By Adedapo Adesanya
Despite the several challenges brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, the Nigerian Customs Service, Port Harcourt Area II, Onne Seaport, has announced that it generated the sum of N69.4 billion, between January and August 2020.
This was made known by the outgoing Customs Comptroller, Onne Seaport, Mr Aliyu Galadima Saidu, while handing over to the incoming Comptroller, Mr Auwal Mohammed. He explained that the command under his watch worked harder to improve on the revenue-generating capacity of the federal government.
Mr Saidu attributed the increased revenue profile to the rise in trade volume, blocking of revenue leakages and level of ports users’ compliance, among others.
He said despite COVID-19 pandemic, the command keyed into the stipulated mandate of achieving speedy clearance of cargo while carrying out 100 per cent physical examination which provided the needed impulsion to creating an enabling environment to thrive, in the attainment of trade facilitation.
“The command generated a total of N69,449,896,709.79 between January and August 2020. During the period under review, achieved a total of 2,402,776 metric tons of export activities with Free on- board value of $128,711,308.27,” he said.
Mr Saidu said his team of dedicated officers and men have projected the command as a hub for compliance and most friendly port with a remarkable profile, adding that the command’s anti-smuggling operations recorded 31 seizures, involving 27 containers with total duty paid value of N825,735,296.88.
“Seizures include 802 bags of 50kg foreign rice; 5,615 kegs of 25 litres of vegetable oil; 3,184 bales of second-hand clothing; 1,060 pieces of used tyre; 69 logs of unprocessed wood; 641 bags of used white cement; 76 pieces of doors; 1,692 cartons of foreign soaps and detergents; and 6,500 pieces of substandard aluminium zinc.
“Others include, 5,300 rolls of royal carpet; 6,500 pieces of used canvass; 4 units of Toyota Hiace buses and 4 units of 10 tyre trucks; additional seizure of 175 bales of second-hand clothing and 53 bales of fabric which were seized in July 2020,” he said.
He further described the command’s relationship with the host communities as robust while commending the synergy between the Nigerian Customs Service and other sister agencies, while emphasizing that such should be made to grow stronger for national interest.
Modupe Gbadeyanka