By Cynthia Alo

The Ports Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has recorded a 34.1 per cent increase in revenue collection for the first half of 2025, amounting to N204.7 billion, compared to N152.6 billion collected during the same period in 2024.

In a statement signed by the Customs PRO, PTML Command, SC Abdullahi Abubakar,
Comptroller Tenny Daniyan, Customs Area Controller of the command, attributed the success to improved compliance by stakeholders and the deployment of the home-grown digital platform, B’Odogwu.

Daniyan stated that the command has so far generated N301.8 billion on the B’Odogwu platform since its rollout on November 11, 2024, despite initial teething challenges.

According to him, more than 90 per cent of stakeholders are now utilising the platform effectively.

He said : “Despite the teething challenges which we are surmounting as the pilot area of the B’Odogwu implementation, we have received increased user acceptance supported by sustained training and seamless user experience feedbacks.”

Highlighting achievements in trade facilitation, Daniyan noted that the PTML Command has expanded its trade corridor to include cargoes from the Far East and China, in addition to existing routes from Europe and America.”Despite these improvements in trading opportunities, our anti-smuggling and enforcement drives remain intact without compromise.

He reaffirmed that only declarations made with integrity can benefit from the command’s industry-leading two-hour cargo clearance time, as recorded in the Time Release Study (TRS).

Within the review period, the command handled 52 vessels, received 13,431 containers, and recorded 30,400 assessments.

The CAC further disclosed that PTML has intensified stakeholder engagement and capacity-building efforts to deepen understanding and usage of the B’Odogwu platform.

“The practical hands-on sessions have paid off as most of our stakeholders are knowledgeable about the system and its workings. These training sessions are in batches and still ongoing to ensure everyone is carried along,” he said.

Daniyan also expressed appreciation to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, for choosing PTML as the pilot location for the B’Odogwu platform, describing it as “a revolutionary home-grown trade platform that has become an enduring legacy for trade facilitation and revenue collection.”

He congratulated the CGC on his recent emergence as Chairman of the Council of the World Customs Organisation (WCO), noting that initiatives such as the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO), Time Release Study (TRS), and Advance Ruling are contributing to Nigeria’s rising profile on the global stage.