The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has debunked rumours circulating within the trading community that importers or their agents are required to pay fees to migrate Form M records from the existing NICIS II platform to the newly deployed B’Odogwu Trade Management System.
In an official statement, the Service described the claims as “false, misleading, and entirely unfounded,” stressing that the migration process is a purely technical exercise and is “completely free of charge.”
The transition to the B’Odogwu system — currently being rolled out across Customs Area Commands — is part of a broader modernisation effort aimed at streamlining trade documentation and enhancing operational efficiency.
According to the NCS, importers whose Bills of Lading or manifests have been transferred to the B’Odogwu platform, but whose Form M was initially registered on NICIS II, simply need to submit a soft copy of the Form M to the Technical Supervisor (TS) at their respective command.
This allows the Service to perform the necessary system update at no cost to the trader.
Once the migration is completed, users can log into their B’Odogwu dashboard to view the migrated “registered” Form M and proceed to generate the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) by selecting the “Create PAAR” option.
The NCS has issued a strong warning to traders, urging them to ignore any individuals or groups soliciting payments in exchange for facilitating the migration process. The Service emphasised that such activities are illegal and contradict its commitment to transparency and integrity.
“Any attempt to exploit this transition for personal gain undermines our efforts to create a fair and efficient trade environment,” the statement read.
The NCS also encouraged stakeholders to report any misconduct through official communication channels.
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