By ZAKAA LAZARUS, Abuja
The Controller, Murtala Muhammed Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, Comptroller Michael Toyin Awe has announced a remarkable revenue growth during the period under review (January to October 2024).
The Command generated revenue to the tune of One Hundred and Forty-Four Billion, Two Hundred and Two Million, Five Hundred and Sixty-Six Thousand, Nine Hundred and Seventy Five Naira only (N144,202, 566, 975.00K) from customs duties and other charges.
In comparison to the revenue collected in the same period in 2023 which stood at Seventy-four Billion, Two hundred and Eighty-six Million, Seven hundred and Seven Thousand, Four Hundred and Forty-three Naira only (N74,286,707,443.00K), this clearly shows a progressive difference of Sixty-Nine Billion, Nine Hundred and Fifteen Million, Eight Hundred and Fifty-Nine Thousand, Five Hundred and Thirty-One Naira Only (N69,915,859,531.00k), depicting 94% increase.
The Controller said that the efforts to combat illicit trade yielded impressive results, with total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of seized items amounting to Three Billion, Three hundred and Twenty-two million, Two hundred and thirty-nine thousand, Three hundred and Fifty-five Naira (N3,322,239,355.00K) only between July to October 2024.
The seized items contravened some of the provisions of the extant laws as enshrined in the Nigeria Customs Service Act (NCS Act) 2023. These items include:
23 Pieces of Walkie Talkies
175 Pieces of Military Helmets
50 Pieces of Drones
10 Packs of Canadian Cannabis Sativa
250 pieces of Live Turtles
7 Packages of 200mg & 225mg of Tramadol Hydrochloride
1.5kg of Pangolin Scales
0.2kg of Porcupine Pins
He said that this achievement is attributed to enhanced trade facilitation, improved stakeholder compliance, effective law enforcement, strategic resource deployment, interagency collaboration, efficient cargo clearance and intelligent risk management strategies.
He stated that to boost revenue collection, facilitate legitimate trade and curb smuggling, the Command implemented initiatives such as streamlined clearance procedures, enhanced cargo inspection and examination, improved intelligence gathering and sharing, collaboration with other security agencies, and regular stakeholder engagements.
He assured that moving forward, the Command will enhance trade facilitation measures, strengthen anti-smuggling efforts, improve stakeholder engagement and leverage on technology for efficient operations.
Comptroller MT Awe expressed appreciation to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR and his management team for their unwavering support in carrying out official tasks effectively.
Similarly, he hailed officers and men of the command for their hard work and dedication towards achieving the great feat.
Adequate recognition was also given to stakeholders, including importers, exporters and clearing agents for their cooperation and compliance to extant laws.
He also applauded the media for their continuous support and partnership in disseminating information to the public.
