Apapa Customs Command Generates N413bn, Surpasses 2019 Target
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Command, generated N413, 732,818,554.19 as revenue from January 1 to December 19, the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Mohammed Abba-Kura has said.
Speaking on the activities of his command in Lagos, Abba-Kura said that the command had surpassed its revenue target for 2019 of N372 billion, which translated to 111 per cent performance.
“The year 2019 has been quite eventful for the Apapa Area Command and through our collective efforts and efficient strategies put in place we were able to achieve this feat.
“In achieving this feat, the complementary roles of units like the Customs Intelligence Unit (CIU) and Valuation Unit amongst others are specially acknowledged,” he said.
According to him, the comparative revenue analysis showed that in 2018, N404,020,447,791.42 was generated and in 2019, N413,732,818,554.19 was made, a difference of N9,709,770,763.77.
He said that command generated the highest revenue figure of N42,7 26,046,956.10 in October at the peak of the border closure.
Abba-Kura said that revenue generated in October was a positive evidence of the impact the border closure had on smuggling through the land borders and increased legitimate imports through the seaports.
The comptroller said that the command during the period under review seized a total of 112 containers of various items constituting contraband, fake and substandard goods.
“Most notable among these items are pharmaceutical products which include tramadol that were imported without necessary approval from regulatory agencies like the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
“Other items include tomato paste, vegetable oil, ladies and girls fashion footwears, expired rice, armored glasses without End User Certificate (EUC) and drilling pipes labelled in foreign language etc.
“It is pertinent to emphasize here that virtually all the seized items are in gross violation of our extant laws and import guidelines. The Duty Paid Value (DPV) for these seizures stood at N12.8 billion,” he said.
Abba-Kura said that in the area of export, the command recorded a total of 262,095.09 metric tonnes of exported goods with Free on Board value of $132, 760,512.94 (N40, 610, 070,114.55).
He said that most of the exported items were agricultural and mineral products and appealed to exporters using Apapa Port to always ensure that international standards are met to avoid the recurrent incidence of returned consignments.
“In our quest to deliver efficient service delivery to our esteemed stakeholders and in line with the Comptroller-General of Customs 3Rs mandate, the Command under my leadership came up with a deliberate and well-coordinated strategy that trained over 400 officers.
“They were trained in general aspect of our operations with a view to maximizing their productivity.
“The results we are seeing today is the product of the training, in addition to other mechanisms like 24 hours dispute resolution, maintaining an open and accessible door policy to address complaints.
“Others are constant engagement with the stakeholders as well as support by the management of the NCS and other sister agencies operating within the port,” he said.
