The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) have resolved a technical glitch that disrupted the electronic transmission of Product Certificates and SONCAP documents required for PAAR processing on the newly deployed B’Odogwu platform.
This was disclosed in a statement released on Wednesday, August 7, 2025, by the National Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service, Assistant Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada.
“The attention of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has been drawn to concerns raised by importers and licensed customs agents regarding recent delays experienced in the transmission of Product Certificates for Form M and SONCAP required for PAAR processing on the B’Odogwu platform.
“The Nigeria Customs Service is pleased to confirm that as of Wednesday, August 6, 2025, both agencies have successfully resolved the transmission issues. Product Certificates and SONCAP documents are now being transmitted seamlessly, and the backlog of affected transactions is being cleared,” the statement read in parts.
According to the Customs Service, the system delay began after SON was integrated into the B’Odogwu platform on July 23, 2025. This integration was part of the broader effort to streamline import processing and digitize the handling of Form M, PAAR (Pre-Arrival Assessment Report), and Single Goods Declaration (SGD).
However, traders and licensed customs agents soon began experiencing difficulties. The NCS acknowledged that the onboarding process led to technical challenges such as limited space for trader names, incorrect data formatting, missing 10-digit product codes, ambiguous error messages, and issues linking traders’ Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) to their profiles.
These problems affected the smooth transmission of necessary product documents between SON and the Customs Service.
The NCS confirmed that while it was able to resolve the issues on its end promptly, further coordination was required with SON to complete the fix. They have however resolved the issues and normal operations had resumed.
The B’Odogwu platform emerged from the Nigeria Customs Service’s push for modernization. The service launched this indigenous Unified Customs Management System in October 2024 aiming for a paperless, seamless trade administration that aligns with global best practices and replaces the older NICIS II system
It was developed under the legal framework of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, empowering the agency to deploy digital solutions with transparency and stakeholder input
The pilot phase was successful enough to warrant expansion. By March 2025, the NCS announced plans to roll out B’Odogwu to the Apapa and Tincan Island Commands, emphasizing that it would manage 70–80% of customs operations by integrating crucial documents like Form M and the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR)
Early implementation also involved bringing 25 banks onto the platform and integrating the system with key stakeholders such as the Central Bank of Nigeria, FIRS, and financial institutions to ensure smoother duty payments and trade facilitation.