The Apapa command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has earned N502 billion in revenue from January to date.

The Customs area controller of the command (CAC), Comptroller Auwal Mohammed, said this in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos.

Mr Mohammed added that the service made 16 seizures worth N1.4 billion.

He described the revenue collection and seizures as fallouts of increased compliance.

Mr Mohammed urged officers to redouble their efforts in revenue collection, trade facilitation, and strict enforcement of anti-smuggling activities.

“The command made a collection of N9.2 billion on July 20. This feat is the highest daily collection it has ever achieved in its existence since the port was established,” he said.

He said that on anti-smuggling, the seizures made within the period comprised prohibited drugs, used tyres, rice, vegetable oil, and other items.

“It is noteworthy that the command made a seizure of two pistols inside one groupage cargo. One suspect was arrested, and the matter is undergoing investigation,” he said.

Mr Mohammed said the command had achieved an increased level of compliance by importers, exporters, and their agents through deliberate system profiling and manifest tracking.

“Under the CAC’s direct supervision, dedicated officers of the command are using the system profiling yardstick to gauge the integrity levels of importers and consignees.

“This has helped in treating traders in line with their previous transaction records, which is reassuring that compliance pays through time-saving and cost efficiency,” he said.

He urged all port users to be compliant and advised that compliant traders are shielded from the risk of getting their consignments seized, imposition of penalties after Demand Notices (DN), and possible arrests for prosecution, as the case may require.

According to him, non-compliant traders spend more time and money paying for terminal space due to demurrage and higher costs due to DNs and penalties.

Mr Mohammed noted that he had raised the level of electronic manifest tracking to accelerate trade facilitation by leveraging available technology.

He described this feat as a masterstroke in the journey towards trade facilitation and ease of doing business.

Mr Mohammed charged officers at a recent monthly meeting of terminal/unit heads to sustain and improve upon the level of discipline the command had been noted for under his watch.

He characterised discipline as the foundation of good work etiquette, such as punctuality, diligent application of the Nigeria Customs Service Act (NCSA) 2023, and other noble virtues that align with the law.

He stressed that Nigeria had high expectations of the NCS and that the service was looking up to Apapa Command for its highest collection.

Mr Mohammed urged officers/men of the command to use their knowledge of the job and the rules guiding the service to facilitate legitimate trade.

“As we facilitate trade for compliant traders, let’s be wary of the possibility of releasing uncustomed goods in error or in the guise of facilitating trade.

“I hereby charge you to do better in the second half of 2023, as the glory for the successes recorded in the first half belongs to all of us,” he said.

(NAN)