SPECIAL REPORT: MMA Customs: A catalogue of records, breakthroughs

At the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, Nigeria, everything is done at plane speed.  Yes, it is without argument the largest and busiest airport and air cargo terminal in West/Central Africa, registering about one hundred flights daily.

Since a quarter of these flights are bearing hundreds of thousands of kilos of cargo, one could imagine how busy the Murtala Mohammed Customs Command is.

Virtually all stakeholders including the Nigeria Customs Service, the ground/cargo handlers –  SAHCO, NAHCO, Aramex, DHL – and customs agents  work at a frenetic pace in order to keep up with the fast pace of modernity and aero tech available in modern aviation. Yes, indeed, every hour, every day, it is hyper action operational wise. This, in itself, is indicative of an encouraging momentum the Nigerian economy is gathering lately.

If you are the Customs Area Controller (CAC) of this humongous territory or command, it tells that you didn’t emerge from nowhere but that you are highly regarded as a man of high moral, professional and intellectual stature. Comptroller Michael Toyin Awe is the CAC of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Cargo Command, Ikeja, Lagos.  He has been up and doing, he has been equal to the task. He is the perfect fit for the job. With his team of young and dedicated officers, inspired by the looming image and charisma of the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, they have met and surpassed all set targets over the past two years. They have set records in innovations, anti-smuggling and seizures, duty collection, trade facilitation and customs/stakeholders relationship.

“Anybody who would manage this command will have a lot of ability.  This is a very peculiar command, let me put it that way, because people here, agents here, are of a special kind. They are always in a hurry and very problematic and want to get their jobs done quickly, but we are always in charge, cool and calm in getting the job done diligently to the satisfaction of all. We have a mandate from the CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, and we are always committed to achieving it,” explained Comptroller Awe.

Upon his resumption at MMA Cargo in 2023, the new Controller had realized too soon the setting and the characters he was to superintend. Ego, pride mired with disrespect reared its ugly head intimidatingly, but the CAC had anticipated these, having worked in the command as a CIU officer many years before.

He had summoned a familiarization meeting of stakeholders but, while everyone was present, the Chairmen and hierarchies of the organized bodies of Customs clearing and forwarding agents, Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and Nigeria Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), failed to show up, rather they sent junior officers. The CAC would not tolerate such disrespectful conduct, he snubbed them and thereafter began to collaborate operationally with the elders committee, a group of respected and well-meaning, long standing customs agents known as Abe lgi Elders. Everything worked out perfectly.  Of course, both ANLCA and NAGAFF had to come back to apologize to the CAC.

B’ODOGWU, A PATRIOTIC TOOL

Comptroller Awe is grateful that the Unified Customs Management System, an lT tool otherwise known as B’Odogwu, has been quite helpful especially in terms of accuracy, streamlining of operations and collection of duties.

B’Odogwu, is an ingenious lT introduced by the present administration of CGC Adeniyi. It has revolutionized customs procedures, quickening clearing processes in such a manner that a customs agent can do his data processing in a matter of hours and proceed to the terminal or warehouse to pick up his cargo and go home.

“The B’Odogwu which we introduced just this August has been brilliant in eliminating all those compromising pranks which slow and disturb smooth trade. Since it is an improvement on NICIS 2, all the errors and challenges that came with NIClS 2 have been eliminated.  This development was considered unsavoury by agents who protested, but l have stood my ground and everybody is now enjoying the benefits that come with B’Odogwu,” noted the CAC.

He continues: “Honestly, B’Odogwu has helped us build a solid ground for the Service to achieve its aims and objectives, which is primarily revenue generation.

“B’Odogwu has impacted positively, very positively on our duty collection, eliminating the pranks, hiccups and revenue leakages associated with NIClS 2. NICIS2 compromised a lot. And most of customs agents hid under that to shortchange government. All these maneuvering tendencies are completely eliminated by B’Odogwu. I must commend and thank CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi for giving us this patriotic tool.”

Asked about the technical errors identified with B’Odogwu lately which have caused job stoppages and demurrage pile-up in many commands of Customs nationwide, Awe replied that new innovations like B’Odogwu must show early hiccups before steadying to pick up again.  “B’Odogwu teething problems have been tackled by our experts and everybody is back to work.” He, however, didn’t rule out sabotage because he remembered that some agents had tried to compromise B’Odogwu with the code of NICIS 2 but they failed. “You know, one code like that they were using.  That one was for pre-release or whatever. They are now using it half way. So, even those goods that are not meant for pre-release, they will go and enter the code. Unfortunately for them, B’Odogwu never accepts such.

Comptroller Awe admitted that the B’Odogwu hiccups led to a one week strike action by customs agents which shook him but he employed wisdom and tact to navigate through. “There was an uproar. In fact, the office was almost completely shut down as everything stagnated for a whole week. Nothing was moving.

“They came, you know and I had a series of meetings with them, with stakeholders, with airliners, with terminal operators, at least to make sure, you know, they didn’t create unnecessary chaos.  So, we have been doing that.  We are on top of every situation.

“I told them, I said, come, I will give room to the agents. They said, yeah, they didn’t want to work because things were not moving, the server was epileptic.

