By Amina Ojelabi
The Apapa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Monday, September 8, 2025, witnessed a historic transition as Assistant Comptroller-General (ACG) Babatunde Olomu officially handed over leadership to Comptroller E.O.A. Oshoba as the new Customs Area Controller (CAC).
Olomu, who served for 15 months before his elevation to the management cadre, described his tenure as one of “challenges, solutions, and remarkable achievements.”
Under his leadership, Apapa Command achieved unprecedented revenue feats, including Nigeria Customs’ first-ever ₦2 trillion collection in a single year. He further highlighted record-breaking daily revenues of ₦17.9 billion (June 2024), ₦18.2 billion (October 2024), and ₦18.9 billion (March 2025).
For August 2025 alone, the command generated ₦214.9 billion, bringing total collections this year to ₦1.83 trillion about 60% of its ₦3 trillion annual target despite initial technical hitches with the Unified Customs Management System (UCMS), codenamed B’Odogwu.
Beyond revenue, Olomu underscored Apapa’s pioneering role in Nigeria’s participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), including the landmark Guided Trade Initiative shipment in July 2024 and another to Kenya later that year. His tenure also saw faster cargo clearance, improved dispute resolution, and robust compliance enforcement, alongside the seizure of 75 containers of contraband ranging from fake medicaments to narcotics.
In his farewell, Olomu expressed gratitude to officers, stakeholders, and sister agencies for their collaboration and urged continued support for his successor.
Taking over, Comptroller Oshoba pledged to sustain and surpass these legacies. Describing his leadership style as “Look, Listen, and Learn,” he promised to deepen reforms in trade facilitation, ICT deployment, and global best practices. He emphasized strengthening initiatives such as the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO), Time Release Study (TRS), and Advanced Ruling (AR), while driving UCMS to greater heights.
“As Nigeria now chairs the World Customs Organization (WCO) Council, we must uphold compliance, transparency, and innovation to maintain our leadership role in global customs administration,” Oshoba declared.
Stakeholders including NAGAFF Founder Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, Storin Marine’s Ademola Mumuni, and Princess Chi Eze, lauded Olomu’s achievements and pledged full support to Oshoba.
The symbolic handover, attended by comptrollers, sister agencies, port stakeholders, and the press, marked a new chapter for Nigeria Customs’ flagship command.
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