Apapa Customs Hits ₦215bn Milestone on Indigenous B’Odogwu Platform

 In August 2025, the Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) achieved a landmark revenue collection of ₦215 billion using its Unified Customs Management System (UCMS), aptly nicknamed B’Odogwu. Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, the Customs Area Controller, hailed this milestone as a testament to rising stakeholder confidence, ongoing improvements in the indigenous ICT platform, and the patriotism of officers who have sustained its performance even amid operational challenges.

“Our collection of ₦215 billion using the B’Odogwu platform confirms progress in our ongoing journey to build a dependable platform for trade by Nigerians and for all those doing import, export, and excise business in Nigeria,” Olomu declared, emphasizing the platform’s role in fostering a more transparent and efficient customs environment.

Comptroller-General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi’s personal engagement with stakeholders, along with directives to the ICT/Modernisation Department to promptly resolve system hitches and strengthen technical support, have further bolstered confidence in B’Odogwu among importers, exporters, freight forwarders, and agent communities.

Regional and Global Comparison: How Nigeria Stacks Up

Kenya and East Africa: Building Blocks of Integration

Across East Africa, countries such as Kenya have made significant strides in customs digitalisation. Kenya Revenue Authority’s Integrated Customs Management System (iCMS) provides a single interface for documentation, operates in tandem with real-time cargo tracking, and has reduced clearance times and operational inefficiencies . KRA is planning a major upgrade of iCMS in 2025/26, incorporating artificial intelligence for smarter, fully automated customs operations .

Enhanced facilities such as the Moyale One-Stop Border Point (OSBP) include electronic single-window systems, smart gates, and piloted electronic certificates of origin, backed by COMESA and EU funding to boost regional trade facilitation .

Singapore: A Model of Seamless Digital Trade

Far east in Asia, Singapore stands as a benchmark for customs digitalisation. Its National Single Window, TradeNet®, launched in 1989, enables seamless B2G declarations via a single-entry platform . In 2018, Singapore evolved further with the Networked Trade Platform (NTP)—a unified ecosystem bridging trade regulators, logistics players, and international partners through streamlined data sharing and digital processing .

Singapore Customs has also embarked on a cloud-first transformation—migrating legacy systems to AWS-based infrastructure. This modernization has delivered over S$3 million in annual cost savings, faster deployment cycles, better security via zero-trust architecture, and significantly enhanced user experience .

Ghana: Digital Traction and Integration (Contextually Highlighted)

Though Ghana wasn’t the focus of recent reports, the country is known for implementing the Ghana National Single Window (GNSW) to facilitate trade clearance digitally. Like its regional peers, Ghana has progressed through electronic submissions and coordination across government agencies.

Expert Insights: Lessons from the Global Stage

• Trade Analyst, Dr. Anthony Kadri: “Nigeria’s UCMS, learning from regional successes, is poised to evolve into a platform not just for revenue but sovereignty in trade management.”
• Freight Forwarding Specialist, have a view that “reliability, especially during peak seasons, is key. Singapore’s seamless e-document exchange and proactive cloud infrastructure highlight what B’Odogwu should aspire to.”
• Economist, Mr Celestine Ukpong: “If scaled nationally, B’Odogwu could reduce revenue leakages. Kenya’s iCMS and Singapore’s NTP illustrate how smart digital systems can reshape public income streams.”
• Customs Reformer, via regional workshops:

  “Kenya’s use of one-stop platforms and AI in customs operations offers a blueprint for Nigeria—and digital tools can significantly enhance border transparency and efficiency.”

Nigeria’s Path Forward

With its ₦215 billion haul in August, B’Odogwu has earned a place in the emerging narrative of digital trade renaissance in Africa. If sustained and scaled—leveraging insights from Kenya’s planned AI-driven customs overhaul and Singapore’s cloud-enabled, single-window architecture, it can define the next chapter of modern trade facilitation in West Africa.