Commentaries

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

Beyond Shiny Tech: Why Africa’s smart ports must build plumbing before AI

Monday Discourse with Ibrahim Nasiru

At the African Ports Conference (COPAF 2026) in Casablanca, Morocco, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, dropped a piece of unvarnished realism that should govern all future maritime discourse on the continent.

Speaking on the theme of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, Dantsoho issued a vital warning: African ports must establish effective, uncompromised digital foundations before they rush to deploy artificial intelligence (AI).

In an era where public officials routinely weaponize trendy buzzwords like “AI,” “Big Data,” and “Smart Governance” to perform administrative progress, Dantsoho’s perspective is a refreshing return to structural logic.

Smart ports, he rightly argued, must be measured by tangible operational realities—faster vessel turnaround times, shorter cargo dwell times, lower costs, and watertight revenue accounting—not by the sheer volume of technology purchases.

The numbers coming out of Nigeria’s maritime sector suggest that getting the basic digital foundations right yields immediate economic dividends.

The deployment of foundational tools like the “Eto” truck call-up system, alongside initial frameworks for the Port Community System, catalyzed a staggering 24.8 per cent increase in Nigeria’s cargo throughput.

This foundational digitisation is precisely why the World Bank’s Container Port Performance Index recently recorded strong upward trajectory rankings for both the Tin Can Island and Apapa Ports.

But as Nigeria embarks on its massive $1 billion Lagos ports modernization program, we must face the hard, structural truth that lies beneath these celebratory statistics.

Digitisation is not merely about software procurement; it is about political will and institutional harmonization.

For over a decade, Nigeria’s biggest maritime bottleneck has not been a lack of computers, but the fierce, territorial resistance from various state agencies refusing to plug into a single, unified data ledger.

A “Smart Port” cannot exist in a vacuum where customs, immigration, terminal operators, and security agencies run isolated, analogue silos designed to preserve bureaucratic fiefdoms and rent-seeking opportunities.

If the $1 billion modernization fund is spent buying sophisticated AI predictive maintenance tools and automated vessel planning systems while the National Single Window remains structurally sabotaged by agency politics, we will simply end up with a highly automated system that accelerates corruption and bottlenecks.

You cannot run a predictive AI algorithm on data that is manually altered or hidden by a human clearing agent at the wharf.

Dantsoho is entirely correct: we must build the digital plumbing before we chase the AI crown.

Going into 2027, the yardstick for evaluating the NPA’s modernization program must not be the number of smart cameras or automated gates installed.

The true metric of success will be the complete, legally enforced integration of all port stakeholders into a single data ecosystem.

Until the data flows seamlessly and transparently from the vessel to the final exit gate without human friction, any talk of an “AI-driven smart port” is mere window dressing.

We must fix the foundations first, or watch a billion dollars clear out into the ocean of unfulfilled potential.

Ibrahim Nasiru, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja.

Commentaries

Choking in Apapa, idle in Calabar: Fixing Nigeria’s one-sided maritime system

Monday Discourse with Ibrahim Nasiru

For decades, Nigeria has been doing something completely upside down with its maritime business

We have over 850 kilometers of beautiful coastline, yet we force almost all our international trade to squeeze through just two choked locations: Apapa and Tin Can Island in Lagos.

The result? Nightmare traffic jams, crazy demurrage fees, and local businesses dying because their goods are trapped at sea for weeks.

But from what we saw at the World Maritime Day celebration in Lagos, a real, common-sense change might finally be on the horizon.

The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, laid out a very clear plan under the theme, “From Policy to Practice: Powering Maritime Excellence.” ,

He promised that the government is fully committed to modernizing ports outside Lagos—specifically Onne, Warri, and Calabar—while building new deep seaports in places like Ondo, Ibom, and Bonny.

He also unveiled a big drive to train young Nigerian sailors to global standards so they can compete for jobs anywhere in the world.

As an analyst who looks at the actual numbers, this is where we need to pay close attention.

The ministry has already scored some big wins. Getting the United States Coast Guard to lift its long-standing security restrictions on ships coming from Nigeria is a massive deal.

It means fewer delays, lower shipping insurance costs, and cheaper goods for ordinary Nigerians when those savings drop down the supply chain.

Also, moving our local fish production from 1.1 million to 1.4 million metric tonnes shows that things are actually moving.

However, during her keynote presentation at the event, maritime expert, Mrs. Mfon Ekong Usoro, hit the nail on the head.

She reminded stakeholders that Nigeria’s maritime future depends entirely on moving from sound paperwork to actual, visible results.

Let’s tell ourselves the home truth: the real success of Oyetola’s ministry will not be judged by the fine speeches or brilliant policies presented at luxury hotels.

It will be judged by how quickly we can break the monopoly of the Lagos ports.

