The Nigeria Customs Service has clarified that B’Odogwu, a Unified Customs Management System, does not under any circumstance generate, substitute, or alter exchange rates for cargo clearance.
The Service stated that where data transmission formats change, the system is designed to retain the last valid Central Bank-provided rate until the updated feed is successfully processed, thereby preserving continuity, accuracy, and valuation integrity.
The National Public Relations Officer of the NCS, Abdullahi Maiwada, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
He stressed that the Service acknowledges recent public commentary regarding foreign exchange pricing, investor behaviour, and Customs valuation practices.
According to him, the Service recognises the value of informed public discourse in deepening understanding of Nigeria’s trade and revenue environment.
“In this regard, it is important to provide factual clarification on how exchange rates are received, processed, and applied within the NCS digital clearance system, B’Odogwu, a Unified Customs Management System which serves as the sole official platform for customs declarations, clearance, and valuation. For the avoidance of doubt, the NCS does not independently determine, generate, alter, or apply margins to foreign exchange rates used for import and export valuation,” Maiwada stated.
He explained that all exchange rates applied within the B’Odogwu platform are official rates electronically transmitted by the Central Bank of Nigeria, which remains the competent authority for exchange rate determination under Nigeria’s monetary framework.
Maiwada emphasised that the rates are automatically integrated and uniformly applied across all Customs formations, ensuring transparency, predictability, audit integrity, and full compliance with statutory provisions and national fiscal and monetary policy directives.
“The B’Odogwu system operates on structured data integration protocols that automatically ingest and apply exchange rate information as transmitted by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Under no circumstances does the system generate, substitute, or alter exchange rates. Where data transmission formats change, the system is designed to retain the last valid Central Bank-provided rate until the updated feed is successfully processed, thereby preserving continuity, accuracy, and valuation integrity,” Maiwada added.
He pointed out that as part of its ongoing system governance and enhancement processes, the Service is working with the CBN to enable seamless application programming interface-based integration, further strengthening real-time exchange rate transmission, operational reliability, and system resilience.
“It is worthy of note that the reported exchange rate of N1,451.63/US$ for 6 February 2026 did not originate from the B’Odogwu system. That figure was sourced from a legacy public trade information portal that does not reflect live Customs processing data. Likewise, the National Integrated Customs Information System does not provide real-time customs valuation figures and is not recognised for live customs processing,” he stated.
The NCS image maker reiterated that the sole authoritative platform for customs declarations, clearance, and valuation is B’Odogwu, which receives exchange rates directly transmitted by the CBN.
Maiwada mentioned that, for clarity and transparency, the exchange rate applied for Customs valuation on 6 February 2026 was N1,365.56/US$, as officially communicated by the CBN.
He maintained that all subsequent exchange rates applied by the Service have, likewise, reflected the official rates transmitted by the CBN and automatically implemented through the B’Odogwu platform in accordance with established national protocols.
Maiwada noted that the Service remains firmly committed to transparency and consistency and the facilitation of legitimate trade while ensuring strict compliance with national fiscal and monetary policy directives.
“The Service assures all stakeholders, including the trading public, licensed customs agents, and international partners, that customs clearance and valuation processes remain accurate, predictable, and aligned with statutory provisions and international best practices. The Service will continue to strengthen its systems, enhance operational integrity, and support Nigeria’s economic growth through efficient and accountable Customs administration,” he concluded.
