Selechang Taupyen is the Command’s Public Relations Officer (PRO). In this interview with our correspondent, he bares his mind on the performance of the command in the last one year, the dismantling of multiple checkpoints along Lagos-Seme Expressway, the lifting of restriction on rice importation through the land borders among other salient issues. Excerpt;
Could you summarize your assessment of Seme Border Command’s performance in the last one year?
The Seme Border Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, I believe it performed above average in the sense that despite the limitations and the hiccups within the year occasioned by the general elections which led to the reduction of a lot of economic activities nationally and internationally. This is a border station.
Despite those limiting factors, Seme Area command was able to perform above average both in terms of revenue and suppression of smuggling. That has also enhanced security. At our own end, we are also trying our best to make sure in terms of security, we have beaming our searchlight at the border 24/7 to make sure that anything that is detrimental to the security of this nation is being stopped right at the border here and that is done through 100% examination and also through our scanning machine that we have that can detect metal material or light weapon that may be concealed through any good that are imported into Nigeria.
So, in summary, I can say that the Seme Area Command performed above average.
Talking about anti-smuggling campaign, could you say that the strategy adopted by your command I the last one year has helped to reduce the activities of smugglers to the barest minimum or not when compared to the same period in the previous years?
Yes sir! It helped greatly in the sense that you will discover that the rate of seizures that took place last year was not compared to that of the previous year. That is to say, there was a reduction in the number of seizure because of the aggressive anti-smuggling drive that was embarked on by the Area command and that led us to a corresponding increase in the revenue figure. As the seizures reduced, revenue increased because there is no way you can have the two at the same level.
When there is no way you can smuggle, you have to pass through the appropriate channel to make sure that all goods that are coming in are accounted for. So, seizure figure actually reduced compared to the previous year because there was aggressive anti-smuggling campaign by the enforcement unit last year and that actually get us an outstanding performance in terms of revenue than we have had since the existence of the Seme Area command. We have not had that revenue figure of last year.
Looking at the figure, did the command made any arrest in terms of smugglers? If it did, how many were charged to court and how many convictions were secured by the command in the last one year?
Most of the seizures that were made, I remember there were cases where we had two or three suspects because seizure offense is bailable. That record, because of the way you came in, I cannot lay hand on them, they actually have to be with the legal department, I would have asked to know tentatively and precisely what were the figures of the people arrested in the course of the seizures made and those ones that were prosecuted.
But permit me to also say that 50% of the seizures made were abandoned seizures but those few that had suspects; I am not in position now to give you the exact figure because in that case, the legal unit has to be contacted.
There is this allegation that the Nigeria Customs Service has been aiding and abetting smugglers in carrying out their smuggling activities especially as it concerns imported frozen chicken products. How true is that allegation?
I say no. Why did I say no? You see, when you look at our revenue profile from the month of May after the election, it has been in an ascending order. June is more than May, July is more than June, August is more than July, September is more than August, working one month after another, trying by all means to surpass the previous month.
If this thing that you are saying is true, there is no how we can be getting the revenue we are getting and investigative journalism is there, go out there on the road in Seme, come back with your result. Is smuggling of frozen poultry products still going on? You are free to capture some of them so that you can give us pictorial representation of such.
But for me, I stand to say some of those things we are hearing, they are just not the truth, they are mere false allegation that I cannot subscribe to because I give you an open cheque that you as a journalist can go and investigate, possibly come out at night, if you see anything that you feel it is true based on the allegation or suspicion, snap it. But to the best of my knowledge, as far as Seme command is concerned, for now, there is nothing like that. It was but it is no longer.
On the lifting of ban on the importation of rice through the land borders…
Let me say something about rice. In the month of November and December, Seme revenue profile overshoot the revenue figure and monthly revenue target given to us. That was all courtesy of the removal of restriction on rice importation through the land borders. Now, individuals, they are even allowed to go to the baggage hall to make their assessment. When you see maybe somebody with three bags, five bags, if you want to do your investigation, stop him and ask him, do you pay duty on this rice?
Because, we continue monitoring, even a bag of rice, I can tell you the value is about N3250.00 per bag. So, if you go now to buy, you just have to pay your duty and you allowed to go with your bags of rice. People seeing bags of rice or vehicle load of rice, they feel it is still supposed to be arrested. Every Nigerian that is what is called, I mean Lagos-Abidjan corridor, the issue of trade facilitation that we are emphasizing on as one of our core function is in practice. You have the right to go and buy, as long as you pay duty on it, you collect and the people will see it.
