Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi has announced plans by the President Bola Tinubu administration to reduce cost of importation into the country with scrapping of 7 percent surcharge and 1 percent Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS).
He said the service will begin implementation of a 4 per cent Free On Board (FOB) levy on all importation as provided by the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.
Speaking in Lagos at a town hall meeting on the implementation of the Unified Customs Management System also known as B’Odogwu, Adeniyi said quality Information Communication Technology (ICT) is capital intensive and never comes cheap anywhere in the world.
The CGC explained that the 4 per cent FOB levy — calculated based on the value of imported goods up to the port of loading — will serve as a replacement for both the 1 per cent CISS fee and the 7 per cent federation account collection, enabling a more efficient, transparent, and technology-driven clearance process.
He noted that the current NICIS II platform is being gradually phased out in favour of the Unified Customs Management System (UCMS), known as B’Odogwu, a fully digital platform aimed at streamlining operations and eliminating bottlenecks in Nigeria’s import and export processes.
“At the heart of our transformation is the B’Odogwu platform,” Adeniyi said. “We need sustainable funding to elevate it to global standards. That is why the 4 per cent FOB levy is being introduced — not to burden importers but to enable innovation and efficiency.”
He further emphasised that the Customs Service had already invested heavily in the system and that additional funding was necessary to complete the transition and sustain the reform.
Adeniyi appealed for the support and understanding of stakeholders, noting that such levies are standard practice in other countries where customs operations have been successfully modernised.
“The 4 per cent FOB is not arbitrary. It’s a necessary measure to ensure we can continue building a Customs service that meets international benchmarks and supports Nigeria’s economic growth,” he added.
”We have no choice in the payment of the 4 per cent FOB because it is needed by the Customs to fund the huge technology and modernisation programme it has embarked upon.
“The 4 per cent is not a new thing. God bless the soul of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, who saw the need for extra funding before the provision was included in the Customs Act of 2023.
“I am now telling you that we have no choice but to introduce the levy because technology does not come cheap, and in Yoruba parlance ‘the soup that is sweet is as a result of money,” he said.
He added that now that Nigeria is the Chairman of the WCO Council, the Nigeria Customs would use B’Odogwu to show the world that the Service has the capacity and competence to develop its own indigenous technology that will enhance its operations.
“Now it is going to be B’Odogwu to the world.
“Now that we have the WCO Council Chairmanship with us, let’s use the opportunity to sell B’Odogwu to the world and tell them that we have the capacity and competence to develop our own technology to enhance our operations and facilitate trade,” he said.
He told the stakeholders that there would be no extra charges after the 4 percent FOB, as this would replace the 1per cent Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS) and the 7 per cent they are collecting from the federation account.
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