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Apapa Customs posts N2.64 trillion revenue, records 19.9% growth
The Apapa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), realised N2.635 trillion between January and November this year, representing a growth of 19.9 per cent over the N2.2 trillion recorded in the corresponding period of 2024. This was driven by automation, compliance-led enforcement and closer collaboration across the port ecosystem.
The figures, unveiled at the Command’s end-of-year stakeholders’ forum and awards night at Apapa Club by Customs Area Comptroller (CAC), Emmanuel Oshoba, underscored its position as Nigeria’s flagship port command, anchoring customs revenue, trade facilitation and supply-chain stability in the country’s busiest maritime corridor.
Welcoming stakeholders, Oshoba, said the Command’s performance reflected reforms aligned with the vision of the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, particularly on modernisation and ease of doing business.
“From January to November 2025, the Apapa Area Command generated N2.635 trillion, representing a 19.9 per cent increase over the N2.2 trillion recorded in the same period in 2024.
“This achievement reflects improved compliance, effective automation, robust monitoring and the dedication of our officers. Let me emphasise that our preference is compliance, not confrontation,” Oshoba said.
He listed key initiatives driving the gains to include the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Programme, the One-Stop Shop framework to cut duplication and delays, and deployment of the Unified Customs Management System (UCMS) to strengthen automation, risk management and revenue assurance.
Oshoba also disclosed that the simulation of the newly installed scanner at APM Terminals on November 6, 2025, marked a major milestone in expanding non-intrusive inspection, a critical lever for faster cargo clearance and lower logistics costs.
On enforcement, he said the Command recorded significant seizures of drugs, expired goods, arms and ammunition, achieved through intelligence-led operations and sustained inter-agency cooperation. He warned that while the command encourages honest declarations and strict adherence to extant laws, it would not hesitate to deal decisively with false declarations and other infractions.
Representing the CGC, Assistant Comptroller-General (ACG) Mohammed Babandede, Zonal Coordinator, Zone A, said 2025 provided “cause to celebrate,” while urging stakeholders to deepen compliance as Customs fine-tunes its operations.
“With your cooperation, we were able to achieve our target in 2025. The Service under the leadership of the CGC is passionate about trade facilitation, but we can only facilitate trade provided the integrity of declarations is high,” he said.
He announced a sensitisation programme on the AEO scheme scheduled for Thursday at Continental Hotel, stressing that Customs expects stronger partnership with traders and agents in 2026.
“In 2026, we should work together as partners, as brothers, so that it will be a good year for you, for us and for the Nigerian economy,” he added.
In a goodwill message, Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Maritime Police Command, Chinedu Oko, reaffirmed security agencies’ commitment to safe port operations.
He said: “It is only when we work together that we achieve our ends. Any time the Comptroller calls me on issues concerning my command, I respond positively. The Nigerian Police will continue to work closely with Customs.”
The AIG congratulated Oshoba on the revenue achievement and assured that the Nigeria Police would continue working closely with Customs to achieve their objectives.
Representing the Ojora of Ijora and Iganmu Kingdom, Royal Highness, Engineer AbdulFatai Aremu Aromire Oyegbemi, the Bashorun of Ijora, Iganmu, Chief Hakim Oladipo Ojora said the monarch commended Customs for maintaining order and preventing crises within the port community.
“Kabiyesi appreciates the way Customs conducts itself within our domain. There is no crisis, no hoodlum activity,” he said, congratulating the Command on what he described as “very mighty achievements.”
Speaking on behalf of licensed agents, the founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, praised Apapa Customs while calling for broader application of reforms.
“Apapa is the flagship, and you are doing great. We have made up our minds to be compliant. One-Stop Shop should be universal, not only when there is an alert, so that everyone can compete effectively,” Aniebonam said.
He said freight forwarders were already looking ahead to 2026 “to do greater things that will bring about a greater Nigeria.”
The event also featured the presentation of stakeholder awards, reinforcing the Command’s collaboration-first approach to port management.
Terminal Operators Awards went to firms including APM Terminals, Eco Support Services and CFA Terminal 3. The Controllers’ Commendation Award, for promoting industrial harmony, was presented to individuals including Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, and Alhaji Tanko Ibrahim, among others.
Under the Agency Cooperation Award, organisations such as the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), NDLEA, Nigeria Police (Apapa Command) and Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) were recognised for sustained support. The CAC Special Recognition Award honoured groups including ANLCA, Atlantic Coast Shipping Nigeria Ltd and ACE Unique, among others.
A highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award to to National President of the Customs Officers’ Wives Association (COWA) Kikelomo Adeniyi, in recognition of wide-ranging social impact initiatives linked to the Service as well as humanity.
Her interventions include vocational empowerment of over 1,500 women, establishment of an ultra-modern skills acquisition centre in Abuja, welfare support for widows of fallen officers, pioneering of the Green Border Sustainability Initiative focusing on tree planting, clean-up exercises, waste management and discouraging urban burning, and promotion of national immunisation campaigns against measles and other diseases in partnership with state governments and NGOs.
Presenting the award on behalf of the CGC, CAC Emmanuel Oshoba described her as “a human mobiliser” whose work has positioned COWA as a model for community-driven development.
The event was attended by Acting Commandant of Nigeria Army Intelligence Apapa, Colonel Ogunbunmi; the Commander of Narcotics; Customs Area Controllers, Chief Akinwunmi Olufemi; senior officers of various agencies; terminal operators; and representatives of freight forwarding associations.
During the ceremony, attendees observed a minute’s silence for Assistant Comptroller Nafiu Abubakar, who died in the early hours of Tuesday after a protracted illness.
As Apapa Customs closed the year, stakeholders converged on a shared message: stronger compliance, deeper collaboration and sustained reforms remain central to keeping Nigeria’s busiest port competitive, secure and revenue-efficient in 2026 and beyond.
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