The Apapa Customs Command of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) announced it generated a total of N1.2 trillion in revenue between January and July 2024.
Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Apapa Command, disclosed this in a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer, Mr. Usman Abubakar, in Lagos on Wednesday.
Olomu emphasized his commitment to surpassing existing revenue collection records. He noted that the command collected N201.8 billion in July 2024 alone, marking its highest monthly collection in the history of the Nigeria Customs Service.
“The collected revenue for the first seven months of 2024 exceeds the total revenue collected for the entire twelve months of 2023,” Olomu stated. He attributed this success to the implementation of the Time Release Study (TRS) thrust by the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, aimed at facilitating trade.
Olomu expressed optimism about breaking this record in the coming months. “From January to July 2024, Apapa Area Command generated a total of N1.22 trillion, surpassing the N1.17 trillion collected in the twelve months of 2023,” he said.
He highlighted that interventions from the Tariff and Trade Department significantly contributed to the command’s success. “Our compliance desk, dispute resolution team, Valuation, PCA, CIU, and other units aimed at promoting seamless trade have been reinvigorated with daily, weekly, and monthly evaluations to oversee our progress,” Olomu added.
Olomu reiterated the command’s commitment to achieving more in line with the directives and motivating examples of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR.
He noted that Apapa Command handles the highest volume of trade for the NCS, collects the highest revenue, and therefore bears a higher degree of expectation from the service management and the government.
Olomu advised Apapa port users to embrace legitimate trade, assuring them that the command is more vigilant in detecting all forms of concealment and minimizing revenue leakage.