Esther Oritse
Port Harcourt — Outgoing Customs Area Comptroller of Apapa Command, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, has said his administration has laid a solid foundation for sustained revenue consolidation at the command.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Olomu noted that the command’s achievements were the result of consistent efforts and deliberate planning.
He said the team remained focused, improving revenue collection on an hourly, daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly basis to achieve what he described as “outstanding accomplishments.”
He added that the spirit of teamwork among his officers was inspired by the Comptroller-General’s policy direction, which emphasized collaboration with stakeholders at all levels.
In his remarks, Olomu said he was leaving the Apapa Command with mixed feelings, recalling the moments shared with officers, stakeholders and partners during his tenure.
He explained that his period of service was marked by challenges and solutions aimed at strengthening the country, noting that every tenure must eventually come to an end.
He announced his elevation to the rank of Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs (ACG), bringing his time as Customs Area Controller of Apapa Command to a close.
He expressed gratitude to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, for entrusting him with the responsibility of overseeing operations in what he described as the Service’s flagship command.
Reflecting on his assumption of duty on May 2024, Olomu said he took up the role with determination, enjoying the support of officers, men, government agencies, private sector operators, and the media.
He said: “While this speech and time would not permit me to reel out every of our achievement, I am going to summarize them.
“Together as a team, we all confronted odds to excel, and we accomplished in the areas of revenue collection, anti-smuggling, trade facilitation and robust stakeholders’ engagement.
“This team spirit was imbibed in taking a cue from the CGC’s policy direction of working closely with all our stakeholders at various levels.
“We have laid a solid structure for consolidation. Under the guidance of the CGC, I ensured this command can operate optimally on an autopilot mode in revenue and anti-smuggling, stakeholders’ engagement, ICT deployment and all other indices for measurement of customs efficiency.
