Revenue increase, arms seizures – testament to Customs vigilance, says Reps

…As NASS vows to probe operations of bonded terminals

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

the House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise has commended the Nigerian Customs Service’s(NCS) unrivaled revenue generation feat as well as it’s outstanding achievements in the seizures on arms and ammunition in the country recently.

The committee led by it’s chairman Hon. Leke Abejide gave the commendation when it visited the headquarters of the service in Abuja last Wednesday as part of it’s oversight function.

The recent seizures of arms and ammunition in a Bonded Terminal in Onne Port, Rivers State and that made at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos State are all pointer to the NCS vigilance and effectiveness that has potentially saved countless Nigerian lives, demonstrated the exceptional skills and dedication of personnel in protecting the nation’s borders.

Hon. Abejide

Hon Abejide therefore urged customs officers not to relax as much is expected of them, “Every weapon and illicit item seized is a victory, but every attempt to smuggle them into Nigeria is a call to redouble our efforts.”

He also promised his committee plans to probe the activities of Bonded Terminals and Free Trade Zones, stating, “We will scrutinise the activities of Bonded Terminals and the operations of the Free Trade Zones (FTZ) facilities across the country to identify and eradicate any illegal businesses and activities”.

Responding, the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, said the service is indeed grateful for such commendation, recognition, and applause from the House Committee on Customs and Excise.

The CGC stated that the presence of the House committee underscores the critical role that legislative oversight plays in ensuring the efficiency, transparency, and accountability of NCS operations and project implementation.

According to him, as committee members, their dedication to scrutinising and supporting NCS activities is invaluable. “The insight you bring into the oversight function and the guidance you have always provided helps Customs to serve the nation better, facilitate trade and secure the borders while collecting revenue, vital to the economy.”

“In all aspects of our work and projects, I want to assure you that we submit wholeheartedly to legislative compliance, and we will be willing to implement directive resolutions given to us in the day-to-day operation of the Nigeria Customs Service. Your feedback and recommendations are crucial to our efforts to streamline our processes to improve our efficiency and uphold the highest standard of integrity and services,” he stated.

Giving a breakdown of the success stories of the NCS, Caroline Niagwan, the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Tariff and Trade, said the service was able to generate 2.742trillion naira within the first half of 2024, surpassing the first half of the year’s expected revenue target of 2.539trillion naira, representing 54 percent of the revenue target for the year. She said, “In the period under review, the average daily revenue collection has been 27.5 billion naira daily, surpassing the target of 19.460 billion naira.

“The service has achieved a 126.64 percent increase within the first half of the year due to teamwork and measures put in place to block revenue leakages. We have an outstanding 2.168 trillion to collect.”

She noted that for the service to align with international best practices, trade facilitation tools have been upgraded to Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Programs where reliable and compliant traders are rewarded for taking their goods with little or no customs control when they meet specific safety and security standards.

Also speaking, Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Enforcement, Inspection and Investigation, Bello Jibo, revealed that the ‘Operation Whirlwind’ had made a lot of seizures of petroleum products. He revealed that NCS is collaborating with the NNPC to achieve so much.

“On the issue of security, the CGC held a press conference in Onne, Port-Harcourt, where a container fully loaded with arms and ammunition was arrested by our officers, which was later handed over to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA). We collaborate and exchange intelligence among ourselves to enhance our activities.’’ DCG Jibo stated.

Furthermore, the Assistant-Comptroller General in charge of Information and Communication Technology, Kikelomo Adeola, revealed that unit officers built the application for the e-auction. She stated that capacity-building programs are ongoing as part of the deliverables of the Trade Modernization Project, in addition to the provision of software and hardware components of the exercise.