By Innocent Chukwu
Expectations are high among port users, the trading community and other stakeholders at the Apapa Premier Port, Lagos, as the youthful Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Murtala Muazu, assumed office as the new leader of the Apapa Area 1 Customs Command. Comptroller Muazu who is said to be in his fourties age bracket, may arguably be the youngest CAC to have led the Premier Port Customs Command. After the retirement gale that hit the Service last month, the management had found Muazu most capable among equals to be the new helmsman of the Apapa Premier Port Customs Command.
There are concerns among critical supporting allies of the NCS at the Command over the ability of a first-time CAC, Muazu, to lead the Command to sustain the successes that had been achieved by his predecessors in the areas of combating Smuggling activities to enhance national security, evolve high level trade facilitation initiatives that can result in upsurge in revenue generation for the government. Although some of the stakeholders have expressed confidence that the Command which Muazu has been deployed to oversee can be on auto pilot because of its reputation for a capable stabilizing force team, others insisted that a strong leadership is required on the part of the CAC to achieve maximum capacity utilization of the biggest port in the country.
The question, therefore, arises: “Can the youthful, inexperienced, and exuberant Comptroller Muazu muster the required courage to, not only lead, but also elevate the Command’s performance beyond what he met on ground?” Many have also argued that Muazu’s performance at the Command between now and January next year, will signpost what the effectiveness of the new-generation officers of the NCS would be when they take over the national leadership of the Service because Apapa Command remains the flagship of Customs Commands across the country. Muazu is among the youthful 2009 set officers who are already warming up to succeed the Bashir Adewale Adeniyi-led management that will expire February 2027.
While taking over the mantle of leadership from his immediate predecessor penultimate week, Muazu had acknowledged that retired Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba whom he took over from, did some great job to take the Command’s revenue generation and anti-smuggling pursuits to all-time high, and pledged to improve on them.
Expressing delight in his posting, Muazu said he understood the status of the Apapa Area 1 Command in the national economy, adding that “Apapa Area Command occupies a strategic position in the nation’s trade and revenue landscape. The decisions made here affects the flow of goods, the cost of doing business and resources available for national development”.
Muazu equally acknowledged the weight of responsibility he would bear as a first-time CAC when he added, “It is, therefore, a herculean task upon myself and my team to match and surpass” the already existing record.
Comptroller Muazu pointed out that his leadership would be anchored on the Service’s three-point policy thrust of “Consolidation, Collaboration and Innovation”, which he said thrive on revenue generation and strict adherence to extant provisions among others. “These shall remain the standard of the Command under my watch. “We will strengthen processes that support correct assessment and lawful clearance in accordance with the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, the ECOWAS Common External Tariff, and all applicable regulations and directives, as well as policy documents.
“Every revenue due to Federal Government must be properly assessed and collected”.
On Collaboration and Innovation, Muazu said the Command would deepen engagement with the trading community and other relevant stakeholders to achieve an efficient port for conducive business transactions. The Command would also rely on the modernization initiatives of the Service to improve the speed, efficiency, transparency and consistency of its operations.
Taking his first step into action, Muazu said the Command would begin to review Demand Notices (DNs) processing and institute training sessions for both officers and relevant stakeholders. He disclosed this during a stakeholders’ engagement on Monday, October 5, 2026. He urged the stakeholders to assist him and his team in delivering the mandate entrusted to them.
At the meeting, Muazu also directed the review of complaints against delays in processing Demand Notices, adding that “We will examine the process, identify any causes of delays and take steps to reduce or eliminate them”.
Before his elevation to the Apapa Premier Port Customs, Comptroller Muazu in the Comptroller Tariff and Trade at the Customs Headquarters, Abuja.
