By Innocent Orok
The Maritime Industry Merit Award (MIMA) a registered trademark prestigious awards and recognitions for Maritime industry stakeholders for winners in year 2025 and it’s 28th edition was held on Monday 30th, March 2026 at the prestigious Oriental hotel Victoria Island, Lagos State.
It was a glamorous event that saw patriotic and performing Nigerians in various fields in the Maritime industry carting away awards at different categories. But the man that stole the show with two outstanding awards was Comptroller Frank Okechukwu Onyeka, currently the Customs Area Controller of Nigeria’s second largest Port, the Tin Can Island Port Command.
Comptroller Frank Onyeka won the awards of MOST OUTSTANDING CUSTOMS AREA CONTROLLER IN REVENUE GENERATION and ANTI- SMUGGLING beating others with over 4000 voters which he emerged winner with over 90% on both awards .
Comptroller Frank Onyeka, often referred to as a “Revenue Guru” won both awards due to his patriotic and professional ingenuity in piloting the affairs of the command since his assumption of duty in December 2024.
Take a look at his citation at the awards and how he emerged the winner for the two honours.
PROFILE OF COMPTROLLER FRANK OKECHUKWU ONYEKA, CUSTOMS AREA CONTROLLER, TIN CAN ISLAND PORT COMMAND
Comptroller Frank Okechukwu Onyeka was born on the 13 of March, 1968 in Lagos South West Nigeria, Lagos State and hails from Aniocha-North Local Government Area of Delta State, South South Nigeria. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science from the Ondo State University, Ado Ekiti and a Master’s in Public Administration. Over the years, he has attended various training programs, earning several certifications both locally and internationally.
CAREER PROGRESSION IN NCS
Comptroller FO Onyeka began his career in 1991 after successfully completing his mandatory six months basic training course at the Nigeria Customs Training College, Ikeja. He was commissioned a Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Customs. From where he rose through the ranks to become one of the most intellectually admired Customs officer in the Service today.
SERVICE AND ACHIEVEMENTS
This highly trained and award winning “Revenue Officer” has served in several capacities, where he demonstrated exceptional professionalism and dedication to his duties. As well as contributing immensely to the growth of the Service.
His first posting after graduating from Customs training college was to Seme Border Area Command, Lagos where he worked in the Enforcement Unit. Thereafter he was transferred to Jalingo Area Command, which is the present day Adamawa/Taraba Area Command. Other notable Commands he has served includes Lilypond Export Command, Ijora Lagos, and Kirikiri Lighter Terminal Area Command.
In 2010, he was posted to the Valuation Unit where he began his long and meritorious journey in the Tariff and Trade Department of the Service. In the T&T department, he served as the: OiC System Audit in Valuation Unit, Tin Can Port Command, OiC of Don Climax Bonded Terminal also under Tin Can Port Command.
As Deputy Comptroller, he rose to become the DC-in-Charge of Valuation Unit, at Tin Can Island Port Area Command (2020-2022). He was later redeployed to man the Federal Ocean Terminal (FOT) Exit Gate, at the Nigeria Customs Service Area II Command, Onne, Rivers State (2022-2023). From 2023-2024, he was deployed to the Premier Port, Apapa Area Command, where he held sway as the Deputy Comptroller in-Charge of Apapa Port Main Exit Gate, a position he held until his appointment as the Acting Customs Area Controller of Tin Can Island Port Customs Command, in 2024, a position he held for a very brief period, before his promotion to the rank of a Comptroller of Customs and was subsequently confirmed as the substantive Customs Area Controller of Tin Can Island Port Command in January 2025.
It is on record that Comptroller Frank Onyeka is the first to be appointed as CAC Tin Can Island Port Command with the rank of a Deputy Comptroller (DC). This is in recognition of his outstanding contributions and pragmatic leadership style.
As an educator/ instructor , he has participated in many capacity building programs in the Service, which includes training of newly recruited officers at Customs Command and Staff Colleges, and presently serves as the Lead Resource Person in Tin Can Island Port training and Doctrine programs.
Also on record that due to his love for capacity building and media relationship, Comptroller Frank Onyeka in December 2025 pulled resources together to organised a training workshop and empowerment of Maritime journalists. An event that was widely acknowledged as the best so far in training and empowerment of the media.
AWARDS AND HONOURS :
Comptroller Frank Onyeka has garnered several treasures of awards and honours , such as: The Comptroller General of Customs Value Addition Award in February 2023 and August 2024. ( He was the pioneer recipient of this prestigious Award of Excellence). Award of Recognition by Eagle Eye Transparency and Integrity Initiative (A maritime Anti-Corruption Group) 2025. Gold award for Leadership Excellence by the League of Maritime Editors 2025. Award of Outstanding Area Controller of the year by Maritime watch Ventures 2025. Award of Beacon of Economic Excellence of the Nation by the Nigeria Professional Wrestling Federation 2025 (An award he won due to his love and passion for sports development in Nigeria), amongst other prestigious awards.
He was also recently nominated by the CGC as a Board Member of the Nigerian Volleyball Federation.
