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Comptroller Yusuf Malanta: The Revenue Marshall of Nigeria Customs

Comptroller Yusuf displaying some of the seized contraband goods
Eyewitness Reporter
The Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service is unarguably the biggest revenue basket of the agency.
The command, as the flagship of the tax-collecting agency of the Federal Government, contributes the largest chunk of the annual revenue targets of the service, year in year out.
Its contributions to the revenue profile of the service are conservatively put at between 35 percent to 40 percent of the revenue earnings of the organization, each year.
It is for this reason the command has consistently become a cash cow which annually boosts the increasing revenue propensity of the service.
However, never in the history of the service had Apapa Command boosted the revenue collection of the agency than now.
Never in the history of the service than now had the Apapa command redefined the act of revenue collection taken to an unprecedented and dizzying height.
Never in the history of the service than now had the Command recorded a blistering form in revenue generation.
Never in the history of the service than now had the command combined the twin objectives of revenue generation and trade facilitation with admirable ease to achieve record-breaking feats.
In 2021, the command collected a whooping sum of N870.388 billion as revenue, a collection higher by 68 percent over the N518.0446 billion collected in 2020.
That was the year, 2021, when Comptroller Yusuf  Malanta Ibrahim, the revenue Marshall, berthed at the Command as its Area Controller.
Yusuf, who was appointed and took over as the helmsman of the premier Customs Command, will be a year old in the saddle in February 2022.
But within 12 months, shy of a few days, which he has so far marshaled the affairs of the flagship command, Comptroller Yusuf has redefined the act of revenue collection.
With gusto, he has broken all the records in the books in terms of revenue mobilization and collection.
A monthly analysis of the revenue haul of the command in 2021 showed that he is a man who relishes aiming for the sky.
In February when he took over, he met a monthly revenue earning of N49.544 billion.
Ever since then through to December, the revenue Marshall has not looked back as he achieved a geometry increase in revenue collection.
In  March, the command collected N55.645 billion and in April, it was N65.463billion.
May recorded N62.966billiion while the sum of N78.500million was collected in June.
July recorded the sum of N72.536billion and N87.881billion in August.
The sum of 82.147billion was collected in September and October yielded N86.022 billion.
The month of November witnessed an unprecedented monthly collection of a humongous sum of N89.766 billion which was a record revenue collection never witnessed in a single month in the entire Service.
In December, the sum of N85.516 billion was collected to round up the year.
In total, the command collected an eye-popping sum of N870,388,340,650.65 billion
This sum is 37.84  percent of the N2.3 trillion realised by the entire Service in 2021.
The revenue target of the service for 2022 has been fixed at the sum of N4.1 trillion.
Out of this, the Apapa port Command, expectedly, will contribute the largest chunk of the target.
Going by its propensity for recording a geometric increase in revenue generation, it is expected that the Apapa command will also take the lead in the quest of the Customs High command to meet the mega target of N4.1 trillion.
If the command could rake in N870.388 billion in 2021, which translates to 21.2 percent of N4.1 trillion of this year’s service target, it then presupposes that the command is expected to contribute nothing less than N1trillion to the year’s target.
This is based on the fact that N870.388 billion (2021 total revenue of Apapa) of N2.3 trillion of last year’s target is 37.84 percent, the same percentage of this year’s N4.1 trillion will therefore translate to N1.55 trillion.
And going by the geometric increase in its revenue collection, the Apapa Command is expected to gross nothing less than 1 trillion this year.
The command, under the able leadership of Comptroller Yusuf, is by no means intimidated by the task ahead.
Already, Malanta has primed the machinery of the command to execute the project.
“For us in Apapa Area Command, we have already boarded and fastened our seat belts towards the realisation of this target ( the N4.1 trillion revenue target for 2022.)
Such was the zeal, determination and resilience of the one also known as revenue mobiliser.
Malanta knows the structure and internal workings of Apapa command like the back of his hand.
Before his present assignment, he had held sway at the same Command as its ASYCUDA Project Manager(APM) where, working behind the scene, he had used technology to boost the revenue profile of the command.
Using his acumen as a system man, Malanta had worked as the APM to sustain the status of the command as the biggest revenue basket for the service.
Automated system for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) is a technological tool used by Customs to enhance its operations and boost revenue generation.
As the one driving the project then, it means that Malanta is well-grounded in automation processes.
His background in ICT technology thus prepared him for his present assignment as the helmsman of the Apapa command.
So it was a homecoming for Malanta in February 2021 when he was redeployed to Apapa, as the Area Controller to work in familiar terrain.
That explains the ease and clinical efficiency he marshalls the revenue machinery of Apapa command for huge harvest.
His knowledge of the terrain and the technicalities of the job also explained why Comptroller Yusuf hit the ground running almost immediately he assumed duties in 2021.
Comptroller Yusuf also combines his proficiency and propensity for revenue generation with trade facilitation with admirable ease.
He encourages trade compliance among the trading public, especially those plying their trade at Apapa command.
His belief was that compliance aids trade facilitation which in turn boosts revenue generation.
As a result, he always preaches compliance among the trading public and admonishes the traders to embrace compliance that will aid quick service delivery.
His love for compliance made him create a special unit called the compliance department which enhances compliance among traders.
With his uncompromising attitude towards compliance, the trading public has come to conform with the tenets of goods clearing procedures at the command.
Also, the men and officers of the command, the foot soldiers and field commanders, have taken a cue from the revenue Marshall not to compromise in their duties.
Whoever among the trading public who refuses to be compliant always feels the wrath of the revenue Marshall who seizes such unconventional goods without batting an eyelid.
This explains the uncompromising anti-smuggling machinery of the command which rolls with ruthless and clinical efficiency that recorded 103 seizures of contraband goods in 2021 with duty paid value of  N31.227 billion.
The trade facilitation drive of the command has also resulted in the processing of five million, three hundred and eighty tonnes of exports in 2021 with the dollar value of $641 million as against the $340 million recorded in 2020
Comptroller Yusuf has often told the trading public that he is a friend to compliant traders while a nemesis to recalcitrant ones.
The revenue Marshall at the command has therefore dexterously combined the use of technology, superior intelligence gathering, forensic manifest management system and the synergy he has forged with other sister agencies, to propel the Apapa command to a commanding height of revenue generation.
To realise the 2022 revenue goal, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), the Customs High commander, can always rely on the technology-savvy of Malanta to lead the crack team of revenue mobilisers in the service who are expected to prosecute the onerous task of meeting the N4.1 trillion revenue mark.
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Commentaries

The 150 percent increase in Seafarers’ wages: Can NIMASA break foreign stranglehold on Nigeria’s waters?

The Monday Discourse with  Ibrahim Nasiru

During the recent Day of the Seafarer celebrations, a major policy bombshell dropped that sent shockwaves through the maritime industry.

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) announced a massive 150% wage increase for local seafarers.

By integrating international maritime standards into local contracts, the government is finally attempting to address a long-standing injustice: the systemic underpayment of the men and women who keep our maritime trade afloat.

On paper, it looks like an incredible victory for labour and a massive step forward for the thousands of young cadets who have gone through the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP).

But as any seasoned observer of Nigerian policy knows, a wage increase on paper means absolutely nothing if you do not possess a job to earn it.

The uncomfortable reality is that a 150% salary boost is completely useless if local shipping companies are priced out of the market, or if foreign vessels continue to dominate our territorial waters.

Nigeria passed the Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act way back in 2003 with a very clear, patriotic objective: domestic coastal trade was supposed to be reserved strictly for Nigerian-owned, Nigerian-built, and Nigerian-crewed vessels.

It was designed to build local capacity and ensure that our wealth stayed within our borders.

Yet, over two decades later, the spirit of that law is routinely violated every single day. The maritime sector has structural friction that cannot be solved by simply adjusting a salary scale.

The biggest culprit here is the infamous cabotage waiver system. For years, international shipping lines have exploited regulatory loopholes to secure endless ministerial waivers.

These waivers allow foreign-flagged ships with entirely foreign crews to operate freely in our domestic waters, moving cargo between Lagos, Onne, and Port Harcourt.

They claim that local capacity does not exist, using that excuse to completely bypass local seafarers. As a result, highly qualified Nigerian captains, engineers, and cadets are left stranded on shore, watching foreign mariners take the jobs that legally belong to citizens.

This creates a brutal, double-edged sword for the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, and the leadership at NIMASA. If they strictly enforce the new 150% wage scale without aggressively shutting down the illegal waiver pipeline, they will accidentally make Nigerian seafarers even less competitive.

Foreign shipowners will simply argue that local labour has become too expensive, giving them more incentive to lobby for waivers and bring in their own crews.

If this modernization plan is going to be anything more than a political talking point, the government must find the raw regulatory spine to enforce the law.

Enforcement is where our institutional bottlenecks always lie. It is easy to hold a press conference and celebrate a new minimum wage agreement.

It is an entirely different ballgame to deploy interceptor boats, audit shipping manifests, and fine multi-national shipping giants that refuse to hire local mariners.

The stakes are far too high for half-measures. We are currently trying to reposition Nigeria as the dominant maritime hub for West Africa under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

You cannot build a maritime empire by relying exclusively on foreign labour and foreign capital.

A 150 percent raise is a beautiful, necessary acknowledgment of the value of our seafarers. But the real test of this policy will not be judged by the signatures on the new collective bargaining agreement.

It will be decided by whether the government possesses the political will to completely crush the waiver cartel, protect local shipping lines, and ensure that when a vessel sails through Nigerian waters, it is a Nigerian hand resting on the helm.

 

Chief Ibrahim Nasiru,a Public Affairs analyst,writes from Abuja

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The NIMASA claim of 150 percent salary raise for Nigerian Seafarers : A fiction or reality?

Nasiru Ibrahim

The Monday Discourse with Ibrahim Nasiru focuses on  NIMASA’s claim of a massive 150 percent wage increase for local seafarers which sounds like an incredible milestone for Nigerian maritime labour.

But a higher salary scale means absolutely nothing if you do not possess a job to earn it.

Dropping tomorrow morning, July 6th, 2025, we go behind the celebratory headlines to look at the brutal policy war over the Cabotage Act, the illegal waiver cartels, and why qualified Nigerian mariners are still being left stranded on shore while foreign crews dominate our territorial waters.

Don’t miss “The 150% Raise: can NIMASA break the foreign stranglehold on Nigeria’s Waters?”

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Turning the Tide: How Nigerian ports earned global recognition

Monday Discourse with  Ibrahim Nasiru
For decades, the narrative surrounding Nigerian maritime gateways was dominated by stories of bureaucratic gridlock, crippling congestion, and costly logistics delays.
However, a major structural shift is underway.
The World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence recently released the 2025 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI), delivering an international endorsement of Nigeria’s maritime modernization.
For the first time in history, Nigeria’s primary seaports—Tin Can Island Port Complex and Apapa Port Complex—have been ranked among the Top 20 Most Improved Ports globally.
According to the index, Tin Can Island Port ranked 10th globally in performance gains, improving its CPPI score by an impressive 42 points.
 Closely following, Apapa Port secured the 12th spot worldwide with a 35-point increase.
This data-driven bench mark tracks actual vessel call data, evaluating real-world metrics like ship turnaround times, berth productivity, and operational coordination.
By out performing established global hubs like France’s Marseille Port, Nigeria has signaled to international shipping lines that its gateways are shedding their legacy of inefficiency.
This global recognition is not an accident; it is the direct out come of a deliberate, continuous improvement paradigm championed by the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho.
The NPA has aggressively focused on automation and digitization to remove human bottlenecks through the streamlined deployment of the electronic call-up system and single-window digital tracking.
Furthermore, slashing bureaucracy has reduced long delays that previously forced shipping lines to divert to neighboring West African Ports, while equipment modernization has upgraded critical terminal infrastructure under the strategic guidance of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola.
The real world dividend of these operational upgrades is clearly visible in Nigeria’s macroeconomic indicators.
Faster vessel turnaround times directly drive down freight costs and logistics expenses, allowing trade velocity to skyrocket.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) confirms that these maritime efficiencies strongly supported Nigeria’s remarkable ₦7.54 trillion trade surplus in the first quarter (Q1) of 2026.
By providing a highly responsive and predictable platform for both imports and export-bound agricultural and solid mineral commodities, the NPA has integrated seamlessly into President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s broader economic revitalization agenda.
While this World Bank ranking marks a historic milestone, the leadership at the NPA recognizes that this is a baseline, not a finish line.
As Dr. Dantsoho noted, the next institutional mountain to climb is sustaining this momentum.
The ultimate objective is to transition Nigeria’s Ports from being merely the “most improved” to standing firmly among the most competitive and highly efficient logistics hubs on the planet.
For global investors, international shipping consortia, and local businesses, the message from the 2025 CPPI report is unmistakable: Nigeria’s maritime sector is open for business, modernized, and built for growth.
Chief Ibrahim Nasiru, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja
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