By Dipo Olowookere
The Ogun Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has said in the month of July 2019, it generated the sum of N1.3 billion, more than the amount it targeted to meet in the 31-day period.
A statement issued by the agency on Wednesday disclosed that this was part of the determination of the command to ensure that more funds is available for the government to provide critical infrastructure for citizens of the country.
The Area Controller of the command, Comptroller Michael Agbara, who gave the breakdown of revenue collection, said the amount was made within the period of July 1 to July 31, 2019.
He said at the beginning of the month, the command had a revenue generation target of N643.5 billion, but the efforts of his men resulted in the total revenue collection of N1.3 million.
This gave rise to the excess of N637.6 million made in the month, amounting to a percentage collection of 199.08 percent and a percentage excess of 99.08 percent.
He said in the area of anti-smuggling during the period under review, the command made 102 seizures comprising 7,848 bags of foreign parboiled rice (50 kg each), 23 units of vehicles (7 used vehicles and16 means of conveyance), 32 kegs of vegetable oil (25 litres each, 201pairs of used tyres, 3 sacks of used foot wears, 320 bags of sugar (50kg each), 4 bales and one sack of second-hand clothing as well as 200 kegs of PMS (Petrol) of 25 litres each. According to him, the total duty paid value (DPV) all the seized items in the month was N138 million.
Mr Agbara noted that the seizure of over 7, 848 bags of rice (50kg each) in the month of July, 2019 was indeed a landmark among numerous successes recorded by the command.
“This is evidently a patriotic duty by the service to fully align with one of the cardinal federal government policies targeted at boosting agricultural development with a view to attaining national food self-sufficiency,” a statement from the agency said.
Adedapo Adesanya