… Vows to sustain ₦323bn monthly revenue record
Mu’azu take over Customs Apapa Area Command
Comptroller Murtala Mu’azu has assumed duty as the 33rd Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Apapa Area Command, pledging to sustain the Command’s revenue momentum and eliminating avoidable delays in cargo clearance, while strengthening trade facilitation at Nigeria’s busiest port.
Mu’azu formally took over from Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba who has just retired on Tuesday, September 29th, 2026, at a ceremony held at the Auditorium of the Apapa Area Command, Lagos. The ceremony was attended by senior security and regulatory officials, government agencies, terminal operators, shipping companies, customs brokers, importers, exporters and other port stakeholders.
The new CAC takes over a Command that recently posted some of the most impressive revenue figures in its history, including a record ₦323 billion monthly collection in July 2026 and a single-day collection of ₦28.102 billion on August 18, 2026.
Acknowledging the weight of the responsibility before him, Mu’azu described his appointment as “a great honour and privilege,” thanking the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, for the confidence reposed in him.
He pledged to discharge the responsibility with “a deep sense of duty” and in line with the economic interests of the country, promising to build on the Command’s achievements in revenue generation, enforcement, trade facilitation and institutional discipline.
Muazu said his administration would be anchored on the three strategic pillars of the Comptroller-General — consolidation, collaboration and innovation — with particular attention to revenue integrity, efficient trade facilitation, professionalism and meaningful engagement with stakeholders.
On revenue collection, Mu’azu was unequivocal, declaring that every revenue due to government must be properly assessed and collected.
“Every revenue due to government must be properly assessed and collected, and every decision taken by our officers must be capable of standing the test of scrutiny over time,” he said.
In addition, the new Controller stated that reducing bottlenecks in cargo clearance would be a major priority of his administration.
He declared that avoidable human delays in cargo processing, which he described as “Non-Tariff Barriers”, would no longer be tolerated.
“Unnecessary human delays in cargo processing otherwise known as Non-Tariff Barriers shall not be tolerated henceforth,” Mu’azu said.
According to him, once all statutory requirements have been met, legitimate cargo should be allowed to move without unnecessary obstruction.
He consequently charged Customs officers to maintain discipline, professionalism, courtesy and decorum in their dealings with importers, exporters, customs brokers and other members of the trading public.
Mu’azu also promised to deepen collaboration with importers, exporters, licensed customs agents, shipping companies, terminal operators, the Nigerian Ports Authority and other government agencies operating within the port environment.
He said such collaboration was essential to making Apapa Port more efficient, predictable and responsive to legitimate trade.
The new CAC highlighted the scale of the revenue challenge left by his predecessor, Oshoba, particularly the unprecedented figures recorded under the outgoing Controller.
“This is indeed a record to reckon with and strive towards matching same. It is therefore a Herculean task upon myself and my team to match and surpass such a record,” Mu’azu said.
He also commended Oshoba for his contributions to enforcement, trade facilitation and the implementation of key modernisation initiatives of the Nigeria Customs Service.
Among the initiatives highlighted were B’Odogwu, Advance Ruling, the Authorised Economic Operator Programme, the One-Stop Shop and Non-Intrusive Inspection technology.
The Advance Ruling programme, in particular, has been positioned as a mechanism for providing greater predictability to legitimate traders by enabling them to obtain clarity on Customs treatment before importation.
Oshoba had, in his farewell address, described Advance Ruling as an initiative that provides legitimate traders with greater predictability and clarity on Customs treatment before importation, thereby reducing uncertainty and strengthening confidence in the trading environment.
In his farewell remarks, Oshoba attributed the achievements recorded during his tenure to the collective efforts of officers, stakeholders and partners of the Command.
“The achievements recorded during my tenure do not belong to one individual. They belong to all of us,” he said.
He charged officers to sustain the standards established during his tenure, stressing that discipline, professionalism and excellence must remain central to the Command’s operations.
“Discipline must remain our foundation, professionalism our standard and excellence our aspiration,” Oshoba said.
He also appealed to officers and stakeholders to extend the same cooperation and support to his successor.
Mu’azu, in turn, called for collective ownership of the Command’s mandate, stressing that the responsibility for sustaining Apapa’s performance could not rest on the CAC alone.
“The success we seek cannot be achieved by the CAC alone. It requires our collective efforts, operational integrity and willingness to uphold the standards of the Service,” he said.
He assured stakeholders that his administration would operate an open and constructive engagement framework based on fairness, mutual respect and the national interest.
With the transition now completed, the new Apapa Customs administration faces the dual task of protecting the Command’s record-breaking revenue performance while making cargo clearance faster, more predictable and freer from avoidable administrative delays.
Mu’azu expressed confidence that, with the support of officers and stakeholders, Apapa Area Command would continue to serve as a model of efficient revenue administration, legitimate trade facilitation and professional Customs conduct.