The network was completely down.  Money was not dropping in the banks. But for that whole week a lot of declarations were put on hold.

“And for the agents, I told them, there’s no point shutting down the sheds or terminals or operations. But there is always a way out. Because the airliners were not transmitting manifest. So, without that, we can’t do anything.

“To avoid congestion and to avoid problems, I said, we will do practical physical examination. When we do an examination, the importer will send it to Valuation. You evaluate, then you go and pay. They shouted, ah, we don’t want.  Because they knew that their duties may jump higher.

They said, they didn’t want physical examination. They would wait until the network was okay. Even if the sheds were shut for a month. And I warned them, I said, if I find out that… Because we are going to shut the gates.

The gate will be shut, since you said so.

As you have observed that the CGC and the Nigerian Shippers Council and the terminal operators have come together to agree to some demurrage waivers for importers over the B’Odogwu server hiccups. They gave them four days. The CGC runs a responsive administration”, he explained.

ZERO TOLERANCE FOR INDISCIPLINE.

The command’s modest achievements can also be traced to Comptroller Awe’ disdain for indiscipline and malfeasance.  Many agents and customs officers have been locked up and punished for pilfering and other acts of misconduct.

“l warned repeatedly that if I got whims of somebody stealing or pilfering of consignment from the tarmac or shed, I said I will never take it lightly.  I will deal with that person.

 

Behold, the second day, such a thing happened. Yes, pallets of wine. At the time, they were about to take them out of the gate when my officers accosted them.

I think I raised the DN of about close to 50 million Naira and locked the culprits up in cell.

Stealing and pilfering have been reduced to the barest minimum. Once you are caught, the goods will be confiscated.

“If you are supposed to pay 10 million Naira as normal duty, I will jack it up to 20 or 25 million Naira as punishment. And be sure to remain in cell until the payment is made before you have your consignment,” he warned.

ANTI-SMUGGLING

One aspect of the job where Comptroller Michael Toyin Awe and his team have excelled admirably is anti smuggling.  Awe will be leaving in the sand of time an enviable and indelible mark for the many seizures he made and particularly for the ingenuity and tact he deployed in achieving these feats.

“Through unwavering commitment of our officers, strategic collaboration with partner agencies, and sustained engagement with all stakeholders, we have recorded significant gains in three key areas including Revenue Collection, Anti-Smuggling Operations, Trade facilitation and Stakeholder Relations,” noted the CAC.

In the area of anti-smuggling activities, the Controller said in the second quarter of 2025, the command successfully intercepted and seized various prohibited items.

The items seized were 18 pieces of Tippmann Semi – Automatic Calibre Mag-Fed Paintball Markers and 32 pieces of empty Tippmann Tank Cylinders with the duty paid value of N18.3 million, 20 pieces of ballistic helmets with the duty paid value of N2.7 million, and 75 bags of pangolin scales weighing 3,765kg valued at N772.5 million. Snake vertebrae.

He said the total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of these seizures was N792.8 million and attributed these seizures to robust intelligence gathering, heightened surveillance and the unwavering dedication of his officers.

ONITSHA SMUGGLING EXPEDITION AND NARROW ESCAPE

The Controller recalled a seizure that almost led to a life threatening mishap but for last minute impulsive retreat.

A consignment of very expensive ammunition had arrived from Turkey and consigned to importers in Onitsha. Thanks to the vigilance of customs officers they were seized. They contained 100 pieces in a bag, eighty bags with each bag containing 100 pieces of military accoutrements, helmets, boots and expensive drones.

“How do we get the importers? We resorted to what we call control delivery

We simulated packages of the same weights and sent them to the consignee in Onitsha through a commercial bus. We had contacted and made arrangements with some government security agencies to jointly carry out the operation. Our officers had travelled ahead of the consignment.  But on getting to the delivery point, the consignees came in seven tinted vehicles to pick their cargoes. Meanwhile, the security officers invited to assist were nowhere found.  The operation had been thwarted, sabotaged; we had been betrayed” the Customs boss explained ruefully.

“Our officers could have been killed!” he noted with an awry smile.

Nevertheless, the Comptroller General and his team travelled to Turkey to effect an arrest of the exporter who sent the cargoes to Nigeria. He was repatriated and was tried and convicted.

The MM Airport Cargo Command Controller assured the public that the Command remains firmly committed to curbing all forms of unlawful trades. “We will continue to enforce all applicable laws and regulations with integrity, discipline, and zero tolerance for smuggling,” said he.

CUSTOMS/STAKEHOLDERS RELATIONSHIP

Awe informed that the Command has maintained a cordial relationship with all its stakeholders and this, according to him, has been a critical pillar of their success. Realizing the importance of collaboration in an industry that pools the resources of different stakeholders to get the job done, the CAC had embarked on solidarity visits to crucial stakeholders to seek their support. He also invited them to his office for regular briefings and exchange of operational ideas. The outcomes have been positive. They included stakeholders such as FAAN, NCAA to airlines, ground handlers like Nahco, SAHCO, Aramex and bodies like Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), National Association of Government Approved Freight forwarders (NAGAFF). Sister agencies such as NAFDAC, DSS, Air Force, NDLEA, Police and Immigration were also co-opted. All of them have worked in tandem with Comptroller Awe and keyed in to the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu which the CGC, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has espoused with an unwavering fervour in the last two years.

