Parliament Commends Apapa Customs, Leadership for Collecting Over N694b Q1

As Olomu Says B’Odogwu Gaining More User Acceptance

BY FUNMI ALUKO

The Apapa Port Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) collected a total of ₦694,167,949,142.56 in revenue for first quarter of 2025. Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu fsi who disclosed this recently when he received members of the House of Representatives Committee on Customs, said the figure is ₦205b higher than the ₦489b collected from January to March 2024, representing 41.8% increase.

While briefing the Committee led by Hon. Leke Abejide, Comptroller Olomu attributed the Command’s successes to the guidance, support and encouragement of the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, and expressed optimism in the command’s ability to surpass the ₦2.357 trillion collected by the command in 2024.

A statement by the Command Public Relations Officer, SC Tunde Ayagbalo quoted Olomu as saying: “Under the guidance and effective supervision of the CGC, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi,MFR, we are optimistic about surpassing last year’s total collection as evident in our first quarter report. May I also state that the CGC is directly instrumental to our successes, in terms of our overall productivity.

“This Command achieved a daily record-breaking revenue collection of ₦18.9bn on Friday, March 14, 2025, which stands out as the highest in the 135-year history of the service. This new record breaks the existing highest daily collection of ₦18.2b which was achieved in October 2024 by us.”

Outlining the capacity and expectations from the area command, Olomu said,  “The Apapa Customs Area Command domiciled at the premier port plays a vital role in Nigeria’s economy, facilitating trade and ensuring the enforcement of regulations related to imports and exports.

“This Command oversees customs activities with capacity to handle the highest volume of trade not only in Nigeria but also in the West and Central Africa sub region”, he said.

He added that the Command has been instrumental in enhancing the ease of doing business in Nigeria by improving Customs clearance processes, reducing delays in cargo clearance, and leveraging technology through the use of ICT and fast-tract.

This is even as the Apapa customs boss disclosed the NCS B’Odogwu platform is improving and contributing immensely to trade as it is fast gaining more user acceptance and adaptability.

Comptroller Olomu expressed confidence in the Command’s ability to achieve greater revenue collection while describing the first quarter figures as a good start showing prospects for better days ahead.

Speaking on export, he said the processing of export under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Guided Trade Initiative (GTI) remains vibrant noting that some Nigerian companies who are robustly engaged have been further encouraged to migrate to the Authorised Economic Operators(AEO) application.

He also informed the lawmakers of the recent issuance of the first Pre Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) under the B’Odogwu regime, describing it as a significant milestone in the service journey towards indigenization of operational  ICT and as part of the success story in customs modernization by the present management.

Hon Abejide, speaking on behalf of the lawmakers, commended Comptroller Olomu for his ingenuity in making the Command very productive. He assured the CAC and stakeholders, including licensed Customs agents of utmost legislative support.

While lauding Olomu for efficiently leading the command, the lawmakers pledged to continue to support the service’s drive for effective trade facilitation backed by technology and global best practices.