Customs Clears Air on PAAR Transmission Glitch, Assures Smooth Operations on B’Odogwu Platform

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has clarified the recent technical disruption that affected the transmission of Product Certificates required for the processing of Pre-Arrival Assessment Reports (PAAR), assuring stakeholders that the issue has been fully resolved.

Concerns had been raised by importers and licensed customs agents over delays in capturing Form M, SONCAP, and other key documentation on the newly introduced B’Odogwu platform. The disruption followed the onboarding of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) onto the system on July 23, 2025.

In a statement issued by the Service, the NCS explained that the integration process with SON led to several system-related challenges, including formatting issues, missing 10-digit product codes, ambiguous error messages, limited character space for trader names, and difficulties linking Tax Identification Numbers (TIN) to trader profiles.

While Customs engineers swiftly addressed the internal glitches, full resolution required additional coordination with SON’s technical team.

The NCS confirmed that as of Wednesday, August 6, 2025, the transmission issues have been fully resolved and both Product Certificates and SONCAP documentation are now transmitting seamlessly.

“The backlog of delayed transactions is currently being cleared, and affected stakeholders can now proceed with uninterrupted processing,” the statement read.

To ensure nationwide effectiveness of the B’Odogwu platform, NCS has rolled out its implementation across all four zones A, B, C, and D. Trained officers have been deployed to provide hands-on support to traders and agents navigating the system.

The Service also reaffirmed its commitment to stakeholder engagement and capacity building, noting that regular training sessions are ongoing across various customs commands to surface and resolve operational issues, as well as to enhance users’ familiarity with the digital platform.

The Nigeria Customs Service urged continued collaboration from the trading public and emphasized its goal of delivering a more transparent, efficient, and technology-driven trade environment.