The Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON) has accused several international airlines of sabotaging trade facilitation efforts in the country by refusing to transmit cargo manifests to the B. Odogwu Platform of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
In a strongly worded statement issued on Friday, October 10, 2025, and signed by its National President, Otunba Frank Ogunojemite, APFFLON expressed deep concern over what it described as a deliberate act of sabotage by some airlines, which it said has crippled cargo clearance processes at major airports, particularly the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
According to the association, despite repeated engagements and appeals by freight forwarders and customs officials, airlines such as Lufthansa, Ethiopian Airlines, British Airways, Air France, and Turkish Airlines have allegedly continued to withhold cargo manifests from the Nigeria Customs Service’s automated B. Odogwu platform, thereby preventing Customs from processing and clearing cargoes efficiently.
“The uncooperative stance of these airlines has crippled the smooth clearance of goods, caused excessive delays, and resulted in massive demurrage and storage charges for freight forwarders, importers, and logistics stakeholders operating through the Abuja and Lagos airports,” Ogunojemite stated.
He explained that the BOdogwu digital platform was designed by the NCS to automate manifest transmission and improve transparency in cargo clearance. However, the refusal of certain airlines to comply, he said, has rendered the system ineffective in some key airports, leading to stranded consignments and heavy financial losses for importers.
APFFLON noted that the airlines’ non-compliance has resulted in clearance bottlenecks, congestion at cargo terminals, loss of business confidence, and mounting demurrage charges.
Ogunojemite lamented that importers are being forced to pay exorbitant demurrage and warehouse fees for delays that are entirely not their fault. He added that cargo terminals at the Abuja airport are now overcrowded, while importers and freight agents are left helpless due to the airlines’ failure to transmit data that Customs officers need for assessment and clearance.
He warned that the continued disruption could further damage Nigeria’s reputation as a trade hub and undermine the Federal Government’s efforts to improve the ease of doing business at the nation’s ports and airports.
To address the situation, the association called on the Nigeria Customs Service, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to urgently step in and compel full compliance from all airlines operating in the country.
APFFLON also demanded immediate sanctions or suspension of cargo operations for any airline that continues to withhold manifests, a stakeholders’ roundtable involving Customs, airlines, handling companies, and freight forwarders to identify and resolve technical and administrative issues hindering manifest transmission, and compensation or demurrage waivers for importers and freight agents affected by the delays.
“No single entity should be allowed to sabotage the progress made in customs automation and the ease of doing business. The suffering of Nigerian importers and freight agents at the Abuja Airport must not continue unchecked,” the APFFLON President insisted.
Ogunojemite urged relevant authorities and the media to treat the issue as a matter of national economic importance, emphasizing that trade facilitation cannot thrive under a system where critical players disregard statutory procedures.
He reaffirmed APFFLON’s commitment to promoting transparency, professionalism, and efficiency within Nigeria’s freight forwarding and logistics industry, adding that the association would continue to speak out against practices that frustrate trade and economic growth.
