ACG Olomu left and Compt. Oshoba signing the handover papers.
Story by Dili Utomi.
In accordance with natural order and the practise in the Nigeria Customs Service, new helms men are being brought in to replace the retiring, reassigned or promoted ones.
On Monday, the 8th of September, the newly promoted Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, Babatunde Olomu handed over the mantle of leadership of the Apapa Area Command, Nigeria Customs Service to Comptroller Oluwadare Oshoba.
It was a colourful ceremony where the outgoing Customs Area Controller of the Command, ACG Olomu took time to detail some his most outstanding achievements over the past 15 months at the Command.
In his hand over speech, ACG Olomu said “When I assumed duty on 6 May 2024, it was with sleeves rolled up, two hands on deck, enjoying the maximum support of my officers and men in addition to full cooperation of our esteemed stakeholders comprising of government agencies and private sector operators including the media”.
In terms of performance, he detailed that “It was on my watch that this command achieved its first ₦2 trillion revenue collection which is an unprecedented feat by the command in the history of the service. In recognition of this, the command and my humble self-earned numerous awards including the CGC Special Award for Excellence in Revenue Collection, Trade Facilitation, and Overall Best Area Controller.
It is noteworthy to state that we didn’t just arrive there. We stayed focused laying the bricks for improvement in our collection hourly daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly to arrive at the outstanding accomplishments”.
“We achieved a record-breaking single-day revenue collection of over ₦17.9 billion on June 19,2024. Again, the command set another benchmark with 18.2 billion in daily revenue in October 2024”.
He added “Furthermore, another daily revenue collection record of ₦18.9 billion was made on March 14 2025. Consequently, for the month of August, 2025, the Command collected 214.9 billion using the newly introduced B’Odogwu, the Unified Customs Management System, despite initial technical challenges”.
ACG Olomu right handing the ceremonial flag to Compt. Oshoba.
“As at today, we have collected a total of One trillion, eight hundred and thirty-four billion, seven hundred and eighty-nine million, four hundred and ninety-nine thousand, eight hundred and fifty naira, forty kobo (N1,834,789,499,850.40) for the year 2025. I am optimistic that my successor will build on these achievements to surpass our 2025 revenue target of N3 trillion since we have attained 60% of our annual collection”.
ACG Olomu was fondly called ‘the money doubler’ for setting the bar unusually high in terms of revenue generation and anti-smuggling activities during the 15 months period of his tenure at the Command. He made 75 seizures during the period and had robust inter-agency relationships with sister agencies. He also had quite comfortable time with the media as he left his door open to many.
The new Customs Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Oluwadare Oshoba in his speech said that “…….. I also wish to pay glowing tribute to my predecessor, whose tenure here has been nothing short of historic. Under his leadership, the Apapa Command became a benchmark for excellence in revenue generation, enforcement, and trade facilitation. Kudos to Assistant Comptroller-General (Dr) Babatunde Olomu fsi for this, sir”.
“As I take over today, Gentlemen, Officers and stakeholders, your ideas, your passion, and your expertise are the foundation on which my service here shall be built. I am committed to fostering an environment where every voice is heard and valued, and my leadership will be guided by three key pillars: Improving revenue excellence, Deepening enforcement and security and Enhancing stakeholder relations”.
He also asked for the continuation of the good support that the outgoing Customs Comptroller got as he said “Please indulge me today. I have demands to make from everyone in this room, including Officers and stakeholders who couldn’t make it here physically due to the exigencies of work, space and time constraints. I want to request that we renew our dedication and our shared vision for excellence. I solicit for maximum support from every one of you”.
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