Reflection by Ibrahim Nasiru

As the dawn breaks over the West African coastline this morning, Thursday, October 1st,  2026, a sovereign milestone unfurls across the continent.

Nigeria turns 66 today.

Let the professional pessimists sound their usual annual trumpets of despair, and let the elite commentators count our structural bruises. But let no man mistake our scars for our obituary.

Six decades and six years after the Union Jack was lowered, this sprawling, kinetic, and beautiful madness we call home still stands—obstinately united, fiercely proud, and completely unbowed.

We are not just a country on a map; we are an demographic continent unto ourselves. From the rain-swept shores of the Atlantic to the wind-kissed sands of the Sahel, north and south of the Sahara, Nigeria remains the undisputed, heavy-hearted, but magnificent Giant in the Sun.

We are the most populous black nation on God’s green earth. To think that 230 million human beings, speaking over 500 distinct languages, can wake up under the same green-white-green flag every single morning and survive the tectonic pressures of modern history is not an accident—it is a daily, living miracle of resilience.

Look closely at our geography. The world marvels at how our diverse nationalities—the Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Ijaw, Ibibio, Kanuri, Tiv, Jukun, Fulani, Alago, Gomai, Ganawuri, Taroh, Kutep and Idoma—refuse to fit into any neat, predictable Western caricature.

We are not a monolith of sorrow. We are a kaleidoscope of unyielding human ambition. When the global economic winds howl and domestic pressures bite hard, the Nigerian does not fold. The Nigerian reinvents.

The street-vendor in Lagos, the tech-wizard in Yaba, the grain-merchant in Kano, and the resilient farmer in the valleys of Nasarawa all share the exact same DNA: an absolute refusal to be defeated by circumstances.

Our democracy is young, loud, and inherently messy. Our economic reforms are painful, complex, and currently testing the very fabric of our patience. But as the flags go up today, let us remember that the destiny of this giant does not belong to the ephemeral politicians who occupy temporary offices in Abuja or the state capitals.

The destiny of Nigeria belongs to the uncrushable spirit of the everyday citizen. We are the rhythm of Afrobeat, the intellectual weight of Nobel laureates, the raw grit of the global diaspora, and the anchor of regional stability.So, let the cynics argue in their air-conditioned rooms.

Today, we salute the market women, the youth driving the digital frontier, the labourers, and the fathers keeping the peace. We are still here. We are still giant. And our sun is nowhere near setting.

Happy 66th Independence Anniversary to the Federal Republic of Nigeria!

Ibrahim Nasiru lives in Abuja

Gloria Odion, Maritme reporter 
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‎The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’, Ikeja-Lagos, on Wednesday, 30th September 2026, welcomed Deputy Comptroller Oladapo Olukayode Afeni as the unit’s 30th Acting Comptroller, following the retirement of Comptroller Gambo Aliyu after a distinguished career in the Service.
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‎The formal handing-over ceremony, held at the unit’s conference hall, was attended by colleagues, friends, well-wishers, senior Customs officers and other stakeholders.
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‎ Among those present were the Acting Customs Area Controllers of the Port and Terminal Multipurpose Limited (PTML), Ogun 1 Area Command, and the Enugu/Ebonyi/Anambra Area Command.
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‎Addressing officers and stakeholders for the first time as Acting Comptroller, DC Afeni pledged to provide purposeful, professional and accountable leadership in advancing the mandate of the Nigeria Customs Service.
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‎He expressed appreciation to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi  and the management of the Service for the confidence reposed in him.
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‎The new Acting Comptroller said his administration would strengthen intelligence- led enforcement,tackle revenue leakages and safeguard Nigeria’s economic and security interests.
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‎He said that enforcement operations under his leadership would remain firm, lawful and respectful of human dignity, while legitimate trade would be facilitated through constructive engagement with traders, manufacturers, importers, exporters, customs brokers and other stakeholders.
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‎DC Afeni also called for stronger collaboration with sister security and law enforcement agencies to combat trans -border crimes, particularly the illicit movement of drugs, arms, currencies, counterfeit goods and other prohibited items across the Nigeria border.
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‎He also pledged to prioritise officers’ welfare and professional development, strengthen institutional discipline and encourage regular sporting activities to promote physical fitness, teamwork and work-life balance among personnel.

‎In his handing-over address, the immediate past Comptroller, retired Comptroller Gambo Aliyu, expressed gratitude to God and the Service, describing the ceremony as an important transition in leadership and an opportunity to reflect on the responsibilities and challenges of commanding the unit.
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‎Comptroller Aliyu said his administration persevered on combating smuggling, revenue fraud, concealment, under-declaration, false declaration and the illicit movement of prohibited goods.
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‎The report,according to him includes, recorded 779 seizures during his tenure, involving various prohibited and illegally imported items, including:
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‎- More than 20,900 bags of foreign parboiled rice;
‎- 61 used vehicles;
‎- Thousands of used compressors and clothing items;
‎- Foreign poultry products;
‎- 4,418 jerrycans of vegetable oil;
‎- 12,606 parcels of cannabis weighing 6,194.3kg;
‎- 2.30kg of cocaine;
‎- More than 3,000 jerrycans of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), equivalent to 76,505 litres; and
‎- 22 elephant tusks weighing 130.84kg.
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‎According to him, the seizures had a combined duty-paid value of ₦13,075,056,616.00.

