The Apapa Customs command of the Nigeria Customs Service has faltered in its revenue ascendency which it is known for under the former Area Comptroller, Yusuf Ibrahim Malanta.
Malanta before his departure raised the bar of the revenue performance of the command to a level yet to be equalled.
In its 2023 half-year revenue performance released by the command’s Public Relations Officer, Usman Abubakar, the command raked in the sum of N502.9 billion within the period of January till date, including the N9.2 billion it garnered on July 20th, 2023 reputed to be the highest singular revenue haul in a month in the history of the command.
However, the 2023 half-year revenue figure of 2023 fell short by N9.5 billion of the N522.4 billion collected within the corresponding period of 2022, a figure that was a 42.5 percent increase (N156 billion) on the preceding period of 2021.
Notwithstanding the slight slip, the Customs Area Comptroller of the Command, Comptroller Auwal Baba Mohammed, described the revenue collection and seizures made as fallouts of increased compliance and urged officers to redouble their efforts in revenue collection, trade facilitation and strict enforcement of anti-smuggling activities.
Within the period under review, the command also made 16 seizures worth a duty-paid value of N1.4 billion within the same period.
The seizures made within the period comprised of prohibited drugs, used tires, rice, vegetable oil, and sundry items.
During the period, the command made a seizure of two pistols inside one groupage cargo.
One suspect was arrested, and the matter is undergoing investigation.
The Command under the leadership of Compt Mohammed has also achieved an increased level of compliance by importers, exporters, and their agents through deliberate system profiling and manifest tracking.
Under the CAC’s direct supervision, dedicated officers of the command are using the system profiling yardstick to gauge the integrity levels of importers and consignees.
This has helped in treating traders in line with their previous transaction records, which is reassuring that compliance pays through time-saving and cost-efficiency.
The Controller urged all port users to be complaint and advised that compliant traders are shielded from the risk of getting their consignments seized; imposition of penalties after demand notices and possible arrests for prosecution as the case may require.
According to Comptroller Mohammed, non-compliant traders spend more time and money paying for terminal space due to demurrage plus higher cost due to DNs and penalties.
Comptroller Mohammed has also raised the level of electronic manifest tracking to accelerate trade facilitation by leveraging available technology.
The CAC described this feat as a masterstroke in the journey towards trade facilitation and ease of doing business.
At a recent monthly meeting of Terminal/Unit Heads, Comptroller Mohammed exhorted all officers of the command to sustain and improve upon the level of discipline the command has been noted for under his watch.
He characterized discipline as the foundation of good work etiquette, such as punctuality, diligent application of the Nigeria Customs Service Act (NCSA) 2023 and other noble virtues that align with the law.
He further stressed that Nigeria has high expectations of the NCS and that the service is looking up to Apapa Command for its highest collection.
Compt. AB Mohammed charged officers/men of the Command to use their knowledge of the job and the rules guiding the service to facilitate legitimate trade.
” As we facilitate trade for compliant traders, let’s be wary of the possibility of releasing uncustomed goods in error or in the guise of facilitating trade
“I hereby charge you to do better in the second half of 2023 as the glory for the successes recorded in the first half belongs to all of us,” the CAC said.