Being a full text of the mid year news release of Comptroller Willy Egbudin, Customs Area Controller (CAC), Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service.
Gentlemen of the Press,
1.The year 2014, for us as customs operatives in Nigeria’s busiest land frontier,is a year with unique challenges as novel innovations and trade improving techniques aimed at achieving government objectives are practically brought to the fore.
Relying on the core objectives of the Customs Service, this news release will be aimed at intimating you about our activities in the past six months.
2. In my maiden address to the officers and men of this command, I urged all to embrace change and keep abreast with developments aimed at instituting international best practices. Among the
changes introduced by the Comptroller General of Customs(CGC), Abdullahi Dikko Inde CFR which officers were encouraged to adapt to are, Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR), the intuitive/interactive web portal nigeriatradehub, the fixed & mobile scanners and the recently flagged off Vehicle ImportTransit Regime among others. These trade friendly innovations have greatly improved the business environment and the organised business sectors are invited to take advantage of them.
3.To our officers and men, I have consistently stressed the need to sustain and increase their service to the nation as compromise will not be tolerated. I am glad to state today that we are very much on track,fully implementing the agenda of our CGC and the mandate of the service without compromise.
4 ANTI SMUGGLING
Seme Area Command is mainly an enforcement oriented Command. Surrounded by the Atlantic to the South, Ogun State to the North, Republic of Benin to the West and Lagos to the East, the terrain poses a lot of challenges because of its aquatic, marshy and swampy nature.
5. Despite the challenges, this Command has achieved higher level of suppression of smuggling an related offences through increased enforcement activities and enlightenment of border communities and the trading public about the dangers of smuggling. We are thankful to the Comptroller General of Customs for the logistic support, capacity building, encouragement and motivation of the customs workforce.
6. We are not unaware of the various ploys of the smugglers to outwit us but, we will always be ahead of them through effective and strategic deployment of our operatives and proper intelligence information sharing and management. For those who dared to test our resolve, their attempts were not only foiled with their goods seized, we also made arrest of 18 suspected smugglers who are presently at various stages of investigation, and prosecution. We are also ready to do more in our drive to frustrate and stamp out the crime for the good of our national economy and improvement of our security.
7. We made a total of 467 seizures with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N196,276,657.00 within the period under review. The seized items include, rice, frozen poultry products, motor vehicles, vegetable oil, second hand clothes, soap, narcotics among others. Whereas the seized narcotics had been transferred t the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the seized frozen products had been destroyed in accordance with the extant law because of its perishable nature.
8. Similarly, the priceless seized artifacts with a conservative street value of over N2.8Million were transferred to the National Council of Museum and Monuments during the period under review. Our intelligence driven anti smuggling activities will be sustained and we will continue to apply tact as a means of preventing strife and loss of life.
9. Despite coming under constant harassment, threat and attack by suspected smugglers, we
commend our operatives for their resilience. With a view to portray us as not working, some of the
suspected smugglers or barons go as far as sponsoring articles against us with a lot of innuendos in the media. This is unfortunate but, we will not retreat or shirk our responsibility as the various measures we have put in place have been yielding good results. Increasing number of people are now abandoning the illicit trade of smuggling for legitimate trades.
10. REVENUE
We started the year 2014 with a lot of expectation, not only to meet our revenue target but, also to surpass it as we did in December 2013. In the month of January we observed a decline in the volume of trade and our findings from the past experiences over the years revealed that it had been the pattern at the beginning of the year. However, the dwindling volume of trade in the subsequent months was of serious concern to the Customs Service and concerted effort made to block all perceived sources
of revenue leakages to boost collection.
11.The Command’s revenue collection in the first half of the year 2014 amounts to N4,330,670,435.29 (Four billion, three hundred and thirty million, six hundred and seventy thousand, four hundred and thirty five Naira, twenty nine Kobo) and this represents 2.66% increase over the N3,981,596,977.52 collected in the corresponding period last year 2013.
12.We have a zeal to collect much more but, for the decreasing volume of trade which may not be unconnected with the restriction of certain commodities from being imported through the land border. Some people had attributed some of the causes of the declining level of trade to the harsh economic situation in some neighbouring countries. However, we will do all that is necessary to meet our revenue target and surpass it.
13. EXPORT
The export section is not revenue yielding like the import because of the Federal Government policy aimed at boosting exportation of made in Nigeria goods. The officers in the section had been trained and re-trained and appropriate measures put in place to ensure a conducive environment for exportation. Notable firms in Nigeria have taken advantage of this to export their products to other markets in the West African sub region.
14. Some of the goods exported during the period include plastics, furnitures, fruit drinks in retail packs, mattress, beer,slippers among others. The Free On Board (FOB) value of the goods exported during the period under review amount to N4,909,012,148.95, while the total amount due for the Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme (NESS) is N24,556,594.35.
