Comptroller Oluwadare Oshoba on Monday officially assumed duty as the new Customs Area Controller of the Apapa Area Command, Nigeria’s busiest port, pledging to consolidate on past achievements and chart fresh paths in revenue generation, enforcement, and stakeholder engagement.
Speaking at the official handover ceremony held at the Command headquarters, Oshoba expressed gratitude to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and the NCS management for the confidence reposed in him, assuring of his commitment to deliver on the Service’s mandate.
He outlined three key pillars of his leadership agenda: enhancing revenue collection through transparency and accountability, deepening enforcement with intelligence-driven operations, and strengthening partnerships with port stakeholders.
“Trade facilitation and compliance are two sides of the same coin. The port community is our partner in progress, and together we must work to improve efficiency while safeguarding national interests,” Oshoba said.
The new CAC also emphasized the importance of technology and modernization, vowing to build on the gains of the Unified Customs Management System (B’Odogwu) and push forward other trade facilitation programmes such as the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO), Time Release Study (TRS), and Advanced Ruling (AR).
“As Nigeria currently chairs the World Customs Organization Council, we must lead by example in compliance, innovation, and service delivery,” he added.
In his farewell remarks, the outgoing Area Controller, now Assistant Comptroller-General (ACG) Babatunde Olomu, fsi, PhD, reflected on his 15-month tenure, describing it as a period of remarkable milestones for the Command.
He disclosed that under his watch, Apapa Command achieved record-breaking revenue performance, including a historic ₦2 trillion annual collection and daily collections peaking at ₦18.9 billion. As of September 8, 2025, the Command had already generated ₦1.83 trillion, representing 60 percent of its ₦3 trillion target for the year.
Olomu also highlighted landmark trade facilitation achievements, including Nigeria’s historic first shipment under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in July 2024 and subsequent shipments that positioned the country as an active participant in intra-African trade.
On enforcement, he revealed that the Command made 75 seizures in 15 months, comprising 62 containers of 40ft and 13 containers of 20ft loaded with fake, expired, and prohibited items such as controlled drugs, Indian hemp, and used clothing.
Expressing gratitude to officers, stakeholders, and sister agencies, Olomu urged them to extend even greater cooperation to his successor. “As Oliver Twist, I ask that you do more for Comptroller Oshoba, who is fully capable of taking this Command to greater heights,” he said.
The ceremony was attended by Customs Comptrollers, terminal and unit heads, port stakeholders, and representatives of sister security and regulatory agencies.