…Generates N10.7billion in 2 weeks
The Apapa Area Command of the Nigerian Customs Service has raised an alarm over massive drop in revenue collection on bulk cargo import from the Lagos Ports Complex (LPC) which is affecting revenue collection role of the service.
The Customs Area Controller (CAC),Comptroller Willy Egbudin who raised the alarm when members of the Maritime Correspondent Organisation of Nigeria (MARCON) paid a courtesy visit to the command in Lagos Tuesday, disclosed that the command under Apapa port was notable for bulk cargo import adding that in the last couple of years, there had been a sharp drop in bulk cargo import to the port, which in turn has also affected revenue collection of the command.
Egbudin maintained that bulk cargo import was the major item that boosted revenue collection of the command from inception.
The former Lilypond and Seme Command boss pointed out that from the figure collected so far, bulk cargoes alone stood at N5.6billion from the total N23.4billion revenue collected for January 2016.
He however described the N5.6 billion collected as a lean figure as against corresponding months in the past years saying that other imports generated by the command stood at N17.7billion.
In 2014, he said the command realized N301 billion as revenue but in 2015 it slightly came down to N288billion and an estimated 400billion was demanded from the command annually.
The customs boss noted that because of the dwindling fortune of importation, the command had experienced a major setback.
“Since we realized that the bulk cargoes are no longer coming the way it suppose to be, we are now looking inward to ensure that revenue are not loss in other goods.We are now making even more revenue in containerized and other cargoes imported to Apapa port”.
He noted that Tin Can Island port handles over 60% of containerized imports while Apapa port handles less than 40% of the same items.
“We are actually doing our best here in spite of the ugly odds, we are trying to make sure we don’t loss sight in revenue generation”, he added.
Egbudin stated that the target set aside for the command might be difficult to achieve but the command would do its best to ensure that substantial amount of revenue was generated for the federal government.
Speaking further , he added that between February 1st and 15th 2016, the command had already collected a whooping N10.7billion stressing that the second month of every year was always difficult, coupled with the fact that exchange rate was biting hard on importers.
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