Customs Seme Surpasses Revenue Target With N3.9B

The Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Area Command, has disclosed that it surpassed its revenue target for 2023, collecting a total sum of N5, 946,174,156.62.

The Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Timi Bomodi, made this known at the Command on Wednesday, January 10, 2024, during a ceremony organised to decorate newly promoted officers.

Comptroller Bomodi stated that the Command’s revenue target for the year 2023 was N1, 966,000,000.00, thereby surpassing it by N3,980,174,156.62, which represents a 297% addition.

The CAC disclosed that the 2023 revenue collection was the highest collection since 2019. “This reinforces our commitment to ensure that the Lagos – Abidjan corridor is perceived more as a trade enabler with huge potential for exponential growth.”

“We will continue to do our best at ensuring that the Command achieves its full potential of trade facilitation without hindrance.” The CAC stated.

Under export, the Command facilitated 222.442.88 Metric tons involving 6 253 trucks of export produce, with a Free On Board (FOB) value of N32,448,564,533.1.

The Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme (NESS) realized during the period under review was N162,852,254.56.

The 2.5% surcharge paid was N60, 421,421.00, and 704 Single Goods Declarations (SGDs) were utilized.

In anti-smuggling operations, the CAC noted that the Command made a total of 513 interceptions valued at N1, 374,245,832.00.

The items include; 14,181 50kg Bags of foreign parboiled rice, which is equivalent to 24 trailers, 1,220,130 liters of PMS, equivalent to 37 tankers load.

Others are 39 Smuggled Vehicles, 8,278 Drugs and Narcotics, 9,639 General Merchandise.

According to the CAC, “The Command equally made headlines in its enforcement of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) where we recorded seizures of 152 live Parrots Birds and other animals protected under the convention, and 6,000,000 fake dollars bills among others.”

He said 37 suspects were arrested in connection with different seizures during the period under review.

Comptroller Bomodi attributed the successes recorded by the Command in the preceding year to the incentives and motivation given to the Officers and Men by the Management of the Nigeria Customs Service.

While addressing the newly promoted Officers, Comptroller Bomodi said they are expected to put more effort into the job as they have been well motivated.

He said, “Once you are promoted to the next level, it is expected that your job description will change.
“If you are given 100% before, we expect that you start giving 110%.”

He assured that the Command will continue to sustain the tempo in the fight against all illicit trades within the nooks and crannies of the Command, as well as work towards meeting the target that will be set in the current year.