10th December, 2010
Two very strategic area commands of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Area One Command and Seme Border Area Command respectively, recorded substantial revenue collections and seizures, according to statistics.
Within the review period, Apapa Area One Command recorded a total of N146, 980,767,747.00 as revenue, topping the N138, 130,034,171.00 collected within the comparative period in 2009 by N8, 850,733,576.00.
The collections came from import duty, Negotiable Duty Credit Certificate (NDCC) fees, seven per cent Port Development Levy, Value Added Tax (VAT), Economic Community of West African States Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS), one per cent Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS) levy and other levies.
The Apapa Area One Command Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent Timi Bomodi, stated that a comparative analysis of the command’s performance between the current year and the same period for the previous year shows an improvement of 6.4 per cent over and above the performance of 2009.
He said this improvement is mainly due to the introduction of e-payment, which has made the process easier, and faster, and the commitment of the management team in the command headed by Comptroller Azarema Abdulkadir.
“The command has made concerted efforts to sustain the accomplishment of the previous fiscal year by reinforcing its control mechanism in the areas of revenue collection and enforcement of fiscal policies, as regards prohibitions.
“The tremendous efforts in its anti-smuggling activities by the command is reflected in the seizures of 51 units of 40-foot containers and 13 units of 20 footers, carrying various prohibited items with a duty paid value (DPV) of N286,294,537.20 recorded in the first 10 months of this year.
“The month of February recorded the highest seizure with 14 units of 40-foot containers, and five units of 20-foot containers, with a duty paid value of N106, 555,114.00. This command has shown zero tolerance for smuggling, and this has manifested in steady reduction in the activities of smugglers,†Bomodi said.
The command, however, from January to October, 2010, lost N6, 694,737,229.00 on a dutiable value of N71, 833,572,735.30 due to duty exemptions, concessions and waivers granted to certain organisations. This accounts for about 4.6 per cent of the total revenue collected for the period under review.
On an upbeat note, the NCS flag ship area command recorded over one million metric tonnes of goods, including: processed natural rubber, cocoa beans, cocoa cake, cococa butter, frozen fish, prawns and fish cutlets.
Others are monosodium glutamate, Nigerian gum Arabic, aluminium ingots, Nigerian sesame seeds, finished leather and cigarettes, etc, with a combined value of N192,727,50,111.00.
Bomodi said: “Apapa Area One Command is committed to implementing the ongoing reforms in the service by creating an atmosphere of peace and stability, with a lot of emphasis on trade facilitation.
“However, this command is mindful of its responsibilities in ensuring that government revenue is not lost in this process. This command is also alert to its duties in enforcing government policies on prohibition, hence its combative attitude towards smugglers and all those who assist them.
“Given the current financial environment provided by the present Customs’ Management, officers are motivated to function at the highest level of effectiveness and efficiency. Our doors are open to all whose intentions are honest and in the best interest of the nation.â€
Meanwhile, the Seme Border Area Command made 982 seizures as part of its anti-smuggling efforts between January and October, 2010. The Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Kura Maitama, disclosed this when he received members of the Presidential Committee on Customs Reforms at the border recently, according to a press release by the Seme Border Area Command Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent, Ernest Olottah.
“The seizures have a duty paid value of N358,379,218.00 and comprises assorted goods listed under government import prohibition list; dutiable goods that would have been smuggled into the country through unapproved routes along the border line; and concealment uncovered by our vigilant operatives in the course of regular patrols, including stop-and-search operations carried out at approved checkpoints,†the CAC told the visiting committee members.
—Esther Komolafe & Moses Falobi