By Stephen Ubanna
Charles Orbih, an Assistant Comptroller General, ACG, and National Coordinator, Lagos Zonal office, of the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, overseeing 16 Area Commands spread across the south western states of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo, appears to have found a way of motivating the Area Controllers and their officers to deliver on their mandate of improved trade facilitation, revenue generation and anti-smuggling operations.
Given the Customs Comptroller General action plans to clip the wings of economic saboteurs including Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popular, petrol smugglers , may have encouraged Charles Orih, an ACG, and National Coordinator, Lagos Zonal office , to beam his searchlight on the activities of the anti-smuggling Commands like the Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone A, Oyo/Osun, Ekiti/Ondo, Ogun, Idiroko, and Western Marine, which is the Service Amphibious Command in the Western zone, with a mandate to tackle the activities of smugglers in waters in south western zone that stretch from Nigeria to Republic of Benin.
The Customs Commands under the Lagos zonal Headquarters may have cued into the CGC policy thrust of collaborative approach with other relevant security agencies to optimize anti-smuggling operations and address the economic implications of smuggling which was said to have paid off.
This evident going by what is happening at the various anti-smuggling Customs Commands in the south west geopolitical region over the last two years. ACG Orbih, the National Coordinator, Lagos Zonal office may have come to the realization that the only way to encourage Area Controllers and their officers whose main job is basically anti-smuggling operations in the nations’ land border areas, both land and sea, within the Zonal office areas of jurisdictions is to be appreciative what their efforts in tackling smuggling activities within their areas of operation.
It was not surprising why the Edo state born ACG, of Customs, who during a recent working visit to the Lagos state based WMC, which had given him opportunity to interact with the officers and to commend them ‘’ for exceptional contributions to national security and economic protection’’, which many had described as the politics of Customs.
The Customs, ACG, had said that the ongoing tour of the Customs Commands under his close watch is to reinforce the Service’s three strategic pillars: Consolidation, Collaboration and Innovation and to rally frontline Commands in upholding their mandate with renewed vigour and integrity.
The ACG, who could not hide his feelings had’’ praised to high havens’’ Compt. Patrick Ntadi for their pivotal role in advancing the goals of the Service, particular, in securing Nigerian’s maritime borders with the neigbouring countries of Republic of Benin and Niger against smuggling and other transnational crimes.
He had alluded to the Command’s seizure in the recent weeks of contraband items worth over N352 million in Duty Paid Value,DPV, noting their impact in protecting local industries and safeguarding public health is legendary.
He may have gladdened the heart of the WMC, Customs Comptroller and his officers, when he urged them to put more efforts in their anti-smuggling drive when he declared: The seizures you had made go beyond mere numbers, stating that they tell the story of officers who understand that every intercepted contraband item protects Nigeria’s economy and its people.
Reflecting on the Service’s Steller performance in the first quarter of 2025, the Zonal Coordinator, who had severally represented the Customs Comptroller General at various public functions in the South western region, and the Commands within the Zone, had revealed that the NCS, had collected a record- breaking total sum of N1.75 trillion in revenue, stating that the Zone, under his Leadership had collected close to 80% of the revenue that was paid into he Federation Account.
Note that the Apapa Command, under the close watch of Compt. Babatunde Olomu, who had successfully blocked all areas of revenue leakage and whose Command handles over 60% of the cargoes both bulk and general merchandise shipped into the country had collected about N754 billion of the total N1.75 trillion paid into the Federation account while another Lagos based Command, Tin can Island, which has Compt. Frank Okechukwu Onyeka, as the Area Controller and who had followed the footsteps of the Apapa Area Controller had collected and paid into the government coffers the sum of about N348 billion in the first quarter of 2025, putting the cumulative total revenue collection of the two Commands from the Lagos Zonal office in the first quarter of 2025, to about N1.102 trillion.
The two Formations, which had hand won the Customs Best Commands in Trade Facilitation, Ports and revenue generation, that was said to have earned the Apapa Area Controller, Compt. Olomu , a Special award as the CGC’s Comptroller of the year, 2024, has sustained the record.
Putting together the total revenue figure that that was to haven collected by the Command between January and June 30, 2025, it was said to have paid over N1.37 trillion into the Federation account while TCIP, according to Compt. collected and paid into government coffers , N747 billion, bringing the total sum to about N2.12 trillion, that was said to have been paid by the two Lagos based Commands into the Federation account in six months of the year 2025. Note that the NCS, has a total revenue target of N6.58 trillion to pay into the Federation account this year but only two Command had generated and paid into the government coffers over N2.12 trillion, meaning that that the Lagos based Customs will sustain its record-breaking record of hitting over 80% of the service revenue generation for the year 2025.
