Non-oil export through Apapa port hits N57bn in seven months
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Apapa area command has said that a total of 343, 471 metric tons of non-oil products with Free on Board (FOB) value of N57 billion were exported out of the country in the past seven months, January and July 2018.
According to the command, the products include agricultural produce, mineral resources and other exportable products.
Also, the command announced that it generated the sum of N210 billion as revenue within the period under review.
Jubrin Musa, outgoing controller of the command, disclosed this in Lagos last week while handing over the mantle of leadership to the newly appointed controller, Abubakar Bashir.
Musa said the revenue collected represents 6.9 percent increase over the N196.7 billion generated in the corresponding period of 2017, a feat he attributed to the recently launched Customs NICIS 11 platform.
“The improved revenue profile of the command within the last three months attests to the fact that NCS is at her best season in terms of revenue collection. The NICIS 11 has eliminated revenue leakages and human related errors as well as other cargo clearing abuses,” he said.
Musa added that Customs has put in place different strategies including thorough documentary checks, continuous stakeholders’ engagement and 100 percent physical examination of cargo, to enable efficient and seamless cargo clearance.
Urging port users to comply with extant laws guiding export business, Musa assured that the command would continue to facilitate export trade in line with the Federal Government effort at diversifying the economy through encouragement of non- oil export.
On anti smuggling activities, he said a total of nine seizures comprising of pharmaceuticals, vegetable oil and other controlled goods including 13 containers of tramadol were arrested within the period.
Meanwhile, Abubakar Bashir, has officially assumed duty as the new Controller in charge of the Apapa command. Bashir was until his redeployment to Apapa, was the controller in charge of Port Harcourt 11, Onne command.
In his remarks, Bashir solicited for the cooperation of officers to enable him succeed in his mandate even as he promised to sustain and improve on the achievements of his predecessor.