Onne Customs Generate N54.1bn Revenue, Record N443m Seizures In 6 Months
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Port Harcourt Area II Command, Onne Port, has announced a revenue of N54.1bn and seizures worth N443m between January and June this year.
The Head of the Command, Comptroller Galadima Saidu, who made this known in a chat with newsmen, said the figure translates to 15 per cent increase over the N46,260,300,287.86 collected within same period of 2018.
Saidu, added that it represents 57 per cent achievement of the annual revenue target of N95.7 billion set for the command in the year 2019.
The Command, he added, also recorded seizures of 34 containers worth Duty Paid Value (DPV) N443,304,711.00 in the first six months of the year.
According to him, efforts were sustained in top gear by the officers and men of the command to reduce smuggling to its barest minimum.
While reiterating that the command under his watch will continue to be a no go area for non-compliant traders, Saidu gave a breakdown of seizures achieved within the period.
The seized items were: “2 x 20ft containers comprising 2,200 jerry cans of 25 litres of vegetable oil with Duty Paid Value of N26,136,496.00; 4 x 20ft containers comprising of 6,456 cartons of foreign soap(detergent) worth N74,947,617; 1x 20ft container loaded with 57,300 pieces of machetes valued at N16,115,234.00; 1x 40ft container loaded with Scrap metal of various sizes and type worth N5,386,979.00; and 24 x 20ft containers comprising of 10,800 packs of corrugated aluminium roofing tiles/sheets and its accessories with DPV N290,823,551.00.
Other seizures include: “1x 20ft container comprising of 315 bales of textiles (wax material worth N18,495,395.00; 69 bags of imported rice and 329 bales of clothing (assorted wears) amounting to N10,725,658.00;
He added: “The above profile revealed a testament to the determination, resilience, doggedness, and vigilance of the officers and men of this Command, who have engaged the responsibility of being efficient gate keepers of our entry points, while facilitating genuine and honest trade.
“A total of N751,221,517.94 was recorded for Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme (NESS) which is higher when compared with last year’s record of N563,751,085.00 which shows that the command achieved outstanding feats in its export activities within the period under review. We have consistently made it clear that the command welcomes only compliant traders who are willing to operate in accordance with extant laws and guidelines. We have also shown a clear resolve to deal ruthlessly with importers and agents who manifest a recalcitrant attitude to obeying Customs laws.
“Since we are in a modern customs environment, we maintain open lines of communication between all governments agencies at all times. The process of information sharing within the agencies goes a long way in assisting us to identify and neutralise all possible avenues that could lead to compromises in revenue and security.
“The seizures made so far are products of synergy between the command, other units within the service and other security agencies. These units include Customs Intelligence Unit, CGC Strike Force, Valuation, Customs Police and Post Clearance Audit while other security agencies include the Nigeria Police force, Nigeria immigration service, the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), officers of Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and Nigerian Navy,” he said.
