Command surpasses full-year 2024 revenue two months early; Comptroller Oshoba unveils new tech-driven reforms to fast-track port operations…
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Apapa Area Command has achieved a historic revenue milestone, collecting ₦304 billion in October 2025, the highest monthly revenue ever recorded by any customs command in the country’s history.
The figure, announced in a statement by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Tunde Ayagbalo, marks a sharp increase from the ₦264 billion collected in October 2024. With this latest record, the Apapa Command’s total revenue for the first 10 months of 2025 now stands at ₦2.4 trillion, already surpassing its entire 2024 collection, even before year-end.
Efficiency, Technology, and Reform Driving Growth
Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, described the achievement as a reflection of the Command’s strengthened efficiency, officers’ dedication, and the Service’s renewed drive for trade facilitation and revenue generation.
“This latest revenue feat is only the beginning of more exploits under my watch,” Oshoba said. “It’s an early signal of our readiness to process higher trade volumes and deliver greater returns to the Federal Government.”
Oshoba credited the record performance to ongoing trade facilitation reforms, improved compliance among port users, and the adoption of technology-driven customs processes.
New ‘Drive-Through Scanning’ System Coming
The Controller revealed plans to roll out a “drive-through scanning” system that will handle an average of 150 containers per hour directly from the quayside, describing the innovation as “revolutionary in the annals of West African port operations.”
He said the new regime will drastically cut cargo clearance time, decongest the port, and boost transparency, helping to attract more foreign investment into Nigeria’s maritime trade.
Training and Accountability Measures
Oshoba also disclosed that newly promoted Deputy and Assistant Comptrollers recently completed in-house training sessions to sharpen their leadership and technical skills, in line with the directives of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi.
“We are deploying every tool of trade facilitation, including the One-Stop-Shop system, which harmonizes clearance procedures to save time and prevent revenue leakages,” Oshoba said.
He reaffirmed the Command’s zero-tolerance stance on duty evasion, adding that officers have been placed on high alert to detect attempts by importers to manipulate Harmonised System (HS) Codes to reduce payable duties.
Engaging Stakeholders and Port Operators
To further enhance port efficiency, Oshoba said he has conducted unannounced visits to port access roads, meeting directly with truckers, freight forwarders, and licensed customs agents.
“When cleared cargoes linger at the ports, it delays new shipments for scanning and examination,” he noted. “That slows trade and impacts revenue. We are working closely with the Nigerian Ports Authority to ensure quicker cargo evacuation.”
He also met with the Apapa Port Manager to strengthen collaboration between Customs and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) toward a more business-friendly operating environment.
A Strategic Command Powering Nigeria’s Economy
The Apapa Area Command remains Nigeria’s most strategic customs formation, overseeing the country’s busiest seaport and handling a significant share of national imports and exports. Its mandate covers revenue collection, trade facilitation, and anti-smuggling enforcement, all critical to sustaining Nigeria’s maritime economy.
Over the years, the Command has maintained a record of strong compliance enforcement and automation-led innovation, which have deepened transparency in cargo handling.
In September 2025, the Command intercepted 75 contraband consignments within 15 months and generated ₦3.7 trillion in revenue during the same period highlighting its dual focus on security and fiscal responsibility.
Aligning With National Customs Reforms
Comptroller Oshoba’s leadership approach aligns with the wider modernization agenda of Comptroller-General Adewale Adeniyi, who has prioritized automation, stakeholder engagement, and a zero-tolerance policy for revenue leakages across all customs formations.
As the Command consolidates its position as Nigeria’s top-performing customs formation, the ₦304 billion record serves as both a benchmark and a signal of what effective leadership, technology, and collaboration can achieve in transforming Nigeria’s port system.
“Our story at Apapa is one of transformation,” Oshoba concluded. “This ₦304 billion milestone is not just a number, it’s proof that with commitment, Customs can be a model of efficiency, accountability, and partnership.”
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