‎On revenue recovery, Comptroller Aliyu disclosed that the unit recovered ₦3,192,511,547.52 between 10 December 2025 and 24 September 2026.
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‎He said the figure represented 798 per cent of the unit’s ₦400 million annual revenue recovery target for 2026, while also recording a 776 per cent increase over the ₦411,451,901.18 recovered during the corresponding period in 2025.
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‎Aliyu attributed the performance to strengthen risk profiling, stricter compliance checks, targeted examination of suspicious declarations, teamwork,and collaboration with sister agencies and stakeholders.
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‎He stressed that effective enforcement required collective efforts, noting that “no enforcement agency can succeed in isolation.”
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‎Concluding his address, the retired Comptroller congratulated his successor and expressed confidence that the new administration would build on the operational foundation already established.
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‎He urged DC Afeni to lead with fairness, firmness, courage and sound judgment, while assuring him of the cooperation and support necessary to sustain the unit’s mandate.
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‎Comptroller Aliyu also commended officers of the unit for their loyalty, discipline and resilience throughout his tenure.
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‎He prayed for the success of the new leadership, the continued growth of the Nigeria Customs Service and the security and prosperity of Nigeria.

— Vows to sustain ₦323bn monthly revenue record, end cargo delays

Funso OLOJO, Editor 

Comptroller Murtala Mu’azu has assumed duty as the 33rd Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Apapa Area Command, pledging to sustain the Command’s revenue momentum while eliminating avoidable delays in cargo clearance and strengthening trade facilitation at Nigeria’s busiest port.

Mu’azu formally took over from Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba (rd) on Tuesday, September 29th, 2026, at a ceremony held at the Auditorium of the Apapa Area Command, Lagos, attended by senior security and regulatory officials, government agencies, terminal operators, shipping companies, customs brokers, importers, exporters and other port stakeholders.

The new Controller inherits a Command that recently posted some of the most impressive revenue figures in its history, including a record ₦323 billion monthly collection in July 2026 and a single-day collection of ₦28.102 billion on August 18, 2026.

Acknowledging the weight of the responsibility before him, Mu’azu described his appointment as “a great honour and privilege,” thanking the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, for the confidence reposed in him.

He pledged to discharge the responsibility with “a deep sense of duty” and in line with the economic interests of the country, promising to build on the Command’s achievements in revenue generation, enforcement, trade facilitation and institutional discipline.

The new CAC said his administration would be anchored on the three strategic pillars of the Comptroller-General — consolidation, collaboration and innovation — with particular attention to revenue integrity, efficient trade facilitation, professionalism and meaningful engagement with stakeholders.

On revenue collection, Mu’azu was unequivocal, declaring that every revenue due to government must be properly assessed and collected.

“Every revenue due to government must be properly assessed and collected, and every decision taken by our officers must be capable of standing the test of scrutiny over time,” he said.

But beyond revenue, the new Controller signalled that reducing bottlenecks in cargo clearance would be a major priority of his administration.

He declared that avoidable human delays in cargo processing, which he described as “Non-Tariff Barriers”, would no longer be tolerated.

“Unnecessary human delays in cargo processing otherwise known as Non-Tariff Barriers shall not be tolerated henceforth,” Mu’azu said.

According to him, once all statutory requirements have been met, legitimate cargo should be allowed to move without unnecessary obstruction.

He consequently charged Customs officers to maintain discipline, professionalism, courtesy and decorum in their dealings with importers, exporters, customs brokers and other members of the trading public.

Mu’azu also promised to deepen collaboration with importers, exporters, licensed customs agents, shipping companies, terminal operators, the Nigerian Ports Authority and other government agencies operating within the port environment.

He said such collaboration was essential to making Apapa Port more efficient, predictable and responsive to legitimate trade.

The new CAC openly acknowledged the scale of the revenue challenge left by his predecessor, Oshoba, particularly the unprecedented figures recorded under the outgoing Controller.

“This is indeed a record to reckon with and strive towards matching same. It is therefore a Herculean task upon myself and my team to match and surpass such a record,” Mu’azu said.

He also commended Oshoba for his contributions to enforcement, trade facilitation and the implementation of key modernisation initiatives of the Nigeria Customs Service.

Among the initiatives highlighted were B’Odogwu, Advance Ruling, the Authorised Economic Operator Programme, the One-Stop Shop and Non-Intrusive Inspection technology.

The Advance Ruling programme, in particular, has been positioned as a mechanism for providing greater predictability to legitimate traders by enabling them to obtain clarity on Customs treatment before importation.

Oshoba had, in his farewell address, described Advance Ruling as an initiative that provides legitimate traders with greater predictability and clarity on Customs treatment before importation, thereby reducing uncertainty and strengthening confidence in the trading environment.

In his farewell remarks, Oshoba attributed the achievements recorded during his tenure to the collective efforts of officers, stakeholders and partners of the Command.

“The achievements recorded during my tenure do not belong to one individual. They belong to all of us,” he said.

He charged officers to sustain the standards established during his tenure, stressing that discipline, professionalism and excellence must remain central to the Command’s operations.

“Discipline must remain our foundation, professionalism our standard and excellence our aspiration,” Oshoba said.

He also appealed to officers and stakeholders to extend the same cooperation and support to his successor.

Mu’azu, in turn, called for collective ownership of the Command’s mandate, stressing that the responsibility for sustaining Apapa’s performance could not rest on the CAC alone.

“The success we seek cannot be achieved by the CAC alone. It requires our collective efforts, operational integrity and willingness to uphold the standards of the Service,” he said.

He assured stakeholders that his administration would operate an open and constructive engagement framework based on fairness, mutual respect and the national interest.

With the transition now completed, the new Apapa Customs administration faces the dual task of protecting the Command’s record-breaking revenue performance while making cargo clearance faster, more predictable and less burdened by avoidable administrative delays.

Mu’azu expressed confidence that, with the support of officers and stakeholders, Apapa Area Command would continue to serve as a model of efficient revenue administration, legitimate trade facilitation and professional Customs conduct.