The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Tincan Island Port Command says it generates ₦747.08 billion in revenue in the first half of 2025, a nearly 30% year-on-year rise, powered by the deployment of the indigenous B’Odogwu digital clearance platform.
Superintendent Oscar Ivara, Public Relations Officer of the Tincan Command, says in a statement that the figure reflects a 29.85% increase from the ₦575.36 billion collected during the same period in 2024.
The Command achieved 98.03% of its projected revenue target for the review period with Comptroller Frank Onyeka, Customs Area Controller, attributing the success largely to digital transformation and streamlined trade facilitation.
B’Odogwu Digital clearance platform
The B’Odogwu system, a homegrown portal for customs clearance, is cited as a game-changer in the Command’s operations. According to the statement, a total of 3,450 Single Goods Declarations (SGDs) were submitted via the platform in H1 2025, out of which 2,749 entries were successfully processed and cleared.
“To support the rollout, several training sessions and workshops—both virtual and in-person—have been conducted to equip stakeholders with hands-on knowledge of the new clearance system,” Comptroller Onyeka says.
Launched in late 2024, B’Odogwu replaces the older NICIS platform and forms part of Nigeria’s broader digital customs modernisation agenda, according to the government agency. The platform offers faster processing times, integration of pre-arrival assessments, Form M processing, and a centralised data portal—enabling a more transparent and efficient trade environment.
By May 2025, B’Odogwu had gone live across major ports including Tincan, Apapa, and Lagos Port, with the Customs saying it aims to cut cargo clearance time to under eight hours while integrating port and banking data for enhanced transparency.
Anti-smuggling successes
Beyond revenue collection, the Tincan Command says it recorded significant anti-smuggling operations during the period.
In one of the high-profile busts, officers intercepted two 20-foot containers containing a cache of illegal substances—128 packets of cannabis indica, 97 packets of crystal methamphetamine, and 1,735 packets of cannabis indica—with a combined weight of over 1,000 kilograms and a street value of ₦8.05 billion. The illicit cargo was handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
In a separate operation, a 40-foot container loaded with four used vehicles was discovered to be concealing arms, ammunition, handcuffs, and tactical gear. The recovered items, along with the implicated consignee, have been handed over to the Department of State Services (DSS) for further investigation.
The twin successes in trade facilitation and border enforcement position the Tincan Command as a critical player in Nigeria’s efforts to modernise port operations while safeguarding national security and economic integrity.
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