ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-The Nigeria Customs Service, Apapa Area Command has recorded a new milestone, generating a record N304bn in revenue in October 2025 the highest monthly revenue ever collected by any customs command in the Service’s history.
The figure, contained in a statement by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Tunde Ayagbalo, marks a significant rise from the N264bn recorded in October 2024.
With this latest performance, Apapa Command’s total revenue for the first 10 months of 2025 now stands at N2.4tn already exceeding its entire 2024 full-year revenue with two months left in the year.
According to the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, this achievement underscores the command’s growing operational efficiency, the dedication of its personnel, and its commitment to the Nigeria Customs Service’s mandate of revenue mobilisation and trade facilitation.
“This latest revenue feat is only the beginning of more exploits under my watch,” Oshoba said. “It’s an initial proof of our readiness to process a higher volume of trade, translating to greater returns for the Federal Government.”
Oshoba attributed the performance to enhanced trade facilitation reforms, better compliance from port stakeholders, and ongoing automation processes in customs operations.
He further disclosed that the command is preparing to introduce a new “drive-through scanning” model capable of processing an average of 150 containers per hour directly from the quayside a system he described as “revolutionary in the annals of West African port operations.”
He noted that this initiative will drastically shorten clearance timelines, reduce port congestion, improve transparency, and boost investor confidence in Nigeria’s maritime ecosystem.
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The controller also stated that newly promoted Deputy and Assistant Comptrollers have undergone internal capacity-building sessions to improve technical efficiency and leadership, in line with directives from the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi.
“I commend my officers and our compliant stakeholders for this milestone, but it’s not our final destination,” Oshoba stated. “We are deploying all tools of trade facilitation, including the One-Stop-Shop system that harmonises procedures to save time and boost efficiency.
We are also preventing leakages by applying demand notices to recover shortfalls and by maintaining a zero-compromise stance against duty evasion.”
He emphasised that officers are on heightened alert to identify attempts by importers to misuse Harmonised System Codes to evade duty payments.
On improving port logistics, Oshoba explained that he has embarked on unscheduled visits to port access corridors to engage stakeholders including truck operators, freight forwarders, and licensed agents.
“To show how seriously we take trade facilitation, I’ve personally visited parts of the port access roads,” he said. “I urged operators to cooperate with the Nigerian Ports Authority to ensure the quick evacuation of cleared consignments. When cargoes linger at the ports, new ones coming for examination or scanning get delayed this slows trade and affects our revenue performance.”
He also met with the Port Manager to strengthen cooperation between Customs and the NPA to improve the efficiency and business environment of Apapa Port.
“We need the cooperation of all stakeholders to consolidate the gains we’ve made. If cleared consignments are delayed in exiting, it affects trade directly and hinders our revenue and facilitation mandates. Together, we can do better,” Oshoba affirmed.
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Apapa Area Command remains one of the most influential operational hubs of the Nigeria Customs Service. Situated at Nigeria’s busiest seaport, the command handles a major share of the nation’s import and export transactions.
Its functions include revenue collection, trade facilitation, and anti-smuggling enforcement all crucial pillars for maintaining Nigeria’s maritime-driven economy.
Over time, Apapa Command has consistently delivered high revenue performance while maintaining active compliance enforcement. It has also led automation reforms that have improved transparency and accountability in the clearance chain.
Under Comptroller Oshoba’s leadership, the Command appears set to maintain its positive growth track through innovation, cooperation, and professionalism.
The command’s latest N304bn revenue achievement serves as a benchmark indicating that with effective leadership, modern technology, and stakeholder synergy, Nigeria’s maritime industry can evolve into one of the most efficient and profitable on the continent.
“Our story at Apapa is one of transformation,” Oshoba concluded. “We are proving that Customs can be a model of efficiency, accountability, and partnership. This N304bn record is not just a number it’s a promise of better things to come.”