ANLCA Declares Support, As Customs Kick-off Pilot Implementation of B'Odogwu Trade Platform, Modernization Project

By DAPO OLAWUNI

The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has declared unalloyed support for the management of the Nigeria Customs Service under the leadership of its Comptroller-General, Adewale Adeniyi, even as the service has officially kicked off pilot Implementation of its trade platform; B’Odogwu as part of the Customs Modernisation Project.

Speaking at a sensitization workshop held at the ANLCA National Secretariat in Lagos on Tuesday, ANLCA National President, Emenike Nwokeoji assured that the association is in support of the Modernisation Project and the attendant transformation of the clearing profession.

Chieftains of ANLCA practicing at PTML Chapter. (L-R) Babatunde Erebe, PTML customs PRO, Yakubu Mohammed, the Customs Area Controller, Tenny Mankini, Alhaji Ayo Sulaiman and Elder Oluwole Obe after the sensitization workshop on B’Odogwu Trade Platform at ANLCA National Secretariat on Tuesday

The sensitization workshop had in attendance, the Customs Area Controller, PTML Command, Compt Tenny Mankini Daniyan and Area Controller, Tin Can Command, Compt Dera Nnadi.

Apart from this, two Assistant Comptrollers; AC Fanyam and AC Ibrahim
were also assigned from the ICT Unit of the Service Headquarters in Abuja
to train ANLCA members on the application of the new B’ Odogwu platform.

The ANLCA President who was represented by the National Vice President, Prince Segun Oduntan
Oduntan, urged the customs to carryout implementation of the new platform with human face, adding that Licensed Customs Agents are constantly under pressure.

“I want you to take this message to the CGC that, the ANLCA members that you see today are more professional, today on our system, we know the number of registered members, not everyone you see at the port are ANLCA members.

“In every association, there is no way you would not see quacks, but to us, we are more professional, we have Ph.D holders and Masters Degree Holders working with us, the transformation cuts across, and we can assure you that we would not disappoint you.

“But again, the younger officers you would be handing over to when you leave, should be ready to give information and advise where necessary, where people want to ask questions on areas that are not clear to them.

The ANLCA Vice President making his speech

“We are constantly under pressure from the importers, sometimes the problem might not even be from us or the customs, it could be from shipping companies or terminals.

“So, we would embrace everything that has to do with transformation, as far as this job is concerned, we would embrace modernisation in whatever form, but please let us work in harmony.

“It is always at pilot stage that you see things being introduced, but at later point we are always cut off. Let us apply human face to implementation, if you go to other neighboring ports where our contemporaries practice clearing, there is no rush at the Area Comptroller’s office, there is no server breakdown.

“Now that Web Fontane is no longer in charge and you are managing things by yourself, if it is to put in extra hours or to work 24hours, let it be so.
We don’t want it to be that at the close of day, officers would tell us they have closed for the day, time is of essence to us in Cargo Delivery” Emenike stated

A cross section of ANLCA members in participation

Also speaking, Compt Tenny Mankini assured the Licensed Customs Agents that the implementation of the B’Odogwu system is going to be a game changer in Nigeria trade process.

While fielding questions from the ANLCA members gathered in the Taiwo Afolabi Conference Hall, he said the platform is not yet a final document but advisory.
According to him, the B’Odogwu platform is homegrown and built by officers of the Nigeria Customs Service.

The customs boss said “It going to be a gradual process because it is still a pilot stage till we get it right.
But I can assure all of you here, PAAR and RAR were never a final document, I don’t want us to get these things mixed up, even in the RAR, it says advisory.

Group photograph of customs officers and ANLCA members at the end of the session

“PAAR also is still advisory, it is not a final document. Till when we get there, then your examination would be done via scanning and other technical processes” he assured.

In its efforts to fully modernized the activities of the Service through ICT, recently migrated its ICT platform from NICIS II to the B’ Odogwu.

B’ Odogwu now replaces NICIS II and is fully managed by the Customs through the Trade Modernization Project Limited. With this new development, the custom has taken over the implementation and operations of the Modernization Project and has put an end to Webb Fountain years of managing its ICT activities.

Features of the B’ Odogwu portal include, Declarant Workplace, Form M, PAAR, Single Goods Declaration, Assessment Notice, Payment, Examination Report, Exit Note, Gate Pass, Bond Management, Excise and User Management.

What is new in the B’ Odogwu portal are trade partner validation to curtail fraudulent activities, improved compliance with Anti- money laundering laws and economic Sanctions, progress tracking ( importers can see the exact step their application is at), single submission ( one time upload documents), seller database ( Building exporter risk profile) and electronic comment tagging.

One of the customs officers making a presentation on the ‘Odogwu portal

Others are , Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist in HS Code Classification and Valuation, Simplified manifest management and Cargo scanner integration.

The Nigeria Customs Service in actualizing the full integration of all agencies and banks into the portal. The customs is doing this in partnership with other agencies like, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), HUAWEI, CHERT, IDEC, Commercial banks, among others.