Effective Leadership And Commitments To Nigeria’s Economic Growth: The Example Of Customs Comptroller Babatunde Olomu

Effective Leadership And Commitments

OpenLife Nigeria reports that at a time President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his cabinet crew are leaving no stone unturned in ensuring that revenue are enhanced for economic growth, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, Customs Area Controller of Apapa Port Command, stands out as a dependable ally on Nigeria’s patriotic highway.

Under his watch, available information obtained by OpenLife reveals that the Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) raked in about N2.1 trillion into the Federal Government coffers in this 2024.

This figure represents a significant revenue collection increase since Olomu assumed duty as the Area Controller of the Command on May 6, 2024.

Expectedly, this highly rated performance at Customs House, Apapa, has earned him an overall best award.

Only recently at the 2024 Comptroller-General of Customs Awards, the Apapa Port Command, under Olomu’s leadership, was recognised for its outstanding performance, receiving three prestigious awards in the areas of trade facilitation, revenue generation, and overall excellence.

The awards underscored Apapa Port Command’s pivotal role in enhancing trade efficiency and boosting government revenue.

Besides, Comptroller Olomu also emerged as the Best Customs Area Controller of the Year. These awards and recognition did not come on a platter of gold.

Known as an intelligent and hard working officer, Olomu, on assumption of office, set up a revenue recovery committee to address leakages, especially in bonded terminals. He also established a team to address complaints and disputes.

The unique intellectual and leadership skills of Comptroller Babatunde Olomu became further exposed when he received standing ovation during his presentation at the August, 2024 OpenLife Annual Summit which held at Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos.

Olomu, who represented the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, marshalled points about the role of customs in the economic diversification agenda of the federal government.

Olomu brilliantly disclosed the various initiatives implemented by Nigeria customs, under Bashir Adewale Adeniyi’s leadership, aimed at facilitating legitimate trade and suppressing smuggling.

“For economic growth, we have devised a working system that ensures quicker processing of imports and exports through world customs organisation programmes like time release study, TRS, advanced ruling, dispute resolution committee, 24-hour port operations, and authorised economic operator (AEO),” he said.

Reflecting on the theme of the OpenLife Summit, “Creating Enabling Environment for Economic Growth Through Strategic Tackling of Insecurity” Comptroller Olomu disclosed that the Nigeria Customs Service has adopted modern technology to optimise its operations.

“As part of our modernisation agenda, we have adopted non-intrusive inspection. This is an x-ray used in customs operations to screen imported and exported goods without disrupting their integrity.

“This advanced technology detects hidden items in goods without the need to physically examine them,” he said.
A complete family man and God fearing, Comptroller Olomu does not fail to thank God for His grace and mercy in his career at every available opportunity.

In the same pattern, Olomu always acknowledges the friendly leadership disposition of Comptroller General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, a development that energizes officers and men of the Customs Service to perform optimally.

“We sincerely appreciate the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and the management of the NCS for their leadership and encouragement for us to do our jobs,” Olomu said recently.

                                                         Raising The Bar In 2025

Assuring the federal government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the CGC of Apapa Command’s unwavering commitment to surpassing expectation, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu has disclosed that the doors to stakeholders and sister agencies to generate greater revenue for  government, remain open.

He urged Nigerian businessmen and women to take full advantage of the ease-of-doing-business initiative at Apapa Port for overall business growth for the country.

“The awards and other recognition we have received are the needed oxygen for us to do better at Apapa Command.

“The three awards for trade facilitation, revenue generation, and overall best command and area controller, will only motivate us further.

For 2025, once targets are assigned, we are confident of surpassing them because trade facilitation is key to revenue generation,” Olomu promised.

                                                                     PROFILE

Dr. Olomu Babatunde Olukayode began his career with the Nigeria Customs Service in 1991 and attained the rank of Comptroller of Customs in January 2021.

He holds a B.Sc. in Political Science, an M.Sc. in International Relations, and a Master’s in Public Administration. Dr. Olomu also earned a Ph.D. in Political Science, specializing in Peace and Conflict Studies.

A Certified Specialist in Asset Recovery, he recently achieved the prestigious fellowship of the National Institute for Security Studies (fsi). Dr. Olomu has completed over 50 courses and training programs in various countries, including those on Intelligence Gathering and Analysis, as well as International Terrorism and Organized Crime.

He also participated in the United States Customs and Border Protection Course, among other notable programs. In 2022, Dr. Olomu was a speaker at the 18th edition of the WCO PICARD Conference in Brussels.

In August, Comptroller Olomu represented the CGC at the OpenLife Annual Summit.

Between September 3–4, 2024, in Lagos, he also served as a guest speaker at the West Africa Border Security Week Conference,