At a mid-year press briefing on Monday, 8th July 2024, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, Customs Area Controller of Apapa Port Command, announced impressive revenue figures for the first half of 2024. The command generated a total of N1,023,663,842,255.63 from January to June, marking a 143% increase compared to the N421,382,166,378.46 collected in the same period in 2023.

Since assuming office on May 6, 2024, Comptroller Olomu has emphasized robust intelligence gathering and enhanced customs-community relations as key strategies for revenue collection. He highlighted the significant progress made in trade facilitation, prevention of revenue losses, and fostering closer interactions with government agencies and private sector stakeholders.

Despite a reduction in trade volume, the command’s revenue collection has surged, thanks to extra measures implemented to prevent losses. Comptroller Olomu credited a dedicated revenue recovery committee for identifying and plugging leakages, particularly in bonded terminals under the Apapa Command.

The command has been proactive in applying intelligence and community relations to enhance trade facilitation and combat criminal activities. Comptroller Olomu’s open-door policy has encouraged transparent communication, allowing stakeholders to discuss matters that facilitate legitimate trade and report suspected smuggling activities.

In the first half of 2024, the command made 11 seizures of prohibited items, including expired and unregistered pharmaceuticals, footwear, used clothing, armored cables, and frozen poultry products. These seizures had a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N424,105,975.00, compared to 42 seizures worth N1.4 billion in the corresponding period of 2023.

Recently, the command uncovered large quantities of expired and unregistered pharmaceuticals and frozen poultry products unfit for human consumption in several 40ft containers. These importations violated section 233 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023. Comptroller Olomu emphasized the unquantifiable harm of fake pharmaceuticals and reiterated the command’s commitment to preventing such dangerous imports.

Comptroller Olomu acknowledged the support from sister government agencies such as the Nigeria Police, DSS, NDLEA, NAFDAC, SON, NIS, NAQS, Nigerian Army, and Nigerian Navy. He emphasized the importance of continued collaboration to achieve national interests.

In conclusion, Comptroller Olomu expressed gratitude to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and the entire management team for their support. He also commended the resilience of the command’s officers and the contributions of compliant importers, exporters, licensed customs agents, freight forwarders, media, and other stakeholders. He urged continued cooperation to achieve even better results in the second half of 2024.