…contributes one-third of the total revenue of N3.1 trillion collected by the Nigeria Customs Service in 2022
The Apapa Customs Area Command excelled among the various customs commands in the country as it achieved a feat in revenue generation with a trillion Naira mark in 2022.
The command under Comptroller Malanta Ibrahim Yusuf, the Customs Area Controller, generated N1.1 trillion in revenue from January to December in 2022, an amount that surpassed the N900 billion the entire Nigeria Customs Service generated for the Federal Government before the coming on board of Comptroller General of Customs, retired Col. Hameed Ali, in August 2015 following the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Comptroller Malanta Ibrahim Yusuf disclosed the figure at the end-of-year 2022 press briefing attended by Inside Watch Africa (IWA) held on Thursday, January 12, 2023, at the ultra-modern CGC Conference Hall commissioned on Wednesday, January 11, 2023, by Assistant Comptroller General Modupe Adeyanju Aremu, the Zonal Coordinator of Zone A on behalf of the Comptroller General of Customs.
Comptroller Malanta said the command also seized contrabands worth N14.4 billion and arrested 60 suspects during the period.
According to him, the success recorded by the command was largely due to the technology-driven initiatives deployed by the command to maximize revenue collection, and strict enforcement of anti-smuggling operations.
The initiative also includes deliberate export promotion measures taken and the robust synergy that exists between the command and all other sister agencies as well as other stakeholders in the area command.
While comparing the revenue collected in 2021 with the 2022 performance, Comptroller Malanta said the revenue collected in 2022 was 16.07 per cent higher than the N870,388 billion collected in 2021.
Malanta, however, restated his resolve and that of his officers and men to continue to do all that can make Apapa port the premier port in Nigeria the flagship port in the country.
“From the second quarter of 2022, the Maritime industry experienced a backdrop in trade, occasioned by fluctuation in the exchange rate and a sharp drop in the purchasing power of the consumers which made trade more unpredictable than ever.
Not minding this fact Apapa Command was still able to collect the sum of N1,022,530,523,699.5 trillion as revenue for the year 2022,’’ IWA quotes Comptroller Malanta as saying.
In the year under review, he also disclosed, a total number of 157 containers with a duty paid value (DPV) of N14.4 billion were seized, as against 102 containers with a DPV of N31.8 billion seized in the year 2021.
He said the record shows that fake and prohibited drugs without NAFDAC certification topped the list of seizures made in 2022.
Other items seized included codeine syrup, foreign parboiled rice, vegetable oil, processed/unprocessed wood, used clothing, etc.
As regards export trade, and in line with the Federal Government diversification of the economy in non-oil export, the Command recorded a total of $68.5 million Free on board (FOB) value with a naira equivalent of N28.2 billion of non-oil commodities with a total tonnage of 6.4 million Metric tonnes exported through Apapa port, he added.
Malanta said the Command had continued to committedly promote the culture of regular stakeholders engagement with bonded terminal operators, importers, exporters, freight forwarders, licensed customs agents, shipping companies, and others.
He specifically commended compliant traders for their sincere declarations, payment of accurate duty and obeying extant import and export guidelines without violating the prohibition lists.
The Command under my watch will continue to create a conducive working environment to protect their investments.’’