The Tin-Can Island Port Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has said that it recorded the sum of two hundred and fifty-six billion, four hundred and sixteen million, seven hundred and eight thousand, eight hundred and forty eight naira, sixty-eight kobo (256,416,708,848.68) as revenue in 2016.
According to a press release issued in Lagos by the command’s Public Relations Office (PRO)r, Mr. Uche Ejesieme, the figure was against two hundred and sixty-six billion, one hundred and eighty-five million, one hundred and eighty-eight thousand, five hundred and forty-six naira (266,185,188,546.00) adding that the figure represented a marginal difference when compared with the figure for 2015, with a shortfall of less than N10 billion which he attributed to some factors beyond the control of the Command.
Ejesieme highlighted the achievements of the command in the year under review to include; interception of large quantity of arms and ammunitions based on well profiled intelligence on 15th February, 7th March and 4th April 2016 respectively and handed over to the Department of State Services (DSS), infrastructural face-lift of the office complex which was hitherto in a deplorable condition, establishment of a well-equipped clinic to serve the health needs of both officers and other members of the public, oversight visit of the Senate Committee on Customs to the command on Thursday, 27th October, 2016 and seizure of thirty-one (31) containers of 50kg parboiled rice, falsely declared as bread improvers/flavoured yeast disodium on 19th august, 2016.
Others are; seizure of 27 x 20ft containers of vegetable oil in 25kg kegs at Emog terminal on Thursday 3rd November, 2016 – another case of false declaration which was entered as disodium chemicals, interception of one thousand, three hundred and ninety-five (1,395) cartons of Nau Nau ready to eat food preparations imported from India– such as Egusi soup, porridge yam, beans, fried rice, jollof rice etc., spectacular interception of 8 bags of un-manifested substances in 1 x 20ft container. The 8 bags consisted of 200 fully compressed substances which was handed over to NDLEA and later confirmed to be cocaine with a street value of N2 billion, handing over of suspects to Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) for falsification of SONCAP, handing over of expired medicaments on the 31st of August 2016 and expired sweets to NAFDAC on the 11th of November, 2016 and establishment of ICT centre with 30 work-station, fully networked for training/re-training and capacity building of officers and other stakeholders.
While appreciating the remarkable performance of the Officers and Men of the Command, the Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Yusuf Bashar said the Command has received 4 commendation letters from the Management of the Service in a space of two months, a milestone which the command would sustain in the New Year and beyond.
“The Command is determined and poised to forge a better synergy and collaboration with the critical stakeholders and other sister agencies for the implementation of the Fiscal Policies of the Federal Government. However, we wish to reiterate our zero tolerance for false declaration or other deliberate infractions”, Comptroller Bashar stated.
He further state that all areas of Revenue leakages will be identified and blocked, and any attempt by an importer/and or his agent to circumvent the process will be viewed seriously. He assured all honest declarants of the Command’s readiness to facilitate trade in line with global best practices.
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