The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has set a monthly target of N67.9bn for its three Lagos seaport commands, Apapa Customs Command, Tin-Can Customs Command and the Ports & Terminal Multiservice Ltd (PTML) Command.
After surpassing the N954billion revenue target for 2015, the Customs hierarchy had imposed on itself a target of N1trillion for the 2016 fiscal year.
Findings however revealed that in order to meet the N1trillion revenue target it had set for itself for 2016 fiscal year, the NCS has issued the 2016 official monthly revenue target for all its commands.
Even though it is yet to be made public, a breakdown of the distribution which was sighted by our Correspondent in Lagos on Thursday showed major commands like the Apapa and Tin Can Island commands getting N32billion and N29billion respectively as their monthly revenue target while the PTML Command on the other hand is expected to collect N6.9billion monthly.
Speaking to a Customs officer who preferred not to have his name in print as he is not authorised to speak, unfavourable government policies might truncate the realisation of this targets come end of 2016.
“The N1trillion is not what government gave us, it is what we gave ourselves in order to enable us meets our target, and have something left, because? if we decide to set it the way government gave us, we might not meet up.
“However, there are factors that play prominent roles in the generation and collection of revenue; factors like the market forces and the demand and supply. If importers do not bring in cargoes, Customs cannot collect revenue.
“Many of the importers have gone to neighbouring ports in the West African s8b-region because according to them, these policies have made Nigerian ports too expensive for them.
“Meeting the target is not a problem if cargoes are coming in as it used to be. But with the low level of importation we are currently experiencing at the seaports, i just hope we get more than half of those targets,” he stated.
Nigerian Shippers’ had recently identified multiple charges, bureaucracy and inordinate activities of terminal operators as reasons for abandoning Nigeria ports for neighbouring ports.
Speaking to newsmen in Lagos recently, some Nigerian shippers’ said they preferred the Cotonou Port and other ports in neighbouring countries to Nigerian ports because it allows them to avoid multiple levies and bureaucracy being experienced in Nigerian ports.
The shippers who are basically importers and exporters cited lower import duties and seamless clearance of cargoes as reasons for patronising the Port of Cotonou.
Source: Tribune
