New Customs Area Controller (CAC) of Apapa Area 1 Command, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, has begun to reposition the port under his watch to achieve maximum results in key areas of trade facilitation, anti-smuggling and revenue generation
By Innocent Chukwu
The job of overseeing business activities in the nation’s premier port, Apapa Area 1 Port, Lagos, as the Customs Area Controller (CAC) has been estimated by experts as a daunting task. In essence, the CAC of the Apapa Area 1 Customs Command is neither be envied or pitied, but be encouraged. On the one hand, the position is not a tea party, it comes with enormous challenges. On the other, it is a prestigious position.
Finding himself in the position, the new CAC of the Apapa Area 1 Customs Command, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu is not giving in to any of the daunting challenges facing him in piloting the affairs of the Command. He said he has rather discovered three cardinal areas he will leverage on to deliver on the mandate given to him by the customs management, and to succeed as the best CAC ever to head Apapa Premier Port Customs Command.
Speaking to a group of journalists who paid him a courtesy visit in his office at Apapa, Lagos on Thursday, May 23, 2024, the erudite Comptroller Olomu laid emphasis on the three areas the Command under him is leveraging to achieve success in the areas of trade facilitation, anti-smuggling and double the daily revenue target of the Command.
According to Dr. Olomu, the three cardinal areas include stakeholders’ engagement, synergy with sister security agencies and intelligence- driven operations. He said since he began to deploy these strategies effectively, the Command’s daily revenue generation has almost doubled.
Comptroller Olomu revealed that of the N5.1 trillion revenue target of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for the year 2024, Apapa Port Customs Command alone is saddled with the burden of generating 60 percent of the overall revenue target. He stated further that the daily revenue target of the Command is N6.5 billion, however on Wednesday, May 22, 2023, the Command collected about N9B billion with the hope of daily increases until the target is completely doubled.
Olomu: “The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has a revenue target of N5.1 trillion for the year 2024. Sixty percent of the N5.1 trillion will be generated by Apapa Command. So, we have a big task before us but we’re not relenting. We are leveraging on three key areas to achieve the mandate of the management, these include our robust stakeholders’ engagement, synergy with sister security agencies and intelligence-driven operations.
“Hence, we intend to surpass our target for the year. Many officers want to come to work in Apapa Command not because of any other thing, but because of the volume of work we have here.
“In Apapa Command we do have over 400 declarations on daily basis, and with such declaration, we generate at least N6.5 billion everyday, that is our daily revenue target. However, we are making effort to surpass the daily target.
“For example, yesterday (Wednesday, May 22), we collected almost N9 billion revenue. So, we keep increasing our effort to ensure that our daily collection is moving higher”.
Regarding his mode of operation, Comptroller Olomu said he runs an open door policy and never leaves any files on his table unattended to before the closing hour. He said the operating system has been passed over to all the Unit Heads in the Command.
“Our doors are open to our stakeholders, and we don’t leave any complaints unattended. Personally I don’t leave any files on my table unattended. No files remain in my office till the next day, and I have instructed all Unit Heads to do the same so that we can ensure effective trade facilitation”.
The Deputy Comptroller (DC) in charge of the Command’s revenue, Wale Adenuga who corroborated the CAC, said that the Customs management does not send feebleminded officers to Apapa Customs Command. Adenuga said an officer must be seen to be worth his onion before he is considered competent to become Apapa Customs Area Controller.
He eulogized Comptroller Olomu’s friendliness, and efforts within a few days to have begun to reposition Apapa Area Command for increased revenue generation. The DC Revenue of the Command said at a time when business activities have reduced drastically due to the dollar exchange rate and when one of the Command’s biggest importer, Floor Mills had relocated to the Lekki Free Trade Zone with its N30 billion duty, Dr. Olomu has remained steadfast in his efforts to double the revenue generation of the Command.
The DC Revenue said, “I want to say clearly that Apapa Command is not an easy place to work in. Since he came to the Command as the Area Controller, Comptroller Olomu does not rest. Everyday he talks about revenue increase, and officers are doing their best to support him, so we’re moving forward.
“If you’re not worth your onion, you can’t be posted to Apapa Command to serve as Area Controller. Comptroller Olomu has doubled Apapa revenue generation within these few days in office.
“Here in Apapa, we deal mainly with trade facilitation, we solve problems here because many importers want their cargo to come to Apapa.
“Comptroller Olomu is doing a lot in the area of trade facilitation, that is why our is increasing. Again, the man at the gate, the O/C Gate, DC Frank Onyeka, is working seriously hard to make sure that we do not have revenue leakages. In fact, since he was posted to man the gate, he has carried out intervention of over N750 million and the owners of those cargoes have paid all.
“Our main constraint is that the volume of cargoes has dropped due to the dollar exchange rate. One of our major importers, Floor Mills, has moved to Lekki Free Trade Zone, taking away over N30 billion revenue from their wheat import.
“Yet, Apapa Command is still making more revenue. Yesterday we recorded about N9B billion”.
Further statistics of the Apapa Port Customs Command revenue available to Tentacle revealed that on Thursday, May 23, 2024, the Command generated the sum of N9,325,677,320. While between May I and 23, 2024, the Command recorded revenue generation of N129,871,701,328.
This is as all other commands put together, excluding Tincan Island Port Customs Command, generated N19,403,961,792 on May 23, 2024. But between May I and 23, 2024, all other commands put together, excluding Tincan Island Port Customs Command, generated revenue of N350,951,281,942.
Thus, the Apapa Area 1 Command contributed 48 percent of the NCS revenue generation of May 23, 2024, and 37 percent of the NCS revenue generation between May I and 23, 2024.
