… Comptroller Hauwa Attributes ₦557b 8 Month Collection to Professionalism, Teamwork, Discipline
Deputy Comptroller Olufemi Kukoyi has assumed duty as Acting Customs Area Controller of the Lagos Free Trade Zone Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, following the retirement of Comptroller Hauwa Abubakar after 35 years in the Service.
The change took effect after a formal handover at the command on Wednesday,September 30, According to a statement by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent of Customs Abdullahi-Lagos Abiola.
In his remarks, Kukoyi commended his predecessor’s record on revenue, enforcement, trade facilitation and stakeholder management. He said he would build on those foundations and align the command with the Comptroller-General’s policy thrust of consolidation, collaboration and innovation.
He said the command would emphasise technology-driven operations, trade facilitation and enforcement, in line with the Federal Government’s ease-of-doing-business agenda.
The new Acting Controller described the National Single Window Project, the One-Stop-Shop post-clearance mechanism and the B’Odogwu Unified Customs Management System tools for cutting clearance delays and strengthening revenue assurance.
Kukoyi pledged closer engagement with stakeholders and sister agencies, and asked officers to maintain integrity, discipline and professionalism. He said the command’s duties remain revenue generation, facilitation of legitimate trade, and support for national security and economic development.
At her valedictory ceremony, Mrs. Abubakar said the command generated ₦557,020,127,999.18 between January and August 2026, linking the figure and other operational gains to teamwork, discipline and professionalism among officers and stakeholders.
She thanked Comptroller-General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi and the management of the Service for the opportunity to serve, and acknowledged officers, stakeholders and partner agencies for their support. She also thanked the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority, free zone operators, Lekki Port, Lekki Freeport Terminal, sister security and regulatory agencies, customs brokers, traditional institutions and host communities for their cooperation on operations, security and trade facilitation.
Abubakar urged officers, stakeholders and partner agencies to give her successor the same cooperation, saying that while office holders change, the Service’s objectives do not. She wished Kukoyi a successful tenure. The command, in turn, wished her a peaceful retirement.
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