.

Legit.ng reported that the first phase included the form M, thus unifying the trade portal.

With the paper documentation processes shortened on the B'Odogwu portal, cargo clearance can become faster and easier for importers and other port users.

Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng