Customs Area Controller, Apapa Command, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu fsi.

The Apapa Port Command of Nigeria Customs Service has been speaking on its ability to collect N1.6trillion for the third quarter of 2024, covering first nine months of the year (January-September), which is a new revenue benchmark in the history of the command.

This is given that the N1.6trillion Q3 revenue for 2024 is about N5billion higher than total revenue of the command for the 2023 fiscal year, which stood at N1.17trillion.

Speaking on the new revenue record, Customs Area Controller for the Command, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, fsi, attributed the feat to the diligence and integrity of the officers and men, and assured that the command will continually engage with stakeholders to improve on the revenue performance and also boost its anti-smuggling activities, which has reduced the menace at the command.

He described the N201.8billion revenue collected in July 2024 and the N193.9billion in September 2024 as spectacular and could be replicated again in the last quarter of the year beginning from October.

“The various trade facilitation programmes put in place by the Comptroller General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, which include the advance ruling, time release study and Authorised Economic Operator AEO are being dutifully implemented for the overall benefit of the nation’s economy.

“We commend the officers of the command for the achievement in revenue collection relying on diligent examination and uncompromising interventions through issuance of demand notices, where and when necessary, the Area Controller reiterated the CGC’s zero tolerance for smuggling.

“The command will continually engage with all stakeholders to sustain the rising level of compliance, which has resulted in reduced smuggling in the area.

“Strict monitoring of cargoes, constant profiling of port users, sensitisation of stakeholders and in-house training, and retraining of Customs officers have jointly contributed to the almost zero level of smuggling in recent times”, Comptroller Olomu said.

He therefore urged all port users in Apapa to avail themselves of the services of the dispute resolution team to resolve all areas of uncertainty while reassuring licensed customs agents, freight forwarders, importers, exporters and haulage operators of the command’s readiness to assist at all times.

He thanked sister government agencies for their support and stated that the command will always leverage on its relationship with them to share intelligence against criminal elements, do joint examinations in line with extant standard operating procedures (SOPs) and promote compliance at all times.

“Our revenue collection is good, and I know we can do better with more impressive results in the last quarter of 2024. I want to thank our compliant stakeholders for their cooperation in supporting us to achieve this level of collection.

” Reduced smuggling activities is a testament to affirm the compliance we are celebrating, and I can say the best is yet to come. We are not losing guard. Our tempo of vigilance is airtight, which attests to our capacity to detect smuggling and make seizures.

” As we do trade facilitation, our anti-smuggling activities are done side by side leveraging on our non- intrusive technology for cargo scanning and physical examination when necessary. Let me also state that these standards and procedures are strictly adhered to in all bonded terminals under our control”, the CAC also said.