The Nigeria Customs Service has fully transitioned from the long-serving NICIS II platform to B’Odogwu, its Unified Customs Information System, taking the digital clearance regime nationwide after months of phased testing across commands.
Among the system’s most consequential features is a direct link to Central Bank exchange rates, removing manual rate-setting from cargo valuation, alongside automation designed to reduce human interference in assessments. The Service has also commenced a pilot for processing Form M directly on the platform across all commands, a step confirmed by the Federal Ministry of Information, and officials at Tin Can Island have publicly targeted clearance times as short as two hours for compliant cargo, according to InfoStride News.
The modernisation sits alongside an ambitious fiscal mandate: the Senate has approved a revenue target of N11.07 trillion for the Service in 2026 after it surpassed its 2025 goal, as reported by Vanguard.
What it means for shippers
Digital-first clearance rewards clean documentation more than ever: when valuation and rates are automated, inconsistent paperwork becomes the main thing left to argue about. It also means agents must be fluent in the new platform. Royal Purple Express operates on B’Odogwu across all commands, and our pre-classification discipline is built for exactly this regime: documents agreed before arrival, releases in hours rather than days.
Sources: Vanguard · FMINO · InfoStride News
