Nigeria Customs Surpass Target, Generate Over N1.5tr In 2020

Despite the challenges of the covid-19 pandemic, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has revealed that it generated the sum of ₦1,562,115,419,216.32 for the year 2020.

The figure is much higher than the target of ₦1,380,765,353,462.00 for the year and the sum of ₦1,342,006,918,504.55 generated in 2019.

The Customs Public Relations Officer, DC, Joseph Attah who made the disclosure in a statement obtained by Naija News, disclosed that the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col, Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd) has commended the feat and praised the officers for their dedication to duty.

The statement noted that the partial border closure which has forced cargoes that could have been smuggled through the porous borders to come through the sea and airports raised revenue collection from ports.

Before the commencement of the border drill on 20th August 2019, revenue generation was between ₦4 billion to ₦5 billion but now NCS generate between ₦5 billion to ₦9 billion daily.

Diplomatic engagements that took place during the partial land border closure yielded many positive results, including commitment to comply with the ECOWAS Protocol on Transit. Operationalization of joint border patrols at both sides of the border, Naija News gathered.

The ongoing reforms in the Service also boosted the revenue generation profile of the Customs, the statement noted.

On what to expect going forward, Attah disclosed in the statement that the Ministry of Finance has purchased three (3) new Scanners. Interestingly, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has also expressed commitment to purchasing four (4) Scanners and establish the control center for monitoring all scanning sites in their bid to boost the national economy, especially the agricultural sector.

This means that within the next six (6) months, NCS will have about seven (7) functional Scanners to be mounted at strategic entry points even before the full deployment of e-Customs components which will see to the deployment of 135 modern Scanners.

The NCS therefore appreciates and commends the leadership of CBN for this strategic intervention in the interest of the nation.

In a similar development, the NCS statement revealed that 4,304 assorted items including arms, ammunition, illicit drugs, used clothing, vegetable oil, frozen poultry, and foreign rice among others with a duty paid value of ₦28,287,285,847.52 were seized.

It noted that the entry of these items could have compromised the security of Nigerians, the economy and the well being of the people.

Meanwhile, the federal government can now access unclaimed funds from dormant bank accounts as well as unclaimed dividends lodged in Nigerian banks.

This is based on the provisions of the Finance Act 2020 recently signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to the act, such unclaimed funds can be accessed by the government as a sub-fund of the Crisis Intervention Fund however, owners of such funds can request them at any time.

Also, the report published by the