The Nigeria Customs Service has said it realised N188.64 billion in revenue from Onne Port in 2021, representing a 170.7 percent increase when compared to the N69.68 billion generated in 2020.
In a statement, the Customs Area Controller of the command, Comptroller Auwal Mohammed, lauded the officers for “the feats we have jointly achieved in revenue collection, enforcement and trade facilitation”.
He said, “They are indeed laudable milestones that we must not only sustain but also improve upon for the benefit of our country’s economy and national security.
“Indeed, our various meetings with stakeholders and port users paid off in 2021 because we have noted remarkable improvements in compliance levels.
“As we enter 2022, let us continue to blend our enforcement capability with intelligence, to always detect all attempts at circumventing the law through false declarations, under-declarations and concealments.”
Mohammed added, “In 2022, whoever attempts doing the wrong thing, like smuggling through Onne Port, will get his cargo seized and risks facing arrest for prosecution in accordance with the Customs and Excise Management Act.
“We cannot afford to compromise our positions or disappoint on the trust reposed on us. I hereby advise once again that all importers and agents using this area for their businesses stay on the part of compliance at all times.”
According to Mohammed, 34 seizures worth a total duty of N11.98 billion were made in 2021, and prominent among the seizures was 1,387 cartons of tramadol.
