The newly appointed Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Apapa Command, Comptroller Oluwadare Oshoba, on Monday, September 8, 2025, formally assumed office with a pledge to consolidate on the achievements of his predecessor by improving revenue collection, deepening enforcement, and strengthening stakeholder engagement at Nigeria’s premier port.
Speaking at the handing-over ceremony in Lagos, Comptroller Oshoba expressed gratitude to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and the Management of the Service for entrusting him with the leadership of the Apapa Area Command.
He commended his predecessor, Assistant Comptroller-General (ACG) Babatunde Olomu, described his tenure as “historic,” with Apapa Command becoming a benchmark for revenue generation, enforcement, and trade facilitation.
“As I take over today, my leadership will be guided by three key pillars: improving revenue excellence, deepening enforcement and security, and enhancing stakeholder relations,” Oshoba said, while soliciting maximum support from officers, stakeholders, and sister agencies.
He stressed that intelligence-driven operations will be deployed to close gaps and intercept prohibited goods, while the port community will be treated as “partners in progress” to strengthen trust and promote compliance.
Oshoba further assured stakeholders that his administration would build on the gains of the Service’s ICT modernization drive through the B’Odogwu Unified Customs Management System (UCMS), while trade facilitation tools such as the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO), Time Release Study (TRS), and Advanced Ruling (AR) would remain central to operations.
In his farewell remarks, outgoing Controller, ACG Babatunde Olomu, reeled out landmark achievements during his 15-month tenure at the Apapa Command, highlighting unprecedented revenue and enforcement milestones.
Olomu disclosed that the command collected over ₦1.83 trillion between January and August 2025, achieving about 60% of its ₦3 trillion annual revenue target. He recalled record-breaking single-day collections of ₦17.9 billion in June 2024, ₦18.2 billion in October 2024, and ₦18.9 billion in March 2025.
He also noted that under his watch, Apapa facilitated Nigeria’s first African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) shipment in July 2024, as well as another to Kenya in November 2024. On enforcement, the Command made 75 seizures, including fake and controlled drugs, substandard goods, and other prohibited items.
Olomu, who has now been elevated to the rank of Assistant Comptroller-General, thanked officers, stakeholders, and sister agencies for their cooperation and urged them to extend even greater support to his successor.
“Apapa Port has become a model of efficiency and compliance, and I am confident that Comptroller Oshoba will take this Command to greater heights,” Olomu said.