I was travelling from Seme to Lagos last December when a customs officer stopped our vehicle for a search only for him to discover that the drive concealed a bag of rice in a spare tyre in the boot of his car. But to my surprise, on presentation of N200 with a plea from the driver, the man was allowed to go with his concealment. How do you explain that?
You see, we have a total of over 519 seizures last year. As the saying goes, in every twelve, there will always be Judas. You don’t expect all officers to be the same. Those were the good seizures that we are interested in especially in the PR outfit to record and show the world look at how concealments are being done. These are products that people are going to eat, they keep it inside tyre, they go and re-bag it and sell it to innocent Nigerians courtesy of smuggling.
A sensible officer who knows his job, that is the kind of job that is supposed to promote him, this is the kind of job that is supposed to show that he is working hard despite the fact that the culprit managed to manouvre and smuggle, he used his eagle eye to see this.
But it is unfortunate that that kind of officer still exist in the service and some of them that do those things, I am telling you, when we get them, they will remain here and we will use them as scape goat. I think there are punishments that will be meted to them to serve as a deterrent to others why because, they were not there to collect piecemeal, N200 for concealed product that we are interested in, that they were put there to arrest, bring up, show the world that this is not good to happen because the restriction has been lifted, you are free to go and pay tour duty, so, why are you concealing it? Why taking them through tyre.
So, permit me to say that the CG was mentioning something, he said that he just discovered that it is just about 20% of the customs officers that are corrupt, it is not all. So, if at all there were many check points, maybe, you would have sampled out one or two, if one collects, that is why at times, you will see some people, they might say, oaky, after I have passed all through these people, the last person arrested me. He might not have it all through. It is not all officers could act that way, I am assuring you and that is why we get seizures.
So, the officer in question might be the bad type that if we find such officer, I think we will show them the way out by leading by example. The new Customs Areas Controller that have arrived the station, you can see the example on the way, the news is there. I want to believe that when you were coming, you can give me the difference on the road.
Last year, the Nigeria Customs boosted the Benin Republic Customs service with some operational vehicles which was in fulfillment to your promise to it as a way of enhancing cooperation with it. How do you intend to maintain that relationship with Benin Customs Authority?
It is in the pipeline. May I remind you that the new Customs Area Controller that arrived the station last week, 13th January to be precise saw the Benin Republic Customs and their Police counterpart as one of the first thing to do by visiting them to seek for collaboration so that this question you are asking, there will be maximum revenue collected as a result of the cooperation in the handing over of the vehicles in the Vehicle Transit Scheme agreement that has been signed earlier. There was a memorandum of understanding that was signed between Nigeria and Benin Republic in that regard.
And I want to say that we have been enjoying that cooperation, they have also been complying because the new Customs Area Controller that came onboard, he has received a daily report, we just finished from there now, every morning, every unit must brief him on what happened a day before, like the Deputy Controller briefed him on the vehicle that was handed over to the command yesterday. On daily basis, vehicles that come from there, are handed over to us, we receive them officially and the owners now start coming to process them with their documents and take them away.
I think, as of last year, the duty collections on vehicles alone was over 50% of the entire revenue generated from Seme Customs Area Command. So, I think that collaboration is helping a great deal, it is helping us actualize our vision and that was the reason the new Customs Area Controller did not waste time but to go and extend that hand of fellowship.
What should we expect from this command as the year begins?
Spectacular performance by the grace of God this year, in terms of revenue generation, in terms of seizures, in terms of suppression of smuggling, trade facilitation has already been practicalized as demonstrated when you were coming this morning. You can see there are only two approved checkpoints at Gbaji and Agbara. There is no other one on the road, trade is being facilitated. So there is no hindrance on the road for now and that I want to believe, before the year runs out, I believe by the time we have our target, we will overshoot our target by the special grace of God.
Las year, as we are also saying, we have a revenue target of N12.2 billion, we generated N10.7 billion with a difference of N1.5 billion. I think that was above average and by the grace of God that shall be surpassed this year.
What could you say are the shortfalls in meeting up with that set target for the command last year?
I started this conversation by telling you that despite the limitations and hiccups occasioned by the general elections in the country and that translated to the reduction of the economic activities within the country. All importers, they had to wait to see the result or the outcome of the election. the exchange rate also was a contributing factor because it was sky-rocketing on daily basis and I think despite those hiccups, we were able to meet above average this year. The CBN policies also contributed.
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