Customs Begins Pilot Phase Of B’Odogwu At Apapa, Tin-Can Ports

After successfully implementing the Unified Customs Management System, also known as B’Odogwu, at the Port and Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML), the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), on Monday, launched the pilot phase of the trade facilitation tools at Apapa and Tin-Can Island commands of the service.

Addressing journalists in Apapa, Lagos, during a stakeholders engagement in Apapa, the comptroller general of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, explained that with the cooperation of the stakeholders, the challenges with the platform will be addressed.

The Customs CG emphasised that the deployment was a pre-launch phase rather than full implementation given the scale of the Apapa Command.

“With your cooperation, with your support, with your understanding, we will, together, address all those challenges. I need to recall, I need to bring your memories back to some times in 2013-2014. We walked this same route together,” he said.

The CGC mentioned that the platform replaces the old system, “with a more robust and indigenous solution taking into consideration the frustrations associated with previous customs management platforms.”

“Now, when we launch a project of this magnitude, we are not deceiving ourselves, thinking that this is going to be a walk in the park. When we launched it at PTML, a relatively smaller format, we experienced several glitches, and they were not surprising. As we experienced those glitches, we had a very, very strong and helpful implementation team that was on hand to address some of these challenges.”

Are we going to finish addressing those issues before we deploy? We felt that the timeline that we have is very tight. So we can begin the development and deployment of these systems in other places. And along the line, we will also be addressing the challenges that they raise.

With your cooperation, with your support, with your understanding, we will, together, address all those challenges. I need to recall, I need to bring your memories back to some times in 2013-2014. We walked this same route together.

“This is not the first time we have experienced this kind of glitch when we are transitioning from one system to another. When this same service provider decided to stall the implementation of the Pre Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) in 2013, these were the kind of problems that we had. But we stood together.

“We said we are going to confront those challenges together. Two or three months later, with all the backlog that they used to create glitches in our system, we were able to summon them. We were able to uproot all of them into a new system that was also developed by Nigerian officers in conjunction with some partners at that time.

“And that was how we were able to overcome that problem. I want to believe that this time, we are even standing stronger.

And our spirit, our resolve to work together is even stronger than it was 10 years ago.”

The deputy comptroller general of Customs in charge of information technology/modernisation, Kikelomo Adeola, assured stakeholders of continuous engagement to refine the system.

She explained to the stakeholders that the NCS had carried out extensive internal testing to ensure a smooth transition.

Adeola reiterated the need for cooperation from all industry players, stating that customs officers and stakeholders must work together to address any emerging issues.

The Zonal Coordinator of Zone A, Assistant Comptroller General Charles Orbih, reiterated the importance of collective responsibility in ensuring the success of the new system.

He described the B’Odogwu deployment as a significant step in modernising Nigeria’s customs operations and urged stakeholders to embrace the changes.

Obih pointed out that the success of the initiative depends on the willingness of customs officers and industry players to adapt, learn, and grow with the system.

The Customs Area Controller in charge of Apapa Command, Babatunde Olomu, commended the CG for his commitment to modernisation and stakeholder engagement.

Olomu stated that every visit of the CG to Apapa leaves an indelible mark in supporting revenue growth, trade facilitation, and security.

He emphasised that the upgraded modernization infrastructure is critical to achieving the NCS’ goals, adding that the command has been intentional about training its officers for a smooth transition.

He disclosed that batch-by-batch training sessions have been conducted for newly promoted assistant and deputy controllers to familiarise them with the new system.