Oshoba Takes Over As New Apapa Customs Boss

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Area Command, has witnessed a leadership transition as Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba assumed duty, pledging inclusiveness, transparency, and innovation.

He succeeds Assistant Comptroller-General (ACG) Babatunde Olomu, who handed over after a record-setting tenure.

Speaking at the handover ceremony at the Command on Monday, 8 September 2025, the new CAC assured stakeholders that he would consolidate his predecessor’s gains while driving reforms to enhance efficiency.

“I live with a desire to improve any environment I find myself in. My work period here won’t be an exception,” Oshoba said, urging officers, freight forwarders, terminal operators, and other industry players to collaborate with him to sustain the command’s reputation as the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) flagship.

He noted that his administration would deepen the use of the Unified Customs Management System (UCMS) and strengthen the adoption of global best practices such as the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO), Time Release Study (TRS), and Advanced Ruling (AR) programmes to promote trade facilitation.

“As Nigeria now chairs the World Customs Organisation Council, the world is watching us. We must uphold compliance, transparency, and efficiency in all our operations,” he stressed.

The occasion also marked the formal exit of ACG Olomu, who described his 15-month stay at Apapa as “a journey of challenges, solutions, and fulfilment.”

He noted that under his watch, Apapa achieved record-breaking revenue, including over ₦2 trillion in 2024, the first in the command’s history, and daily collections peaking at ₦18.9 billion. In the current year, he revealed, the command has already generated ₦1.83 trillion, representing 60 percent of its 2025 target.

Beyond revenue, ACG Olomu highlighted strategic trade facilitation milestones, including Nigeria’s first African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) shipments to five African countries in 2024.

On enforcement, he recalled 75 seizures, ranging from fake medicines and codeine syrup to tramadol, cannabis, and other prohibited items. “Apapa Port was not, and must never become, a safe haven for smugglers,” Olomu warned, while expressing gratitude to Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, officers of the command, and stakeholders for their support.

Stakeholders at the ceremony hailed his tenure as transformative, praising him for raising performance benchmarks and leaving “big shoes to fill.”

Earlier at a valedictory parade, Olomu urged officers to remain disciplined and hardworking, reminding them that “the strength of the command lies in collective commitment and loyalty to duty.”

Officers paid glowing tributes to the outgoing controller, describing him as a leader whose impact would endure even as he takes on higher responsibilities at Customs headquarters in Abuja..