By Stephen Ubanna
Not many are surprised in maritime circles that Compt. Babatunde Olomu, the Area Controller, Apapa Command, described at the last Comptroller General of Customs, CGC Award Night, at Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, as ’’the Best in Revenue Generation and Trade Facilitation in 20224 Fiscal year’’, and who eventually emerged as the overall Customs Comptroller of the year, 2024, is still a revenue mobilizer because of the improved level of Compliance at the Command due to the existing structure on ground.
In spite of the low volume of cargo traffic at the port the month of January this 2025, Compt. Olomu, according to informed sources has demonstrated that he has the magic wand to sustain the record as the Customs Comptroller of the year 2024. The Apapa Command, which maritime analysts had said controls over 60% of the cargo imports into the country which reflected in the Command being the best in Revenue generation and Trade Facilitation over the years has sustained the record this 2025.
There were the initial fears in Customs circles that with the elevation of DCs. like Wale Adenuga, Nwanze, Aina and Frank Okechukwu Onyeka, all occupying strategic positions in Command as officers -in-charge of Revenue, Enforcement, Valuation and the exit gate, respectively, to the enviable rank of Comptroller, it would affect the Command monthly revenue generation.
The Customs Comptroller, who was said to have established a formidable structure on ground to ensure that the Command improves on its revenue generation and Trade Facilitation drive on a daily basis may not have had any difficulty in finding suitable replacements for the newly promoted Controllers, who an insider told the Value News online Magazine are putting into practice what they have learnt from Compt. Olomu in their respective Commands to make viable.
Take for instance, Compt. Nwanze, who was said to have been instrumental to the spectacular Contraband seizures made by the Apapa Command under the Leadership of Compt. Olomu, between May and much of December, 2024, was said to turned the Abia/Imo Command to another revenue generating Command for the service which was never the case in the past. Past Customs Comptrollers deployed to the Command were said to have seen it as punishment because of the low economic activities but Compt.Nwanze, who had copied much of Copt. Olomu ‘s Administrative style, has changed the narrative .
At the Tin Can Island Command, where Compt. Onyeka, is sitting on the driver’s Seat, he was said to have succeeded in stopping the multiple alert systems at port which had remained a major problem and source of revenue loss to the Command because of the confusion that had been created with such unguided alerts.
As a thorough bred- professional who had seen how the policy had was implemented at the Apapa Command, appears to have repeated same in his new Area Command by ensuring that, only the Customs Intelligence, CIU, will issue alerts and other Units, including Enforcement made to fall in line.
The Customs Comptroller who was said to have made it clear that the Command Enforcement Unit has no basis to from issue alert in an area that is supposed to be exclusive preserve of the CIU, had stopped it from doing so.
It was not surprising why it has reflected in the Command’s improved revenue generation between December 2024 and now. Tis is evident by the N116.4 trn, collected by the Command and paid into the Federal Government coffers in January ,2025.
Back to Apapa Command, unconfirmed report had it that the Command had generated the sum of about N261.3 billion in the month of January, 2025, which was said to have been paid into the government coffers , compared to about N153 billion that was collected by the Command during the same period in 2024.
The revenue figure, that was to have been collected by the Command, in the first month of January, 2025, a source at the Command had confirmed was much higher than all the monthly revenues collected between January and December 2024.
This is because of the structural changes that was said to have been introduced and currently being test-run at the port and all the terminals being superintended by the Command outside the port premises. The Apapa Command’s monthly revenue collection that was said to have close to the January 2025, collection, was said to be that of December, 2024. A document sighted by The Value News online Magazine shows that the Command had collected and paid into the Federal Government coffers ta little over N252.53 billion in month of December 2024.
There are fears in both official and unofficial circles that with the suspension of the four percent, Free duty On Board, FOB, as enshrined in the Customs Management Act, 2023, passed by the National Assembly signed into Law by former President Muhammadu Bhari, it may affect the Command and other Customs Areas Commands revenue collections in subsequent months.
Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, led Customs Management’s decision which was said to have been communicated to the importers with their Agents and other stakeholders may have forced Compt. Olomu and his Management Team to go back to the drawing board to re-strategize ‘’to sustain the Command revenue record which had been set in the month of January, 2025, in order not to go below it but further improve on amount.
The Customs Comptroller, who appears to have taken advantage of the Customs Comptroller General’s ,deployment cutting- edge technology , ‘’odogwu clearance system which importers with their Agents are currently benefiting from through faster clearance times for imported cargoes and improved efficiency at the port , appears to have sent a signal to stakeholders that nothing appears to have changed as the Command still maintain its revenue track record, which is what it had been known for over the years.
The is no gain saying the fact that the Command could collect that much alleged revenue for the government in the month of January 2025, when importers had adopted a -wait -and-see attitude to observe the direction of the nation’s economy and how the government Fiscal policy that was said to have aligned with the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, Common External Tariff , CET,is being implemented.
While Compt. Olomu is doing everything within their powers to tighten up security and block areas of revenue e leakage to enhance the Command revenue collection this 2025, notwithstanding that the Headquarters had not set a revenue target for the Command and other Area Commands because of the ‘’unsettled issue of target for the service’’ between Wale Edun, minister of Finance and Coordinating minister of the Economy and the Joint Committee of the National Assembly on Finance.
The Joint Committee of the National Assembly on Finance was said to have set a revenue target of N12 trn, for the service this 2025, as against the N6.5 trn proposed by the service at the revenue projection defense sessions, where the Chief Executive Officers, CEO, from the various government agencies at the Federal level.
The adjustments that were said to have been made during the revenue generating agency defense of its 2024 budget and projected 2025, Fiscal year budget , may not have gone down with the ministers who is still pushing for the outrageous revenue to be dropped for the more realistic N6.5 trn proposed by the service.
Determined to keep to the Command revenue record, Compt.Olomu was said to have read the riot Act to officers that involvement in clearing agency jobs will be viewed seriously and any officer caught in the act will be punished according to the Law as a deterrence to other who may want to engage in such unwholesome act in future.
The Customs Coptroler has his reason for warning officers to keep away from clearing agencies’ job to avoid conflicting with their official responsibility and which may affect the Command’s monthly revenue generation.
Meanwhile, some of the plans which the Customs Comptroller was said to have been initiated like the automation of transire processes and expansion of the Authorized Economic Operator, AEO, and Advance Ruling Scheme, ARS, an insider confirmed, are currently being implemented, which had reflected in the Command’s revenue Generation between June 2024 and now.
The Customs he Area Controllers, may not have allowed the delay in the allocation of revenue targets to their respective Commands to affect their operations. Area Controllers may be working on the projected National Assembly Jointed Committee on Finance but are still optimistic that N12 trn , projected revenue target but still are optimistic that the issue would soon be settled between the two parties soon, to be given their yearly revenue targets to fall back in line and strategize on meeting the revenue targets.
Efforts to speak to Compt. Mohammed Babandede, Area, Port Harcourt, II, Command, overseeing Onnee port, in Rivers state , through phone calls over the delay in getting the Command revenue target fro the year, 2025 , from the Customs Headquarters proved did not materialise.
The Customs Area Controller may have followed the foot stsep of Compt. Olomu, of Apapa Command and other Area Commands to collect the revenue for the Federal Government based on the ECOWAS,CET, as well as keep to the Management policy of not collecting the four percent FOB, duty on imported cargoes into the country, as it has been suspended.
