The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has addressed recent concerns raised by importers and licensed customs agents over delays in the transmission of Product Certificates and SONCAP documents necessary for the processing of Pre-Arrival Assessment Reports (PAAR).
In an official statement released by the National Public Relations Officer, Assistant Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, PhD, the NCS confirmed that the disruption was caused by technical integration challenges encountered during the onboarding of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) onto the new B’Odogwu trade facilitation platform on July 23, 2025.
Maiwada explained that the glitch temporarily affected the accurate capturing and processing of Form M, PAAR, and Single Goods Declaration (SGD) data. Specific technical issues included limited character fields for trader names, formatting inconsistencies, missing 10-digit product codes, vague error prompts, and the failure to link traders’ Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) to their profiles.
“While the Customs Service quickly resolved the issues within its own system, additional coordination with SON was required to fully rectify the situation,” the statement read.
As of Wednesday, August 6, 2025, both agencies have successfully resolved the transmission faults. The NCS confirmed that Product Certificates and SONCAP documents are now flowing seamlessly through the B’Odogwu system, and the backlog of affected transactions is currently being cleared.
To forestall future disruptions, the NCS has expanded the implementation of the B’Odogwu platform across all zones—A, B, C, and D. Trained officers have been deployed nationwide to offer technical support and guidance to traders and licensed customs agents.
The Customs Service reaffirmed its commitment to stakeholder engagement, transparency, and operational excellence. Ongoing training sessions are being conducted at various commands to boost user competence and address any emerging challenges associated with the platform.
The B’Odogwu platform is part of NCS’s broader efforts to streamline import documentation, improve automation, and promote efficiency within the port and trade facilitation ecosystem.
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