A senior Customs officer who spoke to the Value News on condition of anonymity disclosed that the duo of Comptrollers Olomu and Onyeka, are working round the clock to exceed their 2025, revenue targets by wide margins. It was gathered Compt. Onyeka, who is working closely with officers of the Valuation Department and B’ Odogwu, are doing everything within their powers to prove book makers wrong, that the Command can deliver on.
ACG Orbih, had attributed the improved revenue generation by the Commands within the Zone A, which is under his leadership to increased operational efficiency and strategic reforms that had been embarked upon by CGC Adeniyi, over the last two years.
The key reforms that was said to have been cited by the appreciative ACG, include the introduction of the Advance Ruling System, the launch of the Authorized Economic Operators, AEO, , program, and the deployment of the indigenous Unified Customs Management System, UCMS, popular, B’Odogwu platform, which had had replaced the Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System, NICIS, which was a foreign technology, which is enhancing cargo clearance and tracking capabilities at the Port Multi-services Terminal Limited, PTML, Apapa and Tincan Island Command including the PortHarcourt Area II, Command, Onne, Rivers state.
He was emphatic tat from PTML, where the pilot phase of the B’Odogwu was to other Commands across the country where it has been extended to, he noted that the system is now transforming how the Service clears cargoes and monitors compliance by importers with their agents at the nation’s seaport to forestall false declaration and underpayments. ‘’This is the kind of innovation driving our mandate forward’’, he had said.
The ACG, was said to have also taken out time to give kudos to Compt. Ntadi, of WMC, for the Command’s infrastructural improvement, including the construction of befitting quarter guard and the removal of shanties around the Command’s vicinity which had remained a problem over the years.
Describing the actions as’’ a mark of demonstration of discipline and commitment to operational excellence’’, he had stressed ‘’reinforcing the urge need for sustained vigilance’’, he was said to have reminded the officers and men of the WMC, of the evolving security threats facing the nation and urged continued collaboration with other security agencies, particular, the Nigerian Navy, under the Leadership of Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogallah, and Muhammed Buba Marwa, A Brigadie General rtd, a former Nigerian Ambassador to South Africa during President Muhammadu Bu’s Administration and now Chairman, Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Marine Police of the Nigerian Police Force, NPF, and the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, which has Kemi Nanna Nandap, as the Comptroller General.
He may have given a word of advice to Compt. Ntadi and his men, when he disclosed that the nation is facing complex threats, insisting that that the Command has much to do in Nigerian waters at this critical stage of the country’s survival.
;;We must remain several steps ahead of those who want to undermine the country’s economic integrity and national security’’, and further calling on the citizenry to report any suspicious activities related to smuggling and illegal trade with the country’s water ways.
An appreciative Compt. Ntadi, was said to have thanked the ACG, for taking time out of his bysy schedules to pay a working visit to the Amphibious Command, which many believe is in the class of Nigerian Navy, overseeing the Western Marine Command which covers the south western states geopolitical region waters, stressing that his ‘’words of encouragement to him and his officers will continue to make the Service proud’’.
Towards the tail end of May 2025, the Lagos Zonal office, National Coordinator, accompanied by some of the Zonal top officers had toured Seme Command, where they were warmly received by Compt. Ben Nkem Oramalugo, at the Seme/Krake joint Border who had authored a book on NCS, with a Chapter devoted to CGC Adeniyi style of Leadership and reforms in the Service.
The Seme Command Area Controller may have given the ACG a cause to be cheerful when he opined that the visit to the Command will motivate the officers to contribute more meaningfully to the Command’s success in all its anti-smuggling operations and to make more spectacular contraband seizures like the interception recent interception and seizure of corrosive Mercury canisters , described in security circles as an improvised Explosive Device , IED, used by the Jihadists or terrorists operating in the North eastern states of Borno, Yobe and the Sahel states of Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali.
The Explosives were said to have been concealed beneath five cartons of the Holy Quran but neatlt packed in in a Japanese Manufactured red Toyota Avensis vehicle with registration No. GGE 167 JN, but could not escape the eagle eyes of the Command Patrol team offices along the Badagry-Lagos Expressway. The Seme Command Area Controller was said to have requested of more such visits by the ACG, to fully understand their challenges at the land border station in order to take it up at the Management at the Customs Headquarters, at the FCT , so as to get the speedy attention.
