By AISHA COLE

The Customs Area Controller, Apapa Command, Emmanuel Oshoba, has said that the Command will collaborate with the Port Police to end the Apapa gridlock.

Oshoba made this known when the command hosted the newly-posted Commissioner of Police, Port Authority Command, Toyin Agbaminoja, on Tuesday in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting focused on strengthening collaboration to tackle the persistent gridlock and improve trade facilitation.

Oshoba urged the commissioner to prioritise clearing the access roads, noting that reports indicated the gridlock had resurfaced due to hitches in the NPA’s e-call-up system.

He said port accessibility directly affected the command’s revenue generation capacity.

“I want you to look at this corridor where cargoes pass through. Please, help us keep it safe and clear for seamless trade facilitation,” he said.

Oshoba warned that any disruption to the flow of traffic would impact revenue and hamper ease of doing business at the port.

“We want to keep this corridor free of traffic. Kindly look into that process to enhance customs operations,” he added.

He also emphasised the vital role of the police in maintaining law and order, describing it as essential for revenue generation.

“If we don’t have law and order, we cannot think of generating revenue. Industrial peace and harmony are very key,” he said.

Oshoba reaffirmed that the Customs Comptroller-General, Bashir Adeniyi, promotes collaboration, consultation, and consolidation among agencies.

He pledged to sustain the cordial relationship built by his predecessors with the police and other security agencies.

The customs boss also stressed the need for intelligence sharing and appealed against frivolous petitions that could disrupt port operations.

“In modern border management, we cannot do without each other. Collaboration and intelligence sharing are crucial to our success,” he stated.

In her remarks, CP Agbaminoja described the police as the “mother of customs” due to their historical connection.

“The police is the mother of the customs, because customs was once part of the police before being assigned revenue duties,” she said.

She pledged full support to ensure port security, which she described as the nation’s second-largest revenue source.

“We are here to protect everyone in the port. The port’s security and that of its workers are vital to our duty,” she added.

Agbaminoja promised to strengthen cooperation and eliminate inter-agency rivalry during her tenure. (NAN)

• PHOTO, L-R: The Commissioner of Police, Port Authority Command, CP Toyin Agbaminoja, and the Customs Area Controller of Apapa Customs Command, Compt. Emmanuel Oshoba, when customs hosted the newly-posted CP on Tuesday in Lagos