HIS CONTRIBUTIONS IN NCS:
Ensuring maximum revenue generation for the Federal Government. He participated in the implementation of the Vehicle Identification Number Valuation Service. A flagship policy of the NCS. He led the Dispute Resolution Committee in TCIP, where he facilitated revenue recovery, running into trillions of Naira. He boosted revenue collection and executed significant seizures while in Apapa Area Command, Area II Onne and now Tin Can Island Command.
PERSONAL LIFE:
Comptroller Frank Okechukwu Onyeka is widely regarded as a ‘REVENUE GURU”, a title he earned through his unwavering patriotism, competent, capacity and dedication to maximum revenue generation to the government in his service with the NCS. His policy of “NO CHOKING” has endeared him to stakeholders and Port users , thereby making the port business environment friendly for all .
He is happily married with children. He enjoys reading, traveling, watching sport activities and a fashion enthusiast.
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REVENUE COLLECTION ( VOTED AS MOST OUTSTANDING CUSTOMS AREA CONTROLLER 2025 IN REVENUE GENERATION)
On assumption of duty as the Customs Area Controller of Nigeria’s second largest port, the Tin Can Island Port Command in December 2024, Comptroller Frank Okechukwu Onyeka known as a “REVENUE GURU” hits the ground running with professional and business friendly strategies that attracted stakeholders to the Command. His efforts yielded huge revenue generation that saw the Command recording a total of N1.256Trillion at the end of the 2024 fiscal year.
Applying his “Revenue Guru” tactics in year 2025 as he fully takes charge at the Command, in the first quarter of 2025, the Command nets N347.7bn as revenue. In the month of May the revenue collection was N128.4bn. While on August 19th, 2025 with the application of the newly introduced Unified Customs Management System known as B’Odogwu, the Command hits a revenue jackpot by collecting a total of N16.4bn on a single day , rounding up the month with N154bn. The revenue generation of the Command keeps on raising as it’s recorded another height in October with the collection of N154billion.
Not resting on his successes, Comptroller Frank Onyeka striving to break revenue records ended the year 2025 by collecting a total of N1.609 Trillion, surpassing the 2025 revenue target of the Command by over N85.20billion out of N1.5Trillion. He also overshot the 2024 revenue collection with over N400billion. Comptroller Frank Onyeka not only surpassed the revenue target which is first of it’s kind in the Command, he also made history as the first Customs Area Controller to generate such revenue in the over 40 years old Tin Can Island Port Command.
Continuing in the trajectory, in the month of January 2026, the Command has already collected over N146bilion into the Federation Account. While Comptroller Frank Onyeka has declared the Command as a TRADE ENABLER for 2026, meaning the Command under his watch will collect all collectable revenue to the government without compromise.
Ladies and Gentlemen with these records breaking performance, Comptroller Frank Okechukwu Onyeka was voted as the MOST OUTSTANDING CUSTOMS AREA CONTROLLER ( REVENUE COLLECTION) for year 2025 for the MARITIME INDUSTRY MERIT AWARD (MIMA).
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ANTI- SMUGGLING ( VOTED AS MOST OUTSTANDING CUSTOMS AREA CONTROLLER IN ANTI-SMUGGLING)
For those who knows Comptroller Frank Okechukwu Onyeka and his antecedents vis- a,- vis his track records in the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) will appreciate the fact that he is a man with high integrity, humane, but tough and very patriotic in carrying out his statutory functions. He lacks the patience for compromise and cutting corners, especially when it has to do with endangering lives and threatening national security .
Tin Can Island Port, is a multi- faceted port which attracts all manners of importations ranging from group goods, containerized items, vehicles among others , as such there is high level manipulations for illicit trade , especially drugs, Arms and ammunition. But since the assumption of duty, Comptroller Frank Onyeka has nip such imports in the bud where they are intercepted, seized and culprits persecuted.
For the period under review,the Tin Can Island Port Customs Command under Comptroller Frank Onyeka has recorded massive seizures of drugs in its frontal war against smuggling and illegal importations .
In October 2025 , the Command intercepted and seized illicit drugs comprising of Cannabis Indica and Crystal Methamphetamine worth over N5.5billion . While in November 2025, the Command also seized crystal Methamphetamine weighing 605.5grams worth billions of Naira.
In February 2026, the Command also intercepted a 40ft Container concealed with Cannabis Indica worth over N4.7billion . All the seized drugs and suspects have been handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA,) for further investigation and prosecution of suspects.
From the statistics, over N15 billion worth of drugs and other illicit items has been intercepted by the Command in its Anti- Smuggling activities. It is on record that Comptroller Frank Onyeka’s searchlight and uncompromising intelligence has scared many smugglers away from the Tin Can Island Port, which hitherto was a hot spot for smuggling and illicit importations.
Ladies and gentlemen for frontal war against smuggling and his uncompromising stance on illegal importations, Comptroller Frank Okechukwu Onyeka was voted as the MOST OUTSTANDING CUSTOMS AREA CONTROLLER IN ANTI-SMUGGLING for the year 2025, for the MARITIME INDUSTRY MERIT AWARD.
