ANLCA KLT Chapter Welcomes Akani, Celebrates Adigun as Customs Command Posts ₦131.4bn

By DAPO OLAWUNI

The Kirikiri Chapter of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has welcomed the new Customs Area Controller of the Kirikiri Lighter Terminal (KLT) Command, Deputy Comptroller Femi Akani, and celebrated the achievements of his predecessor, Deputy Comptroller Bolaji Adigun, as he leaves for Onne Port.

Before his posting to KLT Command, Deputy Comptroller Akani was Deputy Controller in charge of Customs Intelligence Unit (CIU) at the Customs headquarters, Abuja.

Meanwhile, Controller Adigun has disclosed that KLT Command under his watch, generated ₦131,417,202,436 as revenue.

The ANLCA KLT chapter Chairman, Alhaji Ahmed Olajide Bello who spoke at the handing-over ceremony held at the Command in Apapa on Tuesday, also presented the outgoing Customs Controller with gifts on behalf of the chapter.

He said that while Customs is often discussed in terms of revenue generation, anti-smuggling and trade facilitation, officers who embody the human face of the Service are rare, and that Adigun is one of them.

He described the customs boas as an epitome of humility who stayed accessible, warm and charming until the last day of his tenure.

According to Bello, the relationship between Customs and the ANLCA community in clearing and forwarding is often transactional, but under Adigun it was relational. He called him an ideal specimen of what a Customs officer should be: firm but fair, strict on procedure, yet compassionate in spirit.

Bello said the tenure would be remembered for more than figures on a balance sheet, citing a visible facelift of the Command.

He said the reconstruction of the offices and the aesthetic overhaul of the entire building complex showed that public service can be conducted with dignity and class, and that Adigun left the Command better than he met it.

He also said Adigun was a partner in progress to the ANLCA community, who listened to agents’ grievances and made the KLT corridor a more conducive environment for legitimate business.

“As you step into your new posting, we want you to know that you leave behind a community that is immensely grateful for your service. The entire ANLCA community wishes you nothing but the best in your new assignment. We are reassured of your continued success in the Service, for you are a man of vision and integrity,” Bello said.

He added that Adigun had proven his mettle and was destined for the top.
“The sky is not your limit; it is only your starting point,” he said.

“Sir, as you move on to greater heights, remember that you have friends here at KLT. We will continue to celebrate your achievements and wish you God’s guidance in all your future endeavors,” Bello added.

In his farewell speech, Adigun said the Command’s June 2026 collection of ₦19,404,925,150 was the highest monthly revenue in its history.

The figure compares with ₦14,360,621,664 in the previous period, an increase of about ₦5.04 billion, or roughly 35 per cent. He said he approached the assignment with a clear understanding that the Command’s primary responsibility was to fulfil the Service’s mandate through revenue generation, trade facilitation, enforcement, and protection of the national economy.
He thanked the officers and men of the Command for their dedication and urged them to sustain discipline, integrity, diligence and teamwork.

He also thanked terminal operators, licensed customs agents, importers, exporters and the compliant trading community, saying the success of customs administration depends largely on cooperation between the Service and the trading community.

Where there is compliance, he said, there is greater predictability, faster processing and a more conducive environment for legitimate trade.

He urged officers to give the incoming leadership the same cooperation and loyalty they gave him.

Responding, the new controller, Deputy Comptroller Akani said his mission is to make KLT the model command in Nigeria. He acknowledged that the Command depends heavily on the mother ports for its operations, and said he would work with their area controllers to facilitate legitimate trade.

He said he wants a Command where revenue is collected without corruption, legitimate trade is facilitated without hindrance and smuggling is fought without fear of failure, adding that “the welfare of officers would certainly remain my first priority.”

On welfare, Akani said Adigun had done a great job and that he would build on it. He said he would visit the area controllers of the mother ports and help them understand that importers have the right to choose where to clear their cargo, which is why terminals exist, and that Nigerians are free to apply to own one.

Upholding that principle, he assured that under his watch, he would ensure that trade flows without delay.