‘Post-Clearance Audit, Panacea To Revenue Recovery’

The post-clearance audit of cargoes at the nation’s seaports and land boarders have contributed to blocking revenues leakages by the Nigerian Customs Service, the Chief Executive, Maritime Media Limited, Mr. Asu Beks, he said.

Beks said the Customs recovered about N15billion in 2010 through the post clearance audit, thereby shooting up the revenue it generated into the coffers of the federal government.

“The Comptroller-General of Customs, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko’s administration has seen the institution of a co-ordinated effort to plug the loopholes leading to revenue leakages. This effort saw the recovery of over N15billion in 2010 through the post clearance audit”, he said.

According to him, the NCS has designed processes to eliminate fraud as actual remittances from banks can now be confirmed from Customs records.

He said that the multi agency approach to cargo inspection had ensured that no one organisation could unilaterally approve the clearing of consignments and reduce the chance of importation of  prohibited goods.

Beks lauded the procedure put in place by the NCS to detect illegal activities at the ports, adding that it had led to the interception of containers laden with arms and ammunition as well as narcotic drugs among other contra bands.

Speaking on the auction procedure, he said before an auction could be conducted, a formal condemination of the affected goods must be obtained from the courts, followed by an official gaze the listing the entire goods scheduled for auction.

He added that only seized goods and over-time cargoes could be auctioned, as the exercise was being statutorily undertaken by a committee made up of representatives of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, State Security Services, the Federal Ministries of Finance and Transport, the Presidency and the Customs.