ANLCA Chairman, Lekki Port Chapter, Mustapha Yakubu Bids Comptroller Hauwa Abubakar Farewell
ANLCA Lekki Port chapter Chairman, Alhaji Mustapha Yakubu (left) and Compt Hauwa Abubakar (rtd)
The Lekki Port chapter Chairman of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Alhaji Mustapha Yakubu, has bid farewell to the former Customs Area Controller of the Lagos Free Zone Command, Comptroller Hauwa Abubakar, following her retirement last week.
Comptroller Hauwa was among the over 800 Customs officers billed to retire from the service between 2026 and 2027. She has been succeeded by an Acting Controller, Deputy Comptroller Olufemi Kukoyi, at a handing over ceremony on Tuesday.
In a press statement, the ANLCA Chairman congratulated Comptroller Hauwa for performing remarkably at the command, especially in trade facilitation and revenue collection.
According to Mustapha, the Customs boss brought her track record on board, and the command’s figures during her tenure show it.
The Lagos Free Trade Zone Command generated N742.3 billion in 2025, a 101.7 per cent increase over the N359.0 billion recorded in 2024, a figure she disclosed at a Reputation Management Workshop for officers in Lagos in January.
The momentum continued this year. At the Command’s 2026 half-year media briefing, she announced that it collected N408.87 billion between January and June, against N317.32 billion in the same period of 2025. That is an increase of N91.55 billion, or 28.85 per cent. June 2026 alone yielded N87.10 billion, the highest monthly collection since the Command was established.
She attributed the results to improved compliance, operational efficiency and sustained engagement with stakeholders, alongside rising activity at the Lekki Deep Sea Port and the Free Trade Zones. She credited the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, for providing direction, and the officers of the Command for their professionalism and integrity.
Her emphasis on stakeholder engagement matters to licensed agents, since it opened regular channels between the Command and importers, exporters, investors and customs agents operating at the port and the zones. At the January workshop she also stressed that character, conduct and public perception were as important as revenue and enforcement to a respected customs service.
Mustapha expressed good wishes for the customs boss at retirement, wishing her well in her future endeavours. He reiterated that her tenure was marked by strong trade facilitation and revenue performance, and he congratulated her on a job well done as she leaves the service.