“We have nurtured this relationship through regular interactions, information gathering and sharing, and mutual cooperation, which has resulted in faster decision-making and better operational outcomes. The Command remains firmly committed to this collaborative engagement. We would sustain our open-door policy and will continue to nurture stronger, more productive engagements with all stakeholders,” the Controller said.

Interestingly, Comptroller Awe was the Special Guest who declared open the Scanners Site situated at SAHCO in the airport recently. A testimony to the cordial working relationship enthroned by him and SAHCO and all stakeholders. NAHCO too has commissioned its own scanner.

One of the most daunting challenges tackled by the Command was the cargo – invoice crisis early in the year.  The Controller had issued an order to airlines that imported cargoes must come with sales invoices for proper calculations of duties payable. Thereafter, hell was let loose by customs agents and their association leaders. They argued that they would have none of it. That most China goods come from cottage factories and common markets and operate fast and semi formal transactions; no formalities like Form M, but just pick, buy and go.

“I discovered that the airlines collude with these importers and agents by removing the attached invoices from the cargo. Who will buy goods in distant places like China and will not collect a receipt or invoice? But what we see are only empty envelopes, the invoice papers have disappeared.  Well, we had to change the OC Terminal and his team and sanction a particularly troublesome airline by not allowing it to discharge its cargoes.  Resultantly, since then things have changed. I can boast that compliance has reached an appreciable 50 to 60 percent,” enthused the CAC.

The CG has already rebranded the customs, making a lot of money, overshooting targets. As a matter of fact, the CGC is a man of honour. And he’s a manager. We are emulating all his principles and policies.  He came on board with different initiatives. Different new initiatives on a daily basis. Actually, his appointment was divine, like putting a right peg in a round hole.

He has really done very, very well. And he’s still doing it.  Part of his achievements is this B’Odogwu that he brought on board to eliminate under declaration.  B’Odogwu and Authorized Economic Operators (AEOs) have come with transparency, integrity to facilitate trade.

The AEO benefactors at the foot of the aircraft, they can carry their consignment. Yes.  Because we know we have tested their integrity.

They are very transparent. So, there’s no cause for alarm. AEO is part of this initiative. And that one is really helping a lot. You know, delay is completely out of it.

Asked if these achievements led to CGC Adeniyi’s election as the Chairman of World Customs Organization, Awe noted that they saw him as a man of high intelligence. By the time he came on board, the highest revenue we generated was 4.7 trillion.  The first year he came on board, we generated 6 trillion.  They (WCO Council) saw what we’re doing here.  (The rest of the world can see what we’re doing here because the world is a global village. So on the basis of that, they looked at him as the best to lead the WCO Council.

As the year 2025 runs to an end cargo volumes tend to go up, and so do smuggling and all manner of criminality and malfeasance. But the Controller and his officers are super ready to handle all challenges attendant to customs operations.

We are ever proactive. We strategies on a daily basis. Any officer that does not measure up to standard, we remove that one.  We replace that person with another. I evaluate and I profile all my officers individually to look at the area they can deliver. And I put them there. That’s why we are really achieving.

So we come up with different initiatives on a daily basis. To abate all this smuggling. I have a lot of informants who help with vital information. The simple fact is that we are ready operationally for all challenges that come with year-end increasing cargo volumes. In fact, that should make us happy because the more cargo the more revenue we rake in for government.  But any pranks or misdemeanor to shortchange government will not be allowed here,” he warned.

I got retired last year. I’m on extension. I consider myself lucky and l am grateful for this rare opportunity. It was because of the performance and all my activities that I never thought about, because it had never happened in Customs before.

27th of November last year was my retirement year.  In fact, I had handed over to somebody. I called CG, called all of them to thank them and say bye bye.

They did not tell me anything.  And a day after, I said, it was an illegal act to continue in the office. I had to call the most senior.

I said, please come and sit down. I said, come, I’m handing over to you.

And I’m going.  I only prepared letter of hand-over, signed it and instructed my PA to give it to her the following Monday to sign.

“I just saw on my phone.  Don’t hand over yet. You have a presidential extension.

You’ll be duly communicated by CGC.  I was confused.

And they were holding a party here for me. A big send-off party.

Somebody now came and said, ah, our guy is not going. We need him to stay. Confusion here and there,” Awe reminisced gratefully.

Well, time has proved the CGC right for keeping his trusted and hardworking officer as the Command’s performance record has shown in the last ten months. Duty generation ceilings have been shattered. Customs and its stakeholders have thrived in a convivial working environment.

Comptroller Awe gives the credit to his team and most importantly, the Comptroller General of Customs, Mr Bashir Adewale Adeniyi. “l am blessed to have these very committed and patriotic officers around me. And most importantly, the CGC has enormous personality and is very knowledgeable and these he has deployed to inspire us all to achieve this feat,” the CAC submitted.