In late 2024, the Nigeria Customs Service piloted a new digital clearance platform called B'Odogwu at PTML. It has since expanded to Apapa, Tin Can and Onne, and it is changing what a realistic clearance timeline looks like.

The platform automates duty calculation, links directly to over 25 Nigerian banks for real-time payment confirmation, and reduces the manual back-and-forth that used to stretch clearance from hours into days.

For compliant shipments with complete documentation, clearance at pilot locations has dropped to a 4-8 hour window in many cases, compared to the days-long process common under the previous NICIS II system.

What this means for importers: documentation accuracy matters more than ever. B'Odogwu speeds up the parts of the process that used to absorb documentation errors quietly. Get your Form M, invoice and packing list right before booking, and the system rewards you with a faster release.