15. PAAR/VEHICLE IMPORT TRANSIT
The Pre Arrival Assessment Repor (PAAR) and the vehicle Import Transit process are initiatives of our innovative Comptroller General, Abdullahi Dikko Inde, CFR. These innovations have eased the process of importation into Nigeria as they feature transparency, accountability and easy to monitor.
16. At the advent of the PAAR regime, the Command organised training and re-training programmes for our stakeholders and am glad with the impressive level of compliance among the stakeholders. Worthy of commendation also is the orderly manner in which scanning activities are being carried out in the Command. Nigeria bound trucks are scanned and 100% physical examination are carried out on all selected by the system for same to avoid the importation of unwholesome,prohibited and dangerous goods.
17.VEHICLE IMPORT TRANSIT
Within the period under review, the Vehicle Import Transit regime debuted at Seme Border on 23rd April 2014. Borne out of his concern for the security of the nation, suppression of smuggling, improvement in revenue collection and facilitation of trade, the Comptroller General of Customs led other Director-Generals of Customs of proximate countries of Benin, Cameroun, Chad and Niger to a historic meeting on 16th March, 2014 at Abuja.
18. This policy makes it possible that all Nigerian bound vehicles imported from the affected countries will be handed over to the Nigeria Customs Service by the country’s Customs administration after due clearance. In line with his vision, we no longer have to engage in the hazardous task of chasing vehicles being smuggled through the bushes. It has drastically reduced the smuggling of vehicles and increased
our revenue collection. So far, the total revenue collected since the programme commenced
on 23rd April 2014 up to 30th June, 2014 amount to N1,084,644,883.00. The total number of vehicles cleared within the period is 6,653.
19. ETLS/JCC
The ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) is a sub regional effort of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to facilitate trade and foster regional integration among member states . In the first half of this year (2014) ETLS compliant goods with a Cost, Insurance & Freight (CIF) Value of N5,397,579,789.57 were cleared through this command. While the revenue loss as a result of the concession to the scheme stood at N1,518,193,330.43, the 1% Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS) collection amounts to N37,262,267.00.
20. The Joint Committee on Commerce (JCC) like the ETLS is a trade facilitation tool as well as an economic arrangement between Nigeria and Republic of Benin. It is a bilateral agreement in which goods wholly manufactured in Republic of Benin can be imported into Nigeria without payment of duty. As at 30th June 2014, 24 factories were listed under the scheme.
21. RELATIONSHIP
Our relationship with the surrounding communities, their Monarchs, Nigeria and Benin Security Agencies are at all times high. We have improved on the existing cordial tie between the Customs and various communities, as well as Agencies in the border area. Beside the periodic visits to Monarchs wherein we enlist their support in educating their subjects on the ills of smuggling, we have also been holding meetings with Baales and representatives of various communities. At various fora and meetings, our focus has been to sensitize the youths to avoid any unlawful act like smuggling and arson.They are also encouraged to report any infraction or strange movements and developments to law enforcement agencies.
22. The law enforcement agencies meet monthly at a Joint Border Security meeting to synergise in promoting the security of the nation.
23. CONSTRAINTS
Our major constraints are the problems of deviants and dishonest persons in the society. It is surprising that despite the seizures, losses recorded by the smugglers and even being arraigned, these deviants still engage in the illicit trade of smuggling. If our stakeholders and the trading public make honest declarations, the clearing process can be completed within 8 hours.
24.The Swampy and Marshy nature of the terrain poses a lot of problem. We also have to contend with hostility from some members of the public who see smuggling as a ‘birthright’ and with their lackeys too.
25. MESSAGE TO THE PUBLIC
Our message to the trading public is for all to shun smuggling, fraud, false/under declaration and embrace legitimate trade. Goods/vehicles can be cleared at Seme in less than 8 hours if importers can make honest declarations. We implore the trading public to avail themselves of the encouraging environment for legitimate trade at Seme Area Command and carry out their import/export business.
26.Our attention had been drawn to the news that some internet fraudsters have been impersonating the Nigeria Customs Service by defrauding unsuspecting members of the public with purported ‘Auction Sales’ at Seme Command. The NCS has often warned the general public on our Customs Duty programme broadcasted on NTA International at 8:30pm every Monday yet, it appears some people are not paying attention. We therefore plead with the media to assist us in enlightening the general public that there is nothing of such at Seme Area Command.
27.This country is blessed by God and the future thereof belongs to the Youths. So, we are appealing to the Youths to whom we will bequeath these blessings to tap into the abundance of legitimate occupations, shun smuggling and expose the crime.
28. CONCLUSION
We wish to express our appreciation to the Press, the Importers/Exporters, the Licensed Customs Agents, our Monarchs, all Security Agencies, members of the Customs Community Forum and Officers and Men of this Command for their co-operation and support in the first half of the year. Let us do it again better in the next half of the year. Thank you and happy Ramadan fasting season.
Ernest Olottah
Customs Public Relations Officer
For:Customs Area Controller
Seme Border Command
