Tentacle’s checks reveal how the Apapa Area 1 Customs Command contributed N2 trillion in revenue collection to enable the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to meet and even exceed its 2024 revenue target within 11 months, a feat that is receiving accolades across the country’s geopolitical zones
By Innocent Chukwu
With visible enthusiasm, the Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, revealed at the just concluded CGC’s Conference held in Abuja, that as at Tuesday, November 12, 2024, the revenue generating agency had met and surpassed its revenue target for the year. The Customs revenue target for this year remains N5.07 trillion.
President Bola Tinubu who was represented by the National Security Adviser (NSA) at the Conference, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, was full of praises for the Adeniyi-led customs management for such quantum of revenue generation, and pledged to give maximum support to the Service in its automation pursuits.
According to his admirers, the Customs boss, Adeniyi, has a unique leadership quality of being able to identify specially gifted officers who can drive his vision for the NCS, and to position them in the right office at the right time. It is for this reason that the Apapa Area 1 Customs Command has been able to hit an approximate N2 trillion contribution to the N5.079 overall NCS revenue between January and November 2024.
Under the leadership of Comptroller (Dr) Babatunde Olomu, the Apapa Area 1 Customs has witnessed unprecedented progress in revenue, trade facilitation, anti-smuggling and inter-agency collaboration. Adeniyi posted Olomu to Apapa Area 1 Customs Command early in the year to, among other briefs, maximize the revenue potential of the Apapa Premier Port which has over 40 terminals, including the AP Moller Apapa Terminal (APMT).
Comptroller Olomu would not hesitate in replicating his achievements and success story at the Edo/Delta Command where he raised that Command’s revenue generation to over N30 billion in one year, as well as the seamless and efficient handling of the Customs auctioning of overtime vehicles.
Addressing a recent media briefing, Comptroller Olomu revealed the secrets behind his success story in Apapa Premier Port, including the calm business environment that thrives on 24-hour release of cargoes without infractions.
He explained that the Apapa Customs command has continued to blaze the trail in revenue collection as it has grossed about N1.875 trillion between January and October, 2024.
Giving the revenue performance of the command in the last 10 months, Olomu said the collection was higher than the N931 billion generated in the corresponding period in 2023, amounting to 101 percent increase over last year’s revenue figure.
Olomu said the month of October was unique in the history of the revenue performance of the command as the command witnessed the monthly generated revenue of N264.455 billion which was the highest monthly revenue generated in the history of the command.
Similarly, the month of October recorded the highest daily collection of N18.2 billion.
With this revenue feat, Olomu exuded confident that the command is poised to meet and surpass its 2024 revenue target of N2.2 trillion in the next few weeks, which is shy of the revenue target of 2 trillion by N124.6 billion, adding that the feat was recorded despite the decline in volume of trade.
On trade facilitation, Olomu said the command has keyed into trade facilitation tools like AEO and Advanced Ruling to ensure seamless movement of both import and export cargoes.
“Furthermore, in line with the Federal Government agenda of Ease of Doing Business, the command operates on Saturdays and Sundays to ensure that importers take delivery of their cargoes devoid of any delay.
“We also have an intra government working system where all government agencies work together as a team without compromising the mandates of our respective agencies.
“Equally, we have a wider customs-stakeholder forum where only issues pertaining to customs alone are looked into and addressed as and when due.
“It is noteworthy to state that just last week, the command facilitated the first shipment of cargo to Kenya under the AfCFTA regime.
On anti- smuggling, the command made a seizure of six containers carrying falsely declared and unwholesome pharmaceutical and controlled products which it handed over to the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control, (NAFDAC) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
“This handover further underscores the robust inter-agency collaboration between the Nigeria Customs Service and sister government agencies in the port. It further demonstrates our ability to prevent illicit importation from entering the Nigerian market through the port.
“As a service, we owe Nigerians the duty of preventing the import and export of cargo that could undermine their well-being and security. These medical importations have expired, while others are not evaluated by NAFDAC and could cause damages to Nigerians, if consumed.
“The content of these containers contravene the provisions of Schedule 3 of the Common External Tariff (CET) and section 233 of the NCS Act 2023. Some of the contents are unapproved dosage of Tramadol, cough syrup with codeine, injections and more.
“However, from January 2024 to date, we have made well over thirty-six (36) seizures of various items ranging from used clothes, frozen poultry product, Tramadol, unregistered pharmaceutical products, and other controlled substances. These seizures are valued at over N1.5 billion.
Olomu said the command has achieved high stakeholders compliance level which he said was a testament to the very regular interactions which the command have established as directed by the CGC.
“I want to specially thank all sister government agencies and our strategic private sector partners for being part of the success we are celebrating today. Their contributions have been invaluable and the impacts are evident in our scorecard”, he added.
