Onne Customs Generates N118.9bn Revenue

The Port Harcourt Area II Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has declared N118,959,214,999.53 as generated revenue for last year. It also declared a total duty paid value of seizures amounting to N1,008,266,282.53.
Customs Area Controller of the command, Auwal Mohammed, disclosed this at a briefing on the command’s performance for last year.
Mohammed said the command achieved its highest monthly collection of N13billion despite challenges of COVID-19 and #EndSARs protests that affected businesses globally. He commended terminal operators at the port for their support towards increased revenue and efficiency.
He added that plans to install scanner in Onne would increase the command’s productivity, efficiency and capacity to detect concealments faster
“In the face of several challenges that impacted on shipping and port activities last year, our operatives were resilient, being at work always, even during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and the nationwide lockdown that followed.
“Last year, this command collected a total of N118,959,214,999.53k. This figure is N11,623,072,175.04 higher than the N107,336,142,824.29 collected from January to December of 2019.
He attributed the increase in collection to the due diligence and zero tolerance for compromise on the part of officers and men of the Command.
“We have never let our guards down even before the announcement of a second wave of the virus and we didn’t allow it impact adversely on our functions. We have also made remarkable increase from our N94,044,676,428.17 that was collected in 2018.
“It is worthy of note that under my watch, the Command achieved N13 billion monthly collection for the first time in its 37-year history, he said.
He explained that the command’s engagements had reinforced the promotion of ease of doing business, trade facilitation with emphasis on sincere declarations as a way of saving time and making legitimate profits.
Muhammed reinforced the importance of compliance and due process to stakeholders, saying it is vital for cargo clearance, exit, import and export, as it remains the best way importers would enjoy trade facilitation, ease of business.
“I urge them once again to keep abreast with the extant import and export prohibition lists, avoid duty evasion and imbibe the virtue of transparency at all times,” he said.