“PAAR Certificate Transmission Glitch on B’Odogwu Platform Resolved”-NCS

ZAINAB JUNAID

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Thursday announced that the technical glitches encountered in the transmission of Product Certificates for Form M and Standards Organisation of Nigeria Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP) required for Pre Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) on the B’Odogwu Platform has been resolved.

This followed concerns raised by importers and licensed customs agents regarding recent delays experienced in the transmission process, at the Stakeholders’ engagement forum held on Wednesday, 6 August 2025.

In a statement signed and released by the National Public Relations Officer, Assistant Comptroller of Customs Abdullahi Maiwada PhD, the Service announced that both NCS and SON have successfully resolved the transmission issues.

Maiwada said Product Certificates and SONCAP documents are now being transmitted seamlessly, and the backlog of affected transactions is being cleared

He acknowledged that the disruption followed technical integration challenges that emerged during the process of onboarding the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) on the B’Odogwu platform on 23 July 2025.

“The system-related issues temporarily impacted traders’ ability to accurately capture their Form M, PAAR, and Single Goods Declaration (SGD).

“Specific challenges encountered included limited space for trader names, incorrect data formatting, missing 10-digit product codes, ambiguous error prompts, and difficulties linking the Tax Identification Number (TIN) to traders’ profiles. While NCS was able to promptly resolve the issues within its system, further coordination was required to complete the resolution on SON’s side.

“The Nigeria Customs Service is pleased to confirm that as of Wednesday, 6 August 2025, both agencies have successfully resolved the transmission issues.

“Product Certificates and SONCAP documents are now being transmitted seamlessly, and the backlog of affected transactions is being cleared.

“In a bid to continuously support stakeholders, the NCS has rolled out nationwide implementation of the B’Odogwu platform across Zones A, B, C, and D, with trained officers on the ground to provide hands-on technical assistance to traders and licensed agents.

“The NCS remains committed to transparency, collaboration, and stakeholders’ engagement. Regular training sessions for stakeholders are ongoing across various commands. These sessions not only build user capacity but also serve as a channel for surfacing and resolving operational challenges on the platform,” he stated.