Nigeria Customs, Onne generates N188.6bn in 2021
…Beats 2020 record with N69bn
…Feat must be sustained in 2022 — CAC
Barth Ndubuwah, Port Harcourt
The Area ll Command of Nigeria Customs Service in Onne Port, Rivers State has achieved a record breaking collection of N188,643,692,057 from January to December 2021.
Announcing the collection on December 31st 2021, Customs Area Controller (CAC)of the Command, Comptroller Auwal Mohammed described the collection as the highest in the history of the Command.
Comptroller Mohammed said the 2021 total is N69,684,478,058 above the total of N118,959,215,999 generated in 2020.
On enforcement and anti smuggling activities, the CAC also revealed that 34 seizures were made last year. The seizures, according to him, had a total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N11,983,429,216.
The seizures comprise 1,387 cartons of tramadol said to have been falsely declared to evade detection. Others include rice, engine parts, vegetable oil and other concealed items with intent by defiant agents and importers to evade accurate duty payments.
On export, within the period under review, the CAC said the Command processed 1,083,846 metric tonnes of cargo with total Free On Board (FOB) value of $402,367,568. The Nigerian Export Supervision Scheme (NESS) value of the total export is N764,462,724.
While commending the officers of the Command for their relentless commitment to ensuring facilitation of legitimate trade and preventing smuggling of any form, Comptroller Mohammed urged them to intensify efforts in carrying out all Service functions in the Command in 2022.
He advised them to brace up with technology as the procured scanners will be deployed for use soon for faster cargo clearance and easier detection of concealments, thereby facilitating trade.
The Comptroller also said that the Command will continue to build on achieved successes recorded through Customs Community Relations effort.
The CAC in an end of the year interaction with senior officers said, “I commend you all for the feats we have jointly achieved in revenue collection, enforcement and trade facilitation.
“They are indeed laudable milestones that we must not only be sustained, but should also be improved upon for the benefit of our country’s economy and national security.
“Indeed, our various meetings with stakeholders and port users paid off in 2021 because we have noted remarkable improvements in compliance levels.
“As we enter 2022 , let us continue to blend our enforcement capability with intelligence, to always detect all attempts at circumventing the law through false declarations, under declarations and concealments.
“In 2022, whoever attempts doing the wrong thing, like smuggling through Onne Port, will get his cargo seized and risks facing arrest for prosecution in accordance with the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA)
“We cannot afford to compromise our positions or disappoint on the trust reposed on us. I hereby advise once again, that all importers and agents using this area for their businesses stay on the part of compliance at all times,” Mohammed said.
