BY NKECHI NAECHE-ESEZOBOR–The Apapa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), said it’s revenue profile grew by 68 percent to over N870billion between January to December 2021.
Speaking during a press briefing, the Customs Area Controller(CAC) of the Command, Comptroller Ibrahim Malanta Yusuf notes that it’s revenue profile grew from N518.4 billion in the year 2020 to excess of N870billion.
He assured that the Command is determined
to do more and surpass the current revenue target for the year 2022.
On anti- smuggling, he said the command made a total of 103 seizures with duty paid valued over N31,227million.
He added that the Command made seizure of 46.55 kg of cocaine concealed on vessels MV Karteria and MV Chayanee Naree laden with raw sugar.
Some of the seized items include containers of foreign parboiled rice, tomato paste, secondhand clothes, unregistered pharmaceuticals like captagon pills,
tramadol, codeine syrup, etc.
These were seizures, according to him made in accordance with provision sections 46, 47 and 161 of CEMA (Customs and Excise Management act) CAP C45 LFN 2004.
These seizures are condemned by a competent court of law and the suspects are still undergoing investigation and interrogation.
He noted that in line with the provision of extant circulars; trade guidelines and enforcement of government fiscal policy measures, the command has further strengthened its anti-smuggling operations against economic saboteurs through credible intelligence driven operations and continuous partnering with other relevant agencies for effective port management in the period under review.
He stressed that “no matter whose ox is
gored” the command is not going to tolerate any form of illicit behavior in the trade supply chain. “We are not only going to expose these recalcitrant traders (importers and their cronies), we will also ensure that they are brought to book with maximum penalty under the laws of the land,” he assured.
On export, he said in 2021, the command recorded a boom in the exportation of non-oil commodities with about 110% increase in
tonnage above the figure of the year 2020.
Statistics from the export unit, according to him shows that goods with a total tonnage of about five million, three hundred and eighty metric tons were exported in the year 2021, as against one million, three hundred metric tons exported in 2020.
The Free on Board (FOB) value for the exported items also rose from $340 million in the year 2020 to $641 million US dollars in 2021.
He added that the naira equivalent of the exported goods stood at over N245 billion naira. Items exported include steel bars, agricultural and mineral products, among others.
This feat, he said was achieved through the Federal government policy and export incentives schemes occasioned by the service facilitation and automation of NXP and CCI.
