Customs Raises Alarm As ‘Japa’ Syndrom Affect Banks Integration on B’odogwu Trade Platform

R-L: Customs Area Controller, Tin Can Port, Compt Frank Onyeka, DCG Kikelomo Adeola, DC Admin at Apapa Command, and NPA Lagos Port Manager during a stakeholders forum with terminal operators on B'odogwu Trade Platform held at Apapa Customs command on Monday.
—Targets Deployment of Shipside Scanners At Ports, 24hrs Clearance
By DAPO OLAWUNI
The Nigeria Customs Service has said that the brain drain in the banking system is responsible for the slow integration of the commercial banks into the Unified Customs Management System called B’Odogwu.
Deputy Comptroller General of Customs in charge of ICT and modernisation, DCG Kikelomo Adeola gave the revelation in Lagos on Monday, while sensitizing terminal operators towards full deployment of the B’Odogwu at all ports.
She said the B’odogwu is currently running on pilot stage at the PTML Terminal in Lagos and about 20 banks have already onboarded the system, adding that the service intends to bring more banks onboard
Speaking on the challenges customs is encountering with the pilot stage, DCG Adeola lamented that most of the ICT staff of Nigerian banks have moved abroad (Japa) and this was one of the teething problems experienced at initial stage of deployment of the B’Odogwu.
“Who says a child that wants to walk will not fall? They will fall many times and laugh as they continue to take the stride until they can walk. Remember that we built this platform ourselves? And so definitely, there were some problems at the initial stage.
“Some banks had a Japa problem. Their software developers had travelled abroad because they felt they had left the development stage. Here we are with a new system. No developer in the bank. And so integration became a problem”
“And that’s one of the reasons why I said in the invitation letter for this meeting, that when you are coming as terminal operators, let your IT people come with you” she said
DCG Adeola also assured that the service is preparing to deploy newly procured, non-intrusive inspection equipment to enhance cargo inspection processes, improve risk management, and reduce clearance times.
She added that the goal of the customs service, is to achieve a clearance time of less than 24 hours, as opposed to the current 48-hour benchmark.
She also said the service is making preparation to integrate the indigenous platform with the National Single window platform of the federal government.
When this is done, she assured that customs operations would be transparent, and all stakeholders, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, would be able to clearly see and monitor goods clearance procedures at the Ports.
She assured the terminal operators that “We are not just handing over the system (B’odogwu) and walking away. We’ve provided continuous training and support since deployment. Some of the engineers from the NICIS era are still with us, offering assistance when needed. This collaborative model ensures that we grow together.
“As we transition from legacy systems to the new platform, we’ll manage both systems concurrently to ensure smooth operations. Once all stakeholders are satisfied, we’ll fully retire the old system. Unlike past rollouts, where changes were rushed, we are taking a deliberate, measured approach to avoid disruption” she said
The cuatoms boss assured that scanning of cargoes at the ports is now bound to take a new shape with the coming onboard of the B’Odogwu.
According to her, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made it clear that cargoes leaving the vessels at ports, should be scanned at shipside in order to reduce bottlenecks in clearance process.
She said “Thank God for Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, our president this year, whose vision for trade is clear. The kind of trade he envisions is one where, as goods are being offloaded from ships, everything is scanned right at the ship’s side. It is from that initial scanning process that goods are selected and directed to their appropriate destinations.
“According to our regulations, terminal operators are required to have scanning machines. Specifically, Section 59 mandates that terminal operators must provide these scanners. However, acquiring a terminal scanning machine isn’t as simple as buying a pair of slippers from the market.
“Since the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC) hasn’t yet authorized stamps for this purpose, our concessionaires have been tasked with providing scanners temporarily until we can fully equip the terminals ourselves.
“For example, when goods undergo selectivity, they all pass through the scanners seamlessly. Once scanned, the information is immediately captured in the system. Unlike before, where it was difficult to integrate scanned images with the Single Goods Declaration (SGD), we’ve now achieved full integration between the scanning machines, the SGD, and the Lutec scanning system.
“As soon as the SGD is captured in the system, the corresponding scanned image automatically attaches itself to the declaration as part of the official documentation. This integration significantly simplifies the process.
As I’ve mentioned earlier, our goal is to achieve cargo clearance within 12 to 24 hours. If everything you’ve declared matches the goods being brought in from the ship’s side, your declaration will automatically be routed to the examiner. In fact, the examiner won’t even need to conduct a physical inspection anymore in many cases because the system handles everything electronically.
“That’s the vision we’re working towards. We’re not there yet, so let’s manage our expectations and continue making steady progress without being overly ambitious”
DCG Adeola assured that since the B’odogwu was first introduced at the PTML command in October, 2024, it has gone through some transformational stages with some teething problems which the service has resolved.
She assured that before the automated platform is deployed at the Tin Can and Apapa customs commands, all the identified gaps at the pilot stage would have been closed.
She said the objective of the service is to ensure that goods are cleared in less than 24 hours by the time the indigenous platform is fully deployed.
However, the Customs chief allayed the fears of some stakeholders who expressed worries over possible technical glitch or downtime.
Adeola disclosed that there was no single incident of downtime since October,2024 when the pilot scheme of the platform was launched at the PTML Terminal.
She further declared that the training programmes for the stakeholders have commenced and the customs would ensure that about 90 percent of stakeholders are well grounded in its operations before it takes off at both the Tin Can and Apapa customs commands.
Dr. Jummai Zainab Umar-Ajijola, Managing Director of the Trade Modernization Project Limited, credited the success of the modernization initiative to strong coordination between the NCS and its partners.
“The partnership between the Nigeria Customs Service and the Trade Modernization Project Limited has been instrumental in driving this initiative forward.
She praised the efforts, commitment and resilience Comptroller-General of Customs , Adewale Adeniyi and DCG Adeola for the modest success the new concept has so far recorded.
Dr Ajijola emphasized that B’Odogwu; the newly introduced unified customs system, represents “strength and resilience” and is a homegrown solution that positions Nigeria as a leader in trade facilitation.
“Our goal is not just to modernize customs operations in Nigeria but to create a model that will be adopted across Africa and beyond,” she added
She disclosed that stakeholders are the core components of the project which, if well harnessed, would drive the success of the concept.
By introducing the 4%FCS to import charges what affection is bringing to Nigeria economy and it’s usefulness, thanks
You people have not seen anything yet. You think that the youths will remain and enjoy bad governance. Even the customs are accomplice to bad governance.
How can you issue PAAR for imported goods and immediately the agent or importer pays the duty on the PAAR customs units like valuation, CIU,system audit,CPC would alert same consignment customs issued duty on? Is this the system you don’t want people to japa from?
You people will learn