How recession, dollar scarcity impacted TICP Customs’ revenue profile in 2016

Despite the global economic recession that reduced the volume of imports into the nation’s seaports, the Tin-Can Island Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has said that it generated a total of N256.4 billion from January to December 2016, against the N266.2 billion collected in 2015.

Yusuf Bashar, Customs Area Controller of Tin-can Command attributed the shortfall in the revenue generated to some factors such as the global economic crisis and short supply of dollar, which reduced the volume import into the country.

Attributing the revenue generation to the Command’s structured checks and balances on importers’ declaration during cargo inspection, Bashar said that his officers carried out close monitoring of all declarations with the view of ensuring that all infractions were detected and necessary actions taken, to serve as deterrent to false declaration.

According to him, the Command, during the year under review received four commendations as ‘benchmark Command’ in view of the various remarkable achievements recorded in 2016 such as interception of large quantity of arms and ammunition in February, March and April 2016 respectively, which was handed over to Department of State Security.

The command also intercepted 31 containers of 50kg parboiled rice, falsely declared as bread improvers and flavoured yeast disodium in August, 2016; The command also seized 27 by 20 feet containers of vegetable oil in 25kg kegs falsely declared as disodium chemicals and 1,395 cartons of ready to eat food imported from India– such as egusi soup, porridge yam, beans, fried rice and jollof rice.

Bashar said that the command also intercepted eight bags of un-manifested substances in one by 20 feet container, which consisted of 200 bags of cocaine worth N2 billion that was handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). We also handed over suspects to the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) for falsification of SONCAP Certificate for SON regulated products while an expired medicaments and sweets were handed over to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

“We have resolved to consolidate on the gains of the past year.  As a benchmark Command, we are not leaving anything to chance in ensuring operational efficiency. The command is determined to collaborate with the critical stakeholders and other agencies to implement Federal Government’s fiscal policies in 2017,” the Controller added.

Uzoamaka Anagor-Ewuzie