By Aliyu Galadima
Nigeria Customs Service ,NCS, has commenced the pilot phase of processing Form M through the B’Odogwu ,Unified Customs Management System, across all its Commands.
The initiative, the NCS National Public Relations Officer, Assistant Comptroller of Customs Abdullahi Maiwada said, marks a significant step in the Service’s ongoing technology-driven reforms aimed at modernising trade procedures and improving operational efficiency.
Following the service’s approval to integrate Form M processing into the B’Odogwu Trade Portal, the NCS launched preparatory activities at the Port and Terminal Multiservices Limited ,PTML, Tin Can Island Port, and Apapa Area Command.
Maiwada said the selected sites would implement and support close monitoring, stakeholder engagement, and performance assessment.
Maiwada said, “During this period, a total of five hundred and forty-four (544) Form M entries were processed. Of these, 283 were successfully registered, 10 were validated, and 26 were stored for further action.
“Additionally, 41 entries were submitted, 120 were returned for corrections, 11 were queried, 14 had their PAARs locked, and 39 were recommended for approval. These figures reflect the robust testing and iterative learning across all participating commands.
“Furthermore, a total of 37 Pre-Arrival Assessment Reports ,PAARs, were generated from the processed Forms M. Out of these, seven PAARs were registered, 12 had their Single Goods Declarations ,SGDs, processed, two were fully approved, eight were recommended for further review, four were submitted for processing, and four were queried”.
He noted that the results confirmed the operational capacity of the B’Odogwu system to support end-to-end trade documentation under live implementation conditions.
By implementing the Form M pilot through the B’Odogwu platform, Maiwada assured a nationwide transition to streamline customs documentation, improve transparency, and accelerate clearance processes.
To further enhance trade facilitation and supply chain security during the pilot phase, NCS urges all carriers, including shipping lines and airlines, to begin transmitting manifests through the B’Odogwu platform.
