NCS Ondo/Ekiti command generates N517m

Ondo/Ekiti Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) generated N517 million between January and December 2016.

The Customs Area Controller of Ondo/Ekiti Command, Comptroller Filibus Machu, disclosed this in Akure while receiving the Zonal Coordinator, Zone ‘A’, Assistant Comptroller-General Monday Abueh, who visited the command.

Machu told the zonal coordinator that the command generated N405 million from import duty; N590,000 from Excise Duty; N934,000 from Penalty Fees, N27 million from 7per cent Service Charge; N77 million from 5 per cent VAT and N5 million from 0.5 percent ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS).

He said the command generated N66.7 million in January 2017, adding that it would not relent in its effort to generate more revenue and suppress smuggling to the barest minimum.

Abueh urged officers not to allow any vehicle and rice through the borders, adding that vehicles and rice importation were only allowed through the sea ports and not land borders.

“This is government’s fiscal policy put in place in the interest of the Nigerian economy.

“We cannot sit down as government and watch our neighbouring countries hijack important things that are meant for Nigeria.

“That is why the government decided that no rice, vehicles should be allowed through the land borders and you must show evidence of your seizure and other things.

“If vehicles and rice escape through the neighbouring countries and find ways to enter the country and is not in the records that you intercept them, it means you have compromised,’’ Abueh told NAN.

He said that Ondo/Ekiti command was not having direct border, adding that officers should be at their duty posts to ensure they get unwanted goods seized.

Abueh said that in the course of duties, “if an officer arrests a vehicle for underpayment of duty, the officer should find out where and when the payment was made’’.

He further explained that if the payment was made through the land border and the document indicated that it was underpaid before the ban, the service would be free to collect the remaining duties on such vehicles.

Abueh said that if the payment was made after the ban, the vehicle should be seized out rightly.

“If the vehicle owner claimed to come from the seaport, verify before allowing the vehicle to go,’’ the assistant-comptroller-general said.

He said that some vehicles could be smuggled with fake documents indicating that they were cleared from the seaports, adding that officers should investigate further before allowing such vehicles to go.

Abueh advised officers not to sign any document they did not participate in the examination.

The Customs chief advised that officers should not allow their senior officers to cajole them to sign such documents.

He urged them to learn a lesson from some officers who were dismissed for signing documents and did not participate in the examination of the 661,000 rifles that was intercepted by Federal Operations Unit of the service.

Abueh urged officers to be polite to owners of goods about to be impounded, adding that they should entertain questions from owners of the goods.

He said the service never instructed them to be rude to people while discharging their duties.

An officer of the command urged the Management of Customs to assist with adequate equipment to enable them carry out 100 per cent examination of heavy consignment.

Abueh said that before now, Customs usually signed documents after 50 per cent examination.

“Because of the security challenges, the Management insisted on 100 per cent examination before endorsing the documents for clearance,’’ Abueh said.

He urged terminal operators to get all equipment needed to lift the cargo, adding that failure to produce the equipment, officers should abandon the consignment and reflect this in writing in the document.

Another officer complained that since 2011 when he joined the service, himself and his mate had yet to receive promotion.

Abueh said that some reforms had been put in place to reduce current challenges facing officers on the issue of promotion in the service.

He said that before now, officers usually receive automatic promotion after undergoing training from the service training college.

The Customs chief said that from two stars upwards, officers would start writing examination before being promoted.

Abueh assured officers that soon, the promotion results would be released and officers would all rejoice with their promotion.

He said that a lot of policy reforms had been carried out by the Management to ensure that Customs had the same scheme of service with the Nigeria Police.