The Nigeria Customs Service, Area II Command Onne Port, has collected a total of N128,317,325,936.68 as revenue from January to September 2021.
The collected figure which is N45,761,404,176.65 above the total of N82,555,921,760.03 represents a 55.4 percent increase when compared with the collection achieved within same period of 2020.
A comparative breakdown of the third quarter collections between 2020 and 2021 indicated steady increases which contributed in the cumulative 55.4 percent difference.
For July, August and September 2020, the Command collected N10.9bn, N12.2bn and N13.1bn respectively which were overtaken by 2021 figures of N14b billion, N17.8bn and N18.2bn respectively.
Customs Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Auwal Mohammed attributed the steady monthly increases to volume of trade, strict adherence to extant customs procedure, blocking of possible areas of revenue leakages and zero tolerance for infractions capable of undermining national economy and security.
Comptroller Mohammed’s improved interface with stakeholders in an enhanced Customs community relations system has also paid off with remarkable degrees of compliance by the port users in Onne.
While commending the uncompromising disposition of the officers and men of the Command, the Area Controller expressed optimism that more revenue collection, increased trade facilitation and time saving advantages will be achieved in the command with the introduction of recently procured mobile scanner.
Before the arrival of the scanner, examinations of cargoes were usually done manually and physically, whereby containers were positioned by the terminal operators. Then, gang of labourers will discharge the goods before Customs and other agencies will carry out the examination. Customs must also cut off the seal manually.
