The Nigeria Customs Service, Tincan Island Command has collected a total of N262.3 billion between January and November 2017.
This figure is against the sum of 233.5 billion generated in the corresponding period of 2016. The comparative analysis of the figures above indicates a difference of twenty-eight billion, eight hundred and three million, seven hundred and forty thousand, seven hundred and twenty-nine naira, forty-two kobo (N28,803,740,729.42) representing a significant increase from the amount generated in 2016.
The Customs Area Controller of the command, Comptroller Yusuf Bashar disclosed this while receiving a delegation from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) Post Mortem Sub-Committee in his office in Lagos.
The delegation comprising very senior government officials from Key revenue generating Ministries and Parastatals was led by its Chairman, Mr. Casmir Anyanwu (PHD).
In his address of welcome, Bashar expressed appreciation with the visit and stated that the timing was apt considering the fact that the country was gradually sliding out of recession and the need to sustain the tempo.
He stated emphatically that the command had made significant and steady progress in the areas of her core functions in the past eighteen (18) months.
Taking the committee down history lane, he informed them of the various reforms he instituted shortly after assumption of duty, which included but not limited to the construction of a training facility with thirty (30) workstations to take care of the training needs of not just the officers but also other critical stakeholders pointing out that the command had started reaping the benefits of such trainings in terms of the volume of revenue generated over the period and level of compliance by traders with regards to the fiscal policies.
“We recorded remarkable seizures of cocaine with a street value of over N2 billion according to report from NDLEA, handed over stolen exotic SUVs to Interpol Nigeria for onward repatriation to USA, seizure of cache of arms (pump action riffles totaling 2,010 which eventually necessitated the recent visit of Mr. President to Turkey with other top government officials to see ways of curbing the menace”, he said.
While exchanging opinion on what the government can do to enhance the efficiency of the command in revenue collection, the Controller opined that infrastructural upgrade (road networks to the port) scanners and other equipment would surely enhance the output of the Service.
The Controller assured the committee that the command would not lower its guards in all aspects of her statutory functions and promised to raise the standards of operation through renewed enthusiasm and deeper commitment from the officers and men of the command.
In his address, the Chairman pointed out that the primary objective of the committee was to examine across board into the federation account, in which case the account that services the three tiers of government with a view to ensuring that all accruable revenue to the federal government coffers was duly accounted for.
He stated that the committee, as part of its oversight function, had the mandate of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd) to visit Customs Commands, to ascertain their strength, weaknesses and challenges with a view to appropriately advising the federal government on their findings.
Anyanwu described Tincan port as a major gateway to the resources of the country and therefore very key to the Nigerian project.
The Chairman and members of the delegation expressed delight at the achievements of the command in the past eighteen (18) months, having gone through the financial records particularly in the areas of consistent progress in revenue collection, capacity building for officers/men of the Command as well as Remarkable seizures, and urged the Controller to remain focused as ever.
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