Hyacinth Chinweuba
The Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has boosted the Federal Government revenue with N101,781,353,765.23 (One hundred and one billion, seven hundred and eighty one million, three fifty three thousand, seven hundred and sixty five naira, twenty three kobo) between the month of August and September this year 2018.
The Command which started the year with a steady revenue base, in attendance to increasing its monthly chart, towards a well calculated performance, despite the slow in the business terrain, recorded N68,668,095,723.16 in August and in the month of September, there was a massive drop, as it generated the sum of N33,113,258,042.00 respectively.
The Controller of the Command, Comptroller Abubakar Bashir, while addressing Stakeholders and the Media in one of its recent Stakeholders parley, gave an assurance that, he would operate a policy keyed to the Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali reform programme on the mandate of maximum revenue collection, which he said will enable freight forwarders compliannce level impressive.
Comptroller Bashir further disclosed that, he would establish a programme to sensitize Stakeholders on his mandate as a driving force for the realization of meeting the monthly revenue target.
While speaking during the World Customs Organization (WCO) Team visit, on the “Time Release Study (TRS),” pointed out that, he will harp on adequate timing program for cargo release of 48hrs, adding that out of the five alerts placed on cargo release, it has been streamlined to three and he is very much optimistic of another reduction in due time, he assured.
Bashir therefore, tasked importers and their agents of transparent transactions, rather than under-declaration and the false declaration of their consignments, warning that clearing procedures should be found in tandem with the law.
Reacting to complaints of increasing multiple alerts, he revealed that eighty percent of the alerts have been discovered to come from trade infractions through non compliance by importers and their agents.
The Commander, at his taking over the flagship Command from Onne, where he champion the affairs of the Customs Command, and was “tagged” One of the Most Valuable Controllers in revenue collection.
He however, made drastic changes at the Apapa Command, to rebrand, restructure and its repositioning process which Stakeholders confirmed, the Controller and his unique leutenants had professionally motivated the officers and men to be more friendly, committed, dedicated, and cohesively approach their duties with due diligence for easy clearance of goods and without delay of documentation..