The Tincan Island Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has announced the full deployment of its new digital platform, the B’Odogwu System, which is expected to drastically cut cargo clearance time to just two hours.
Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Frank Onyeka, revealed the development on Thursday during an interactive session with journalists at the command. According to him, the system is designed to be seamless and efficient, boasting a glitch-free interface that will enhance trade facilitation at the busy port.
“When B’Odogwu comes to Tincan and you declare appropriately, you can move your goods in two hours. Because B’Odogwu is ours, B’Odogwu is fresh, B’Odogwu is network glitch-free,” Onyeka said.
He urged importers and clearing agents to embrace transparency and accuracy in their declarations, stressing that honest compliance would be key to unlocking the speed and efficiency the system promises.
To support a smooth transition, the command has intensified sensitization efforts and is training relevant stakeholders on how to navigate the new system. Onyeka noted that while change can be challenging, especially when shifting from entrenched practices, the response so far has been encouraging.
“Sensitisation is ongoing, and we believe that once we can spread that good news, we will get more people on board. We did a practical exam here for them to know the right buttons to press,” he explained. “Obviously, for things that are starting, it is not automatic. We are bound to have challenges, and those challenges are what we are trying to address.”
He added that agents are adjusting from the old ways to what he described as a system “on the path to perfection,” and that this period of adaptation is expected.
In terms of revenue performance, Onyeka disclosed that the command recorded a remarkable revenue haul of ₦145 billion in April 2025 up significantly from ₦95.7 billion collected in the same month last year. For the month of May 2025, the command had already raked in ₦27 billion as of the time of reporting.
The Controller attributed the rise in revenue and drop in seizures to a marked improvement in compliance by stakeholders.
“The level of compliance at the Tincan port is increasing drastically. And that is why we are not having many seizures because they are not coming our way,” he said.
Meanwhile, the President of the Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN), Moses Ebosele, who led a delegation on a courtesy visit, praised the Customs boss for maintaining an open-door policy. Ebosele reaffirmed SCAN’s commitment to professional ethics in their coverage of the maritime sector.
