Customs collects N78.17bn revenue at Onne Port – Official

The Nigeria Customs Service, Area II Command, Onne Port, Rivers, generated N78.17 billion revenue between January and June 2021, an official said.

Mr Auwal Mohammed, the command’s Comptroller, disclosed this in a statement by the command’s spokesperson, Mr Ifeoma Ojekwu, in Port Harcourt on Friday.

He said the command generated N31.5 billion more above the N46.66 billion collected between January and June 2020, signifying 67.52 per cent increase.

“The feat was achieved through strict enforcement of fiscal policies, uncompromising implementation of government directives and diligent trade facilitation, among other strategies.

“Aside improvement in the command’s comparative mid-year revenue generation between 2020 and 2021, the command also made other very laudable feats in export and anti-smuggling activities.

“One of the feats was made in June 2020 with the generation of N14.55 billion which is an unprecedented achievement in the history of the command,” he stated.

Mohammed said that statistics from its export unit indicated that goods worth N52.6 billion were exported through the port between January and June 2021.

He listed the exports to include sesame seeds, ginger, cocoa beans, hibiscus, fluorite ore, lead ore, palm kernel shell, cotton, float glass, aluminum ingot, among others.

According to him, the total tonnage of the exported goods stood at 331.36 tonnes with Free on Board (FOB) value of 137.943 million U.S. Dollars.

“In addition, the command made 19 seizures totaling N8.299 million Duty Paid Value (DPV) within the period under review.

“Chief among the seizures was the over N3.7 billion worth of 1,387 Cartons of tramadol stored inside 1,000 cartons of tiles used to conceal the drug.

“Other seizures made include two units of used Mitsubishi buses; 210 bales of second hand clothing and 4,029 pieces of used tyres.

“Also seized are 16 units of used engine gear box and auto spare parts; 310 pallets of laser ketchup; 2,721 bags of 50kg foreign rice and 37 cartons of wine.

“124 cartons of tapentadol; 956 jerrycans of 25 litres of vegetable oil; 750 cartons of supergold candle; 2,970 cartons of foreign soap; 89 bales of fabrics and 500 cartons of medicaments were also confiscated,” he said.

Mohammed further said that four suspects arrested in connection with the seizures were currently facing trial in court.

The comptroller assured that the command would diligently examine every cargo billed to go through the port in compliance with its zero tolerance to illegalities.

He warned that the command would not spare any importer, exporter or trader caught moving contraband goods through the Onne port.

“We have demonstrated this in the first half of the year, and as such, will continue to improve on recorded milestones.

“So, I am calling on all importers and agents to imbibe the spirit of true and proper declaration of their goods.”