The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Command, on Tuesday paid a working visit to the Lagos office of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), with both agencies committing to deepen intelligence sharing, strengthen preventive anti-corruption mechanisms and consolidate long-standing institutional relationships aimed at boosting national revenue and reducing graft vulnerabilities within the port ecosystem.
Receiving the delegation, the Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner (RACC), Mr. Chukwurah Alexander, said ICPC’s operational leanings were deliberately structured around professionalism, civility and partnership rather than what he described as “gangsterism, media showmanship or unhealthy inter-agency rivalry” that had often characterised enforcement work in Nigeria. He noted that the Commission’s approach was a “radical but intentional departure” focused on lawful enforcement, preventive system reviews and sustained public education.
Alexander, who spoke extensively on ICPC’s internal traditions, said the Commission had built a culture of self-cleansing and would continue to hold its officers accountable. He stressed that corruption had reached a level that threatened the “ship of state,” adding that all agencies must accept that “it is not well” and work together instead of masking institutional weaknesses.
According to him, strong collaboration with Customs was not new, recalling past years when officers from both organisations worked closely, exchanged personnel and even shared operational intelligence. He stated that some of the high revenue figures recorded by the Apapa Command earlier in the year were linked to intelligence inputs from ICPC.
He told the visiting team that ICPC would continue to offer credible information, system audits, advisory services and staff enlightenment sessions, and urged the new Customs leadership in Apapa to report any compliance gaps or corruption-linked concerns directly to the Commission. He warned that the Commission would not hesitate to expose or remove “clogs in the wheel” whenever necessary.
Alexander also emphasized the need for officers to understand the fine lines between legitimate administrative actions and corrupt practices, pointing out that many infractions stem from ignorance. He noted that even seemingly minor acts such as accepting gifts without proper authorization, leveraging auction processes for personal benefit, or diverting funds meant for specific purposes constituted offences that could attract serious sanctions.
He added that ICPC was shifting more aggressively into preventive collaboration as directed by its chairman, noting that prosecuting corruption alone had proven expensive and time-consuming. He called for stronger national ownership of the anti-corruption war, stressing that agencies like the NCS must adopt robust internal compliance systems, especially given their role as one of the government’s highest revenue contributors outside the oil sector.
In his response, the Customs Area Controller (CAC) of Apapa Command, Comptroller Emmanuel Oshoba, said he was at the ICPC office on the directive of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, to reinforce and expand the relationship between both agencies. He said the visit aligned with the CGC’s three policy thrusts: consolidation, collaboration and innovation.
Oshoba explained that Customs could not achieve its mandates of revenue generation, trade facilitation, public safety and national security without strong inter-agency relationships, especially with institutions that play critical roles in enforcing accountability and integrity standards. He noted that his predecessor had benefited significantly from ICPC’s intelligence support, which impacted Apapa’s revenue performance.
The controller said his background in intelligence made collaboration particularly important, stressing that “without information, nothing works.” He promised to sustain intelligence-based engagements with ICPC and assured the Commission that the Apapa Command would maintain transparency, deepen internal compliance controls and work closely with ICPC on preventive enlightenment.
Oshoba added that Customs would welcome ICPC officers during command parades, seminars and stakeholder engagements where enlightenment on ethical conduct, compliance requirements and anti-corruption regulations would help shape behaviour not only among officers, but also among port users and trading public. He appealed for ICPC’s understanding in dealing with issues that arise from errors of omission, noting that no officer is a saint but systems must be strengthened to address both intentional and inadvertent violations.
He reiterated that the NCS and ICPC were not rivals, but partners working on a shared national project. He urged both sides to maintain open communication channels, particularly in resolving compliance issues and identifying systemic loopholes that pose corruption risks at the ports.
