The Port Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced plans to incorporate 25 banks into its local payment and clearing platform, BâOdogwu.
This move aims to resolve transaction delays for agents and tackle initial challenges with the trade portal.
Speaking to journalists recently, the Customs Area Controller, Tenny Daniyan, highlighted the platform’s importance and the obstacles encountered since its introduction on October 23, 2024.
He explained that the shift from Webb Fontaineâs Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System (NISIS) to the BâOdogwu platform has come with its challenges.
Daniyan noted that Webb Fontaineâs decision to disconnect PTML from NISIS caused disruptions for agents, prompting the command to accelerate the deployment of BâOdogwu.
He emphasised that the introduction of BâOdogwu marks a significant step forward in modernising customs processes and enhancing national revenue generation.
Daniyan said:
Daniyan highlighted the BâOdogwu platformâs transformative effect, revealing over N44 billion in revenue in October 2024, with higher figures recorded in early November.
According to The Guardian, the platform has diversified shipments, boosted trade with regions like China, and introduced new revenue streams.
Its rollout began on October 30, with initial transactions of N2.5 billion and N3.03 billion.
Daniyan noted that the systemâs efficiency has attracted more traders and importers to the PTML terminal despite the Central Bank of Nigeria’s frequent adjustments of forex rates for cargo clearance in Nigeriaâs air and seaports.
Meanwhile, TimesNow.com.ng earlier reported that APM Terminals in Apapa, Lagos, welcomed EA Centaurus, the largest vessel to dock at the port.
The vessel, owned by COSCO Shipping Lines, has 7,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), measuring 272 metres in length, 43 metres in width, and has a 14.3-metre draft.
The vessel beats the 6,606 TEU container ship, the Kota Cantik, another Singaporean vessel, which arrived at the Apapa Wharf in 2023.
Source: TimesNow.com.ng
