Customs Revenue at Apapa Port Soars 54% to N753.8bn in Q1 2025
BY TEMITOPE ADEBAYO
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has recorded a significant revenue surge at its Apapa Area Command, with collections rising by 54 per cent to N753.8 billion in the first quarter of 2025—marking a strong start to the year and underlining growing trade activity at the nation’s busiest port.
Customs Area Controller, Apapa Command, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, disclosed the figures during an oversight visit by the House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise, led by Chairman Hon. Leke Abejide.
Olomu revealed that the Q1 2025 revenue exceeded the N489 billion collected during the same period last year by N205 billion. He also highlighted a historic milestone: the command achieved a record-breaking daily revenue collection of N18.9 billion on March 14, 2025—the highest in the service’s 135-year history. This surpassed the previous peak of N18.2 billion set in October 2024.
“The remarkable growth in revenue, compliance, and enforcement is a result of enhanced intelligence gathering, inter-agency collaboration, and our strategic implementation of the Unified Customs Management System (B’Odogwu),” Olomu said.
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He added that between January and March 2025, the command made nine seizures, including five cases involving unregistered pharmaceuticals. He stressed that modernization efforts remain central to improving efficiency and protecting national economic interests.
During the visit, Hon. Abejide praised Olomu as one of the service’s finest officers, noting the command’s strong performance in revenue generation and trade facilitation. He also announced plans to amend the Customs Service Act 2023 to establish a four-year statutory tenure for the Comptroller-General of Customs, arguing that long-term leadership is necessary for meaningful policy implementation.
“There’s a need to give the Comptroller-General enough time to see through reforms. A fixed tenure would bring stability to the system,” Abejide said, urging support for the proposed amendment.
Olomu also used the occasion to raise critical operational concerns. He cited the shortage of scanning machines and outdated equipment among terminal operators as impediments to trade efficiency. He recommended legislative intervention to fund the procurement of advanced scanners, surveillance technology, cargo tracking devices, and improvements to port access roads to ease congestion and boost revenue potential.
He further noted the recent challenges with the electronic truck call-up system (ETO), which nearly sparked industrial action. Intervention by the Comptroller-General, Adewale Adeniyi, helped to defuse tensions through negotiations with the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN).
“The modernization of Customs operations cannot succeed in isolation. All port stakeholders—public and private—must align with the pace of technological advancement to drive growth and secure our economic future,” Olomu said.
