Apapa Command: Babatunde Takes Over From Babajide Promising To Ensure Full Implementation of All Customs Acts

Comptroller Babatunde Olomu yesterday 6th May 2024 has taken over the mantle of leadership of the  Apapa Customs Command of the Nigeria Customs Service from Comptroller Babajide Jaiyeobha who retired last week Friday.

The new Customs Area Controller, Apapa Command of Nigeria Customs Service, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu Fsi, has promised to ensure full implementation of all provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, the Common External Tariff (CET), import and export prohibition guidelines, and other books of instruction. 

Compt. Olomu made this  promise yesterday as he took over the mantle of  leadership of the flagship Command to the Nigeria Customs Service (The Apapa Customs Command) he also gave gave an assurance that he would build on the successes of his predecessor. 

He maintained that his administration would exhibit zero tolerance for smuggling of prohibited items, concealment, and under-declaration for duty evasion, noting that he saw has appointment as a serious task from the Comptroller General of Customs to deliver diligently.

In his words, “I see my task as CAC Apapa command as a serious assignment from the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR dsm psc (+) of which our only option is to deliver diligently not only in revenue collection, fight against smuggling, but in trade facilitation and sustainable stakeholder engagement.

 “My assumption of this office is with a mind of confidence that we won’t betray the trust reposed in us by the Federal Government of Nigeria, CGC and the entire management of the Nigeria Customs Service".

Continuing, Olumu said, "This confidence is premised on the reality that I am taking over a very organized command, where I intend to build on the successes of my predecessor;  Let me state unequivocally that we shall implement all the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, the Common External Tariff, import and export prohibition guidelines, and other books of instruction as directed by the FGN".

"While promoting a robust customs community relation system where there will be regular interface with all government and private sector stakeholders, I shall upscale our enforcement with intelligence to ensure that only legitimate trade is allowed in Apapa Port and all the terminals within the command

“Our tolerance level for smuggling of prohibited items, concealment, and declaration for duty evasion shall be zero and shall remain so. “Our country holds a strategic position for trade in West and Central Africa and Apapa Port is critical in Nigeria’s participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). We are reving Nigeria’s readiness for improved trade with fellow African countries and the world at large.”

He added that the management of the command is committed to evolving a more modern customs with Apapa Port being a nucleus to the implementation of the many trade facilitation reforms championed by the Comptroller-General of Customs.

“I want to urge our officers to brace up for the changes that will feature as fallouts of customs modernization, otherwise called e-customs, AEO, and many other groundbreaking World Customs Organization innovations like the recently introduced advanced ruling policy.

“This will enable them to enjoy more gains of trading across borders in the global supply chain in line with the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC), the WCO Supply Chain Management Guidelines, and the various national best practices. “As a working principle, I hereby advise all our officers to treat all official matters with the speed they deserve leaving no file unattended to as such delays could mean slowing down government revenue inflow.

“I shall emplace a trade dispute resolution seat that will operate every day including weekends to ensure that we make this command a true front liner in global best practices in terms of customs operation for other customs formations to emulate. 

“Apapa Command under my leadership won’t be complacent and will be open to continuous engagement with everyone. My doors are open for advice on how best to achieve our mandate because we are all here to add value and do better for Nigeria,” said Olomu.

Earlier, Comptroller Babajide Jaiyeoba had expressed his happiness for the opportunity to serve.

While taking his successor on a memory lane on how during his stewardship of Apapa command from September 2023 till May, 6th where he sheathed revenue collection records and set a new one.

He recalled how he was scared by the revenue performance of his predecessor whom he said collected 10 billion in a day.

”When I heard that, I was scared. Even though as a man, I didn’t show it but that got me scared as that amount is what we collected in about three to four months where I came from” Jaiyeoba recounted.

However, he said that with the support of all his men and officers, especially the members of the strategic revenue committee and officers of the Non-Intrusive Inspection Technology Unit (NIITU) of the command for their critical role in ensuring that, under his leadership, the command broke the daily revenue record set by his predecessor and set a new one

According to him, the command has set a daily revenue collection of N12 billion while in the month of April, 2024, the command generated a whooping sum of N82 billion which was a record-breaking monthly collection in the history of the service.

He further claimed that, on February 23rd, 2024, the command recorded a revenue collection milestone by generating N16,021,669,412.00.

Similarly, Jaiyeoba said the command, between January and April 2024, collected a total sum of N672, 172,624,033.03 as revenue.

The former CAC attributed his revenue successes to the dedication of officers and men of the command, the cooperation of stakeholders and other sister agencies.

Jaiyeoba enjoined them to give the new CAC maximum cooperation for him to succeed, assuring them that Olomu is a team player and result-oriented officer.