Opening up the eastern and southern ports is no longer just a good idea; it is a matter of economic survival.

When you make Onne, Warri, and Calabar fully functional, you instantly bring life back to regional economies, create thousands of local jobs, and make things cheaper for tens of millions of citizens living outside the South-West.

But a port is completely useless if you cannot get goods out of it. You cannot run a modern port if you rely only on heavy trucks fighting broken roads.

Oyetola’s ministry must work hand-in-hand with the Ministry of Transport. We need to see working rail lines laid straight into the ports of Onne and Calabar, connecting them directly to Inland Dry Ports like Baro and Onitsha.

Also, the government must use the new Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency(NPERA) Act to completely crush the official corruption, crazy hidden charges, and delays that have historically scared international shipping lines away from our eastern ports.

The roadmap is there, and the international community is already noticing through the lifted US security restrictions.

Now, the federal government needs the political muscle to build the rail and road connections to back it up.

It is time to move from policy to practice, open up our eastern waterways, and let the whole country breathe.

Ibrahim Nasiru, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja

Commentaries

The Olokola Conundrum: DP World, Dangote, and ghosts of Nigeria’s contractual sanctity

Monday Discourse with Ibrahim Nasiru

The Ogun State Government’s recent signing of a $7 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Paris with Dubai’s DP World has been loudly celebrated by state publicists as a monumental triumph for foreign direct investment.

The ambitious agreement aims to develop the Gateway Deep Sea Port and the Blue Marine Special Economic Zone within the strategic Olokola axis.

However, to seasoned watchers of Nigeria’s industrial policy and maritime concessions, this fresh diplomatic foray triggers a profound sense of deja vu.

By overlapping a fresh international agreement onto a maritime asset where the Dangote Group still holds an active, multi-billion naira partnership and controlling stake, the current administration is navigating a legal and political minefield.

The Olokola project is not a blank canvas; it is a highly contested zone haunted by historical policy reversals and unresolved sovereign commitments.

To understand the volatile structural foundations of Olokola, one must revisit its ambitious inception in 2004.

Conceived under the visionary yet politically fraught collaboration between former Governor Gbenga Daniel of Ogun State and the late Governor Olusegun Agagu of Ondo State, the Olokola Free Trade Zone was designed to be the ultimate crown jewel of Nigeria’s maritime and energy independence.

It attracted an elite, multi-billion dollar investment profile, headlined by the ill-fated Olokola Liquefied Natural Gas (OKLNG) project, backed by global giants including the NNPC, Shell, Chevron, and the BG Group.

Yet, despite its peerless economic blueprint, the entire enterprise famously collapsed under the weight of inter-state political rivalries, bureaucratic paralysis, and sudden federal policy shifts.

When international oil companies pulled out due to a lack of institutional guarantees, local conglomerates like the Dangote Group stepped in to secure strategic stakes, preserving the asset’s industrial viability for the future.

Bypassing this historical footprint without a clean legal resolution is an invitation to systemic friction.

Therefore, the current strategy of double tracking agreements over the exact same geographical and maritime asset represents a dangerous institutional risk.

While the state’s aggressive drive to unlock the economic potential of the Ogun coastline and expand the nation’s blue economy is highly commendable, courting a Middle Eastern maritime giant like DP World while ignoring an existing domestic investor creates severe legal vulnerabilities.

In global shipping and port development, international operators look for absolute clarity regarding terminal operations, land titles, and concession limits

You cannot sustainably attract premium global capital by exposing them to immediate, multi-billion naira litigation from entrenched domestic players who have already sunk enormous resources into the zone’s foundational layout.

International project financiers and global port operators do not just look at shiny executive MoUs signed in European capitals; they look closely at local title security, asset de-risking, and a host state’s history of respecting contract sanctity.

If Nigeria is to successfully position its emerging seaports as competitive hubs within the West African sub-region, it must learn to operate under the global standard of a landlord port model where rights are clearly defined and legally unassailable.

Overlapping political promises only serve to drive away serious developers and delay actual infrastructure delivery.

The global investment community is watching how Nigeria treats its premier industrial actors, and any sign of flip-flopping on contractual terms acts as a major red flag for foreign direct investment.

Ultimately, if Ogun State truly wants the Olokola Deep Seaport to transition from a twenty year boardroom dream into a world class maritime reality, it must aggressively clear its legal debts first.

The administration must pivot away from performative international signings and sit down at a transparent renegotiation table to cleanly buy out or harmonize interests with the Dangote Group.

Failing to do so will ensure that this $7 billion UAE deal suffers the exact same paralyzing fate as the 2004 OKLNG blueprint.

In the high stakes theater of global infrastructure, true economic growth is built on the unyielding sanctity of existing laws and contracts—not on the shifting sands of political expediency.

Ibrahim Nasiru, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja