The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Apapa Command, under the supervision of Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, has earned a unsurpassed revenue collection of N1.875 trillion from January to October 2024, marking a significant increase over last year’s figures.
Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, the Area Controller of the Apapa Command, disclosed this at a recent press briefing, stating that the 2024 revenue is over double the N931.1 billion collected in the same period in 2023, reflecting a 101% increase.
Controller Babatunde Olomu, emphasized that October revenue collection is the highest monthly collection in the history of Apapa Customs Command as the the command generated two hundred and sixty-four billion, four hundred and fifty-five million, five hundred and eighty-seven thousand, seven hundred and ninety-two naira, fifty-six kobo [N264,455,587,792.56
Despite a decline in trade volume, Babatunde Olomu, attributed the impressive revenue results to the implementation of advanced trade facilitation tools such as the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) program and Advanced Ruling. He stated that these tools have enhanced the efficiency of both import and export cargo movement through the port.
“In line with the Federal Government’s Ease of Doing Business initiative, our command now operates on weekends to enable faster clearance and collection of cargoes,” Olomu noted. He also emphasized a collaborative, intra-governmental working system that unites various agencies within the port, ensuring seamless operations while maintaining their individual mandates.
In a notable achievement under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, the command facilitated its first cargo shipment to Kenya last week, further bolstering trade relations within Africa.
On anti-smuggling efforts, Controller Babatunde Olomu, reported that the Apapa Command has made 36 significant seizures from January to October, including six containers with unwholesome and falsely declared pharmaceutical items. The seized items, which included expired medications, unregistered pharmaceutical products, and controlled substances like codeine-based cough syrups and high-dose tramadol, were handed over to the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation.
“These seizures underscore our commitment to protecting Nigerians from harmful imports,” Olomu said. “These controlled substances contravene the Common External Tariff (CET) provisions and the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023. Our actions reflect our duty to prevent unapproved goods from entering the market.”
The total value of seized items, which also includes frozen poultry products, used clothing, and other contraband, is estimated at over N1.5 billion.
Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, thanked sister government agencies and private sector partners for their contributions, which he noted have been instrumental in achieving these results. He expressed optimism that the continued inter-agency collaboration would help the command maintain high levels of compliance and success.
“We owe much of today’s success to our partners, whose support has helped us achieve these record-breaking results,” he concluded.
The Apapa Customs Command remains focused on meeting and surpassing its revenue target while continuing to facilitate trade and protect the Nigerian economy from harmful imports.
