The Area ll Command of the Nigeria Customs Service in Onne Port said it generated a total of N188.64billion from January to December 2021 in revenues.
A statement by Mrs Ifeoma Ojekwu, Customs Public Relations Officer at Onne Port Command in Rivers stated that the Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Command, Comptroller Auwal Mohammed, described the collection as the highest in the history of the command.
Comptroller Auwal Mohammed, commended the officers, noting that the revenue generation in 2021 surpassed the 2020 collection by N69.68 billion.
He said “they are indeed laudable milestones that we must not only sustain but also improve upon for the benefit of our country’s economy and national security.
“Indeed, our various meetings with stakeholders and port users paid off in 2021 because we have noted remarkable improvements in compliance levels.
“As we enter 2022, let us continue to blend our enforcement capability with intelligence, to always detect all attempts at circumventing the law through false declarations, under-declarations and concealments.
On enforcement and anti-smuggling activities in 2022 plans he said ” In 2022 whoever attempts doing the wrong thing, like smuggling through Onne Port, will get his cargo seized and risks facing arrest for prosecution in accordance with the Customs and Excise Management Act.
“We cannot afford to compromise our positions or disappoint on the trust reposed on us. I hereby advise once again that all importers and agents using this area for their businesses stay on the part of compliance at all times.”
The statement revealed that 34 seizures were made in 2021 with a total duty paid value of N11. 98 billion for such seizures.
“Prominent among the seizures is 1,387 cartons of tramadol falsely declared to evade detection.
Other seizures include rice, engine parts, vegetable oil and other concealed items with intent by defiant agents and importers to evade accurate duty payments.’’
The command also processed 1,083,846 metric tonnes of cargo with a total Free On Board (FOB) value of $402,367,568 on exports within the period under review.
