The Nigeria Customs Service says it generated the sum of one trillion naira in revenue as against the target of N770, 573, 730, 490 due to measures put in place by the Col. Hammed Ali management.
At a breakfast meeting with maritime journalists in Lagos, the National Public Relations Officer, DC Joseph Attah, stated that, although analysts have concluded that the revenue generated for 2017 was inferior to the figure for 2014, they were not conversant with the following economic indices.
For instance, in 2014 experienced with 41 items removed from accessing forex. Rice, which raked in N56.8 bullion could not even contribute up to half a billion in 2017. Besides, the volume of imports declined considerably owing to government policy such that in 2014, the duties collected were N122bn, N111bn and N137bn respectively.
Attah argued that this result was made possible by the deployment of digital identification method which enables officers to identify consignment I order to locate vessels in Nigeria’s waters.
The enforcement of Average Duty Rate which reduced the agricultural projects from 12.54 but was reduced to N11.1.
According to the PRO, in 2016, the NCS received a Presidential directive to donate all seized perishable items to Nigerians affected by the activities of insurgents in the North East.
Also, in February 2016, the CGC inaugurated a National Logistics Committee comprising members of the NCS, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Airforce, Nigeria Police, Federal Roads Safety corps. Others included Nigerian Security and Social Defence Corps, NAFDAC, NTA, NAN and the Red cross . The above committee was mandated to transfer of all seized perishable items to IDP camps in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Edo States, facilitated by the Nigeria Customs Service.
In spite of the enormous relief materials sent to the IDP camps, the Customs warehouses were dripping with goods some of which are awaiting court forfeiture to the Federal Government. In July 2017, the CGC introduced the e-auction portal to ensure transparency and integrity in the auction process. From about 5, 454 who registered for the exercise, only 4, 865, only 4, 865 bided and 4, 865 bided and 646 emerged winners with the Federal Government generating about N272, 115, 366 during the exercise.
According to Attah, managing the seizures have a problem for the Service, noting that smugglers block the road and attack operatives while others use dangerous weapons to that often lead to the death of officers and men. So far, six offers fell on the line of duty in 2017