CG Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, addressing stakeholders at the Town Hall Meeting held in Lagos, Monday.

The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, has assured stakeholders within the country’s trade supply chain that the Service under his watch would spear no efforts in fine- tuning its homegrown trade portal, the B’Odogwu platform in line with its efforts to simplify international trade processes.

The CGC has also hinted that the Service is planning towards the reintroduction of the suspended four per cent Free On Board FOB Levy to enable it fund its numerous trade modenisation initiatives and projects with a view to facilitating hitch-free trade processes in the country.

Speaking at a one-day high level town meeting with stakeholders on the B’Odogwu Clearance System held in Lagos, Monday with the theme: ‘Enhancing Trade Compliance and System Optimisation Through Stakeholder Engagement’, the CGC noted that the meeting had become necessary and expedient to feel the pulse of the stakeholders across the trade value chain on the operations of its pet project and fully homegrown initiative with a view to fine- tuning its operations.

The well-attended town hall meeting had representatives of the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN, sister security agencies, regulatory service providers, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria SON, terminal operators, shipping lines, service providers, importers, Licensed Customs Agents and freight forwarders, among several others.

The CGC noted that stakeholders’ inputs from the town hall meeting would avail the Service fresh insights as it tries to fine tune the operations of the trade platform for greater efficiency, thereby making the system more user friendly.

While noting that the Service might be left with the only option of the reintroducing the suspended FOB levy to fund its several and ambitious trade modernisation and digital transformation projects, further disclosed that the levy was enshrined in the new Customs Act 2023, signed into law by late President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023, arguing that the Service had to suspend its implementation following the public outcry in order to enhance more sensitisation, consultation and engagement with critical stakeholders in order to get their buy- in.

He further disclosed that the reintroduction of the four per cent FOB levy on consignments imported into the country would however see the scrapping of the current one per cent Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme CISS.

The CGC, who also took out time to also educate stakeholders on the direct implications of his emergence as the Chairman of the World Customs Organisation WCO, noted that the feat places the Service in a leadership position among the global trading community, adding that the Nigeria Customs Service would have to lead from the front and must also lead by example, hence the need to get her trade processes right at this time.

“We will have to reintroduce the four per cent FOB levy to enable the Service fund the various huge technology and modernisation programmes that are actually currently ongoing. This is not really new, since it was enshrined in the Customs Act, 2023. If we want efficient service delivery, we must also be ready to fund the modernisation and automation of our systems. So the levy was designed to enable the Service to enable it transit from NICIS II to B’ Odogwu, which is entirely indigenous.

“Nigeria is now the Chairman of the WCO Council, and this place on us, a huge responsibility to demonstrate global leadership and we can effectively do this by showcasing B’Odogwu system, our homegrown technological innovation that is capable of transforming Customs operations. So it is B’Odogwu to the world”, the CGC said emphatically.

Meanwhile, Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of ICT/Modernisation, Kikelomo Adeola, who spoke at the event, noted that its essence is captured in the theme, which is to trade compliance and system optimisation through stakeholder engagement.

“This Town Hall is not just another event; it is a strategic platform to engage our valued partners in trade on the B’Odogwu Clearance System. Since its phased deployment, B’Odogwu has demonstrated tremendous potential in enhancing clearance efficiency, improving cargo visibility, and boosting revenue generation. Yet, like every major reform, its success depends on how well we carry along the people it was built for, that is you.

“However, our continuous monitoring and feedback reveal that many importers still face challenges navigating the system. These are not insurmountable obstacles; they are gaps we must bridge through education, direct engagement, and mutual accountability. That is why we are here today.

“This engagement will clarify the end-to-end roles of importers and other stakeholders in the B’Odogwu ecosystem, showcase the platform’s capabilities through live demonstrations; provide space for honest dialogue through panel sessions and questions and answers; receive feedback from air freighters, terminal operators, shipping lines, importers across various modes -the seaport, airport, and the land borders”, the DCG said.