NCS Rakes in N857m Revenue in Zone C

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone C which has its headquarters in the Imo State capital, Owerri has raked in N85 million revenue in the month of April 2017.

No fewer than 15 seizures with duty paid value (DPV) of N865, 529, 880 were also recorded in the month.

In the same vein, it recovered an underpayment to the tune of N23.3 million.

The seizures include 1605 bags with DPV of N58, 245, 000; two trucks with DPV of N12, 225, 000; 24,032 cartons of imported frozen poultry products with a DPV of N291, 988, 800; 1158 cartons of medicaments, including 635 cartons of Tramadol with a DPV of N494, 959,080; and 845 used tyres with a DPV of N8, 112, 000.

The service attributed the feat it recorded in the period under review to what it called its “robust anti- smuggling operations” in the zone.

The Customs Area Controller (CAC), NCS, FOU, Zone C, Comptroller Mohammed Uba who disclosed this in Owerri said his unit has a track record of success in its antismuggling operations and his officers have remained unflinching in their resolve to bring smuggling in the area to its barest minimum.

While further displaying some of the seizures deposited at the government warehouse in Benin City, Edo State, the CAC noted that the seizures were made in Benin, Calabar, Enugu and Owerri axis of the Zone.

Comptroller Uba stated that the commodities seized are of high value hence the huge amount of the DPV.

According to the CAC, there are commodities in detention and intense investigation is ongoing. The unit does not engage in arbitrary seizure or detention of commodities but exercises due diligence and operates within the full ambits of the law to thwart the efforts of unscrupulous individuals bent on economic sabotage of the nation.

Continuing, Comptroller Uba said: “We are not here to intimidate anyone or discourage genuine traders but facilitate trade with a view to generate more revenue for the federal government. Government is ready and willing to assist any citizen willing to undertake legitimate trade.”

The Chairman of Ogbese International Marine Services Limited, Prince Olu Ologbese has counselled licensed customs agents on the need to avert heaping the woes of their business on the Comptroller General of Customs, Colonel Ibrahim Hammed Ali (retired).

Ologbese who is a veteran and an expert in the freight forwarding business flayed the attack on the CGC’s Task-Force by virtually all the licensed customs agents groups across the country.

Describing it as “unnecessary and uncalled for”, he pointed out that the attack did not address the root cause of the issues at stake.

He argued that the real problem was not unconnected with the present downturn in the economy which has led to a significant drop in the volume of cargo coming into the country since last year.

He also attributed the problem to the calls by the licensed customs agents for government intervention in the nation seaports, airports and land borders following their persistent press statements that there were sharp corrupt practices in their line of business.

His words: “A reasonable person would not challenge the idea of inauguration of the Taskforce by the CGC going by what was being said by the licensed customs agents virtually every day in the media. One will exonerate the CGC from the blame because he cannot watch helplessly without doing anything when the leadership of the custom agents went to the press to tell the whole world that the ports and borders needs to be looked into by the government. They alleged that corruption is in full operation and that it needs urgent attention by the government.

“There is no way the government would not act by calling the attention of the CGC to those publications in the newspapers. I must tell you, the result of all these is the CGC’s Taskforce with a mandate to move into the seaports, airports and borders stations and stop the malpractices by Customs officers and agents. This is because there is no way you accuse officers in the ports without accusing the agents. This is due to the fact that they both operate together. Custom officers do not import. They are not importers or agents. Their duty is to collect revenue and pay into the Federal Government account. So if there is corruption in the ports, it should be the importers and their agents. Customs officers could only aid them”.

He recalled that in a recent stakeholders meeting in Apapa, both agents and the Customs appreciated the fact that despite the drop in cargo at the ports, the Apapa Area Command still rake in huge revenues for the government.

According to him, both the Chairman of NAGAFF and that of ANLCA drew the attention of the Customs Area Controller (CAC), Apapa Area Command, Comptroller Jubril to the fact that they are presently working for nothing. Jubril appealed to them that NCS knew their pains and it is using all necessary means to meet up so that government should get money to fund the 2017 since there is a problem in the oil sector. He promised that NCS will look into their plea though no party accused each other of corruption because agents paid their revenue in bank draft and can never be touched.

The veteran licensed customs agents popularly called “Alaye” by his admirers enjoined his colleagues not to blame the CGC Taskforce but themselves for their woes.

He argued that it was the utterances of some of the agents that worked negatively against them.