The Nigeria Customs Service has said importers, and their agents are not required to pay to migrate Form ‘M’ from the Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System (NICIS II) platform to B’Odogwu Trade Management System.

The service spokesperson, Abdullahi Maiwada, said this in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

Mr Maiwada said the service received widespread misconceptions about such payments, which he described as false, misleading, and completely unfounded.

He said, “For clarity, the ongoing migration process is a technical and administrative task. It is designed and implemented by NCS to ensure seamless continuity of trade documentation following the phased deployment of the B’Odogwu system across Customs Area Commands. It is worth noting that at no point has the NCS introduced, approved, or authorised any fee for migrating Form ‘M’ from NICIS II to B’Odogwu.’’

He said that only importers and agents whose Bills of Lading (BoL) or manifests had already been transmitted to B’Odogwu, but whose Form ‘M’ was originally registered on NICIS II were required to make another submission.

He explained that they were required to submit a soft copy of their existing Form ‘M’ to the Technical Supervisor (TS) in their command of operation.

According to Mr Maiwada, this submission will enable the service to carry out the necessary migration at no cost to the trader.

He said, “Upon successful migration, traders are expected to log into their dashboard on B’Odogwu and locate the already migrated “registered” Form ‘M’, click on it to view the full details. Use the “Create Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) button that will appear to proceed with PAAR processing.’’

The spokesperson urged stakeholders to disregard any person or group demanding payment under the guise of facilitating Form ‘M’ migration which was in contrast with its ideals of operations.

According to the spokesperson, such practices are not only illegal but also undermine the service’s commitment to transparency and trade facilitation.

He advised those affected to report such misconduct through official NCS channels.

He stated, “Under the leadership of the Comptroller-General of NCS, Adewale Adeniyi, and his management team, the service remains committed to delivering a user-friendly, transparent, and efficient trade environment powered by technology and integrity. We appreciate the cooperation of the trading public and assure stakeholders of our continuous support throughout this transition.’’

(NAN)