Comptroller Babatunde Olomu has taken over as the new Customs Area Controller, Apapa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service.
Olomu, who took over from Comptroller Babajide Jaiyeoba on Monday, promised to improve revenue generation, facilitate trade and fight smuggling at the command.
He also promised to fully abide by provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, the Common External Tarrif, import and export prohibition guidelines and other books of instructions as directed by NCS management.
He noted that the command, which oversees the nation’s premiere port of Apapa, is critical to Nigeria’s participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He urged his officers to treat all official matters with the urgency required and prepare themselves for the changes that will occur as fallouts of the impending modernization of the service.
Earlier in his farewell speech, outgoing Comptroller Babajide Jaiyeoba appraised his achievements in the eight months he spent at the command. He said the achievements would not have been possible without the support of officers, stakeholders and other government agencies.
He noted that in the first quarter of 2024, Apapa Command raked in N672.2 billion as revenue while in April, the command realised N182 billion, which he described as a “record-breaking monthly collection in the history of the service”.