The Apapa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has said it realised N119 billion in revenue in the month of June.
According to the statement released by the Public Relations Officer, Abubakar Usman, on Wednesday, the Command revenue generation stood at N540 billion in the first seven months of the year.
The outgoing Customs Area Comptroller, Mohammed Auwal, who was honored with the rank of Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs by the acting Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi on Monday, emphasized the importance of compliance in ensuring port efficiency.
He attributed the significant improvement in revenue collection to the implementation of measures to prevent revenue leakages, a zero-tolerance policy towards duty evasion, and a diligent approach in the face of reduced trade volume.
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Comptroller Auwal also thanked all the dedicated officers and stakeholders for their unwavering support.
He acknowledged the effectiveness of various interventions, such as issuing demand notices to recover identified shortfalls in revenue.
The Apapa Area Command’s exceptional performance in revenue collection reflects its commitment to upholding integrity, transparency, and accountability. The achievement serves as a testament to the dedication and hard work of the customs officers, who strive to ensure the nation’s economic prosperity through responsible trade practices.
“Before now, N95b collected between January and August 2022 was the highest monthly collection. The job of preventing prohibited items such as arms, ammunition, illicit drugs, and others under the import and export prohibition lists from entering or exiting the country through Apapa port was treated as a collective duty under his watch,” the statement read.
According to Auwal, inter-agency synergy and intelligence sharing are the first bold step in defeating criminals, who seek to use ports for their unlawful activities.
“Compliance is one word that appeals to both government and private sector stakeholders because we are all governed by rules to which we owe a duty to obey.
“Apapa port holds the potential to handle the highest volume of trade in West and Central Africa with the possibility of being a trade hub for seamless cargo movement if importers, agents, and freight forwarders comply by making sincere declarations and avoiding smuggling,” he concluded.