Unprecedented! Apapa Customs Hits over One Trillion Naira Revenue Collection Mark in 6 Months

Unprecedented! Apapa Customs Hits over One Trillion Naira Revenue Collection Mark in 6 Months

Comptroller BO OLOMU, CAC, Apapa Area One Command, NCS

It was indeed a landmark performance for Officers and Men of Apapa Area One Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) as its revenue collection mandate hits a whooping mark of over One Trillion Naira under Six months, which is the first half of year 2024. Indeed, this ground-breaking record has further positioned the command, which is a single unit of the NCS, to become a Cynosure of all Eyes.

This historic revenue collection feat is coming despite trade encumbrances faced by the nation in recent times, where the maritime industry is worst hit, as it witnessed an all-time drop in the level of importation, where the most of the revenues are gotten.

Olomu fielding questions on the seizures

To industry watchers, this performance is not far-fetched with the far-reaching leadership swaga brought to bear by the present Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Babatunde Olomu PhD, fsi, who since his deployment on in May, 2024, to head the foremost command was widely commended and termed as ‘A Square Peg in A Square Hole’.

Since assumption of office, Comptroller Olomu had aside from frequent engagements and frank talks with his officers on the need to be more proactive on the task ahead, and as well engaging in series of unprecedented tours/visits to relevant stakeholders, traditional rulers, others, to further cement robust relationships for effective operations.

In his mid-year press briefing earlier today at the Command’s headquarters in Apapa, the highly delighted CAC addressed journalists and other invited guests present on the activities of the command for the first half of year 2024 (January-June), said that his leadership thrust since he assumed office has been robust intelligence gathering for enhanced revenue collection backed with deliberately improved customs-community relations.

The overview of his briefing shows that he was well pleased that his led management’s efforts at promoting trade facilitation are yielding good results with attendant ease of doing business, prevention of revenue losses, and closer interactions with sister government agencies and private sector stakeholders, including members of the host communities in which we operate. 

He also noted that, the command under his watch is not leaving anything to chance for economic saboteurs as their Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) regime is fully in place where scanners are deployed for cargo examination with support of physical examination where and when necessary.

REVENUE

The fallout of these aforementioned measures, others, however resulted to a historic and unprecedented revenue collection attained by the command in the first six (6) months of year.

Comptroller Olomu left the visitors gazed in awe when he disclosed that, the command generated a whooping total sum of One trillion, twenty-three billion, six hundred and sixty-three million, eight hundred and forty-two thousand, two hundred- and fifty- five-naira, sixty-three kobo (N1,023,663,842,255.63), for the first half of 2024, that is between January-June .

Olomu addressing journalists while showcasing the seized goods

According to him, the collected figure shows an increase of 143 percent above the figures of Four hundred and twenty-one billion, three hundred and eighty-two million, one hundred and sixty-six thousand, three hundred- and seventy-eight-naira, forty-six kobo (N421,382,166,378.46) collected in the corresponding period in 2023.

Also, he posited that the impressive collection feat is coming despite a sharp reduction in the volume of trade, as he noted that this made it necessary to put in place extra measures to prevent losses of government revenue.

Explaining some additional hard measures he put in place upon taking over as Area Controller of the ‘Numero Uno’s command, Olomu said he set up a revenue recovery committee comprising of seasoned and dedicated officers with a mandate to carry out more detailed look into areas of leakages, especially in bonded terminals under the Command’s jurisdiction.

TRADE FACILITATION

On trade facilitation mandate of the command, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu said that the command under his watch applied a blend of intelligence with community relations for better awareness of the Command’s operating environment to achieve greater trade facilitation and fight criminality.

Explaining further, Olomu said he had in place a team of dedicated officers charged with the responsibility of addressing all complaints on disputes within record time before escalation to his office for prompt action.

He noted that, “I don’t run an open-door policy because for me, there is literally no door at all if you want to access my office. My office is open for everyone to discuss anything that will facilitate legitimate trade and promote government interest at all times, including receiving information on suspected smuggling activities”, he reverberated.

ANTI-SMUGGLING

Another mandate at the behest of the command in which the foremost revenue collecting command is doing spectacularly well is the war against smuggling of contraband items.

One of the seized containers and its contents

To this, the Comptroller revealed that the Apapa command under his watch had within the period under review, made seizures of eleven (11) containers comprising of prohibited items such as expired and unregistered pharmaceuticals, foot wears, used clothing, armored cables, frozen poultry products etc, all worth a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of Four hundred and twenty-four million, one hundred and five thousand, nine hundred and seventy-five naira (N424,105,975.00).

This according to his statement is against a total of 42 seizures with a DPV of N1.4 billion made in the corresponding period in 2023.

The CAC pertinently mentioned some prominent seizures that were made just last week, where enforcement operatives of the command uncovered a large quantity of expired and unregistered pharmaceuticals in 3x40ft container numbers TCKU 6928184, MRKU 4422733, MRSU 5S50243, as well as another 3x40ft container nos. MNBU 3934925, MEDU 9107559 and MEDU 9752980 loaded with seven thousand five hundred and eighty (7,580) cartons of frozen poultry products which are unfit for human consumption, and which as well negates schedule three (3) of the revised import prohibition list of the Common External Tariff (CET).

Contraband medicaments

These importations according to the CAC violate section 233 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.

He also stated that “The harmful effects of fake and unregistered pharmaceutical products on citizens are unquantifiable and as a responsible service, we owe Nigerians the duty of preventing them from being exposed to this dangerous importation”.

He however in the light of the above, used the opportunity to sound a note of warning to perpetrators of smuggling, duty evasion and other forms of criminality frowned upon by the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023 and other extant laws, noting that Apapa command under his watch is poised to nip illicit importation in the bud.

Details of one of the seized containers

Dr Olomu consequently, in line with tl1e CGC zero tolerance for smuggling, disclosed that he has reformed the command way of treating transires by ensuring more meticulous management of cargoes moving from the mother port to bonded terminals. He said, this has become necessary to prevent a situation where smugglers attempt to perpetuate illegalities in bonded terminals.

According to his words, “To sustain this tempo, no cargo is allowed to exit from our control without thorough inspection using the scanner. We shall not compromise on this as we will keep making seizures, detention and arrests where necessary to protect the national economy and prevent Nigerians from exposure to dangerous or unwholesome products like illicit drugs”.

COLLABORATION

On the Command’s relationship with relevant sister agencies, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu explained that his led management are in close touch with sister government agencies working like a team with shared responsibilities. He however commended the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Department of State Service (DSS), NDLEA, NAFDAC, SON, NIS, NAQS, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy and others for their robust collaborative support so far.

Furthermore, he said, “We made progress together and will continue to collaborate in the national interest”.

In capping off the highly delighted briefing, the CAC while expressing utmost appreciation to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR dsm psc (+) and the entire Management team for providing the command the needed support and leadership in discharging their responsibilities, also thanked officers and men of his led command for their resilience, as well as the Command’s stakeholders for their support, as he urged for a continued and harmonious work together to achieve a better second half for 2024.

Olomu also pointed out and appreciated the massive contributions of the Command’s compliant traders, importers, exporters, licensed customs agents, freight forwarders, the media, and other esteemed stakeholders, noting that their efforts have not gone unnoticed.