The Presidential Task Force on Customs Reforms has urged the Federal government to evolve policies that would ensure commercial viability of the Calabar Port, to justify the huge investment already in place.
Chairman of the Task Foce, Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed, who stated this in Calabar at the end of the last leg of its tour of Customs formations, stressed the need for government to restore the port to its former status as a busy business haven for importers and exporters.
He listed factors militating the viability of the Port as shallowness of the river channel and poor road network between Calabar and the hinterland. He called on the government to take prompt action to redress the situation.
“We have come to Calabar Port, we have seen the situation there. The port is virtually down. This is similar to what we saw at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport. The Customs cannot generate and collect revenue under such circumstances. Therefore, something drastic must be done if the Federal Government must tap the revenue potentials in the nation’s non-oil sector,”, he said.
Meanwhile, the Cross River State command of the Service had generated N1,181 billion as at June, 2009.
Mr. Bellu Ralph Obiora, the Cross River/Akwa Ibom States Area Comptroller, disclosed this during the visit.
Mr. Obiora said the command is working to meet, or even surpass its estimated target for the 2009 fiscal yar, but regretted that commercial activities have dwindled and remains at a low ebb in the command because the Calabar seaport is under utilized.
“We have not had container – carrying vessels here for a long time, the non-dredging of the waterways does not allow for bigger vessels to berth.
There are no international cargo flights coming into the Margaret Ekpo International Airport,” he stated.
Apart from low patronage, he also said that “the current global economic meltdown is also taking its effect on all trading activities generally.
The Calabar Free Trade Zones (CFTZ) does have enough industries to help boost our revenue base.”
He explained that the situation is worsened by the lull in economic activities at the premier Tinapa Business Resort and lesisure and the dilapidated condition of the federal roads leading to the state as heavy duty trucks were finding it extremely difficult to haul their cargoes in and out of the state.
But to boost its revenue generation, the comptroller said the command has introduced a dual roving patrol unit in the two states to fight and frustrate smugglers as well as holding meetings and sensitised the used car dealers in the two states to start paying customs duties on their vehicles.
He said despite the efforts of the command, it was yet to yield dividend and meet up with the high expectations.