At Apapa, The Burden of Beating Your Own Record Challenges
By LOD Onyeji APAPA, Lagos — On September 29, 2026, Comptroller Murtala Mu’azu walked into the auditorium of Nigeria’s most consequential port revenue unit as its 33rd Customs Area Controller. Waiting for him was not just a handover note, but a formidable economic benchmark: *N323 billion in July 2026 and N28.102 billion in a single day on August 18, 2026*, both recorded under his predecessor, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba (Rtd). Mu’azu’s response was unusually candid for an assumption speech. “This is indeed a record to reckon with and strive towards matching... It is therefore a Herculean task upon myself and my team to match and surpass such a record,” he said. His promise: revenue integrity, zero tolerance for Non-Tariff Barriers, and alignment with the CGC’s three pillars — consolidation, collaboration and innovation. What makes Apapa different is that this "Herculean task" has become institutional tradition. A data review of the Command’s last two tenures reveals a clear...







