By Martha Agas
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has successfully integrated the Form M process into the B’Odogwu Trade Portal through a pilot scheme across three commands.
The pilot scheme was implemented at Port and Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML), Tin Can Island Port, and Apapa Area Command.
Spokesman Abdullahi Maiwada confirmed the development in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja.
He explained that these sites were selected to enable strategic testing, close monitoring, stakeholder engagement, and effective performance evaluation.
During the pilot, 544 Form M entries were processed. Out of these, 283 were registered, 10 validated, and 26 stored for future action.
Also, 41 entries were submitted, 120 returned for corrections, 11 queried, 14 had PAARs locked, and 39 were recommended for approval.
Maiwada said the figures show strong testing and learning across all participating commands during the pilot exercise.
He added that 37 Pre-Arrival Assessment Reports (PAARs) were generated from the Forms M processed during the pilot.
Of these, seven PAARs were registered, 12 had their SGDs processed, and two were fully approved.
Eight PAARs were recommended for further review, four submitted for processing, and four were queried.
He said the outcome confirms B’Odogwu’s capacity to support complete trade documentation during live operations.
Maiwada noted the initiative marks a major milestone in the NCS’s tech-driven reform agenda to modernise trade processes.
He stated that the Form M pilot success indicates the start of a nationwide shift in Customs operations.
According to him, the transition aims to simplify documentation, improve transparency, and reduce cargo clearance timeframes.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that following the pilot’s success, carriers are now advised to begin transmitting manifests to the B’Odogwu platform.
“To enhance trade facilitation, NCS urges all carriers, including shipping lines and airlines, to adopt the new platform,” Maiwada stated.
He emphasised the need for stakeholder readiness, particularly among banks and traders, ahead of full implementation.
Maiwada described the Comptroller-General, Adewale Adeniyi, as a forward-thinking leader focused on strategic service automation.
NAN also reports that the Trade Modernisation Project introduced the B’Odogwu platformk
The platform automates trade operations and enables traders to track transactions from initiation to final delivery.
