Customs Tech Generates N230bn, Signals AI Trade Boom
By Ikpeme Patience
The Nigeria Customs Service’s B’Odogwu Unified Customs Management System has generated over N230 billion in revenue at the Port and Terminal Multi-Services Limited (PTML) Command in just eight months.
The system has also slashed cargo clearance times to under eight hours for compliant traders and exemplifying how AI-powered digital transformation is revolutionizing trade efficiency and economic growth.
Comptroller General Adewale Adeniyi highlighted this success during his keynote address at the 4th Biennial International Conference on “Disruptive Technology: Human and Artificial Intelligence in the Digital Economy,” hosted by the University of Ilorin’s Faculty of Communication and Information Sciences in partnership with Russia’s RUDN University on May 13, 2026.
Adeniyi stressed that such innovations must prioritize human-centered ethics amid rapid digital shifts in payments, e-commerce, and smart technologies.“The digital age is, in the end, a human story, and the real test of our generation is not how powerful our machines become, but how wisely our societies choose to use them,” he stated.
He positioned the Customs Service as a model for government agencies, where the B’Odogwu platform has boosted trade facilitation, cargo processing, and inter-agency ties while upholding transparency and public trust. “The partnership, not the rivalry, between human and artificial intelligence is where the real value lies,” Adeniyi added, noting technology excels when guided by institutional purpose and ethics.
“Technology changes processes; leadership and expertise still deliver the results,” he emphasized, underscoring human roles in risk management and enforcement.
Adeniyi urged academia and agencies to collaborate on priorities like AI-driven risk targeting, digital compliance, and cross-border data governance, particularly for African contexts.He called for universities to shift from theory to practical innovation, fostering locally relevant frameworks accountable to citizens.
The conference drew policymakers, scholars, tech experts, and agency heads, with Adeniyi later discussing digital research and capacity-building partnerships on the sidelines.
