The Nigerian Customs Service, Apapa Area Command in Lagos has scooped up as revenue, over N264.53 billion for the first quarter of 2022.
The add-on in Apapa Command’s revenue generation was disclosed in a press statement by the Command’s Area Comptroller, Yusuf Malanta Ibrahim yesterday.
Comptroller Ibrahim noted that the revenue generated in Q1 showed a significant increase of N104 billion as against N159 billion in the corresponding months of the year 2021 which represents a 65.7 increase in revenue generation.
Mr Ibrahim said, “In the period under review, the command has collected revenue to the tune of two hundred and sixty-four billion, five hundred and thirty-six million, two hundred and one thousand, two hundred and ninety-three naira, seventy-one kobo (N264,536,201,293.71).
This shows a significant increase of N104 billion as against 159 billion naira collected in the corresponding months of the year 2021, representing 65.7% increase in revenue collection.
“This feat was made possible because of our officers’ creativity and leveraging on the service IT platform to ensure all revenue leakage has been mitigated, as well as sustaining the level of compliance by the importers/stakeholders in the clearance value chain.”
On the issues of seizures, he said their importations were in clear contravention of sections 46 and 47 of Customs and Excise Management Act, CEMA CAP C45 LFN 2004.
“The Command recorded 46 seizures of various items with a duty paid value of N1,142,876,606.00 as against twenty-eight (28) seizures made in the corresponding months of the year 2021.
“These seizures include unregistered medicaments such as tramadol and codeine syrup, unprocessed wood, used clothing, footwear, foreign parboiled rice and other sundry items that falls under prohibition list.”
While reeling out reports on exports, he said in the first quarter of 2022 goods worth N34,072,869,799 with Free On Board (FOB) value of $87.992,356.10 million were exported as against N30.2 billion, which is equivalent to FOB value of $82.1 million between the months of Jan-Mar 2021.
He urged various stakeholders to ensure that items that are on the import/export prohibition list are strictly adhered to.
He noted that the command is always ready to assist in facilitating legitimate trade and ensuring that all forms of smuggling activities through false declaration on import/export done in defiance to extant trade guidelines are detected through layers of control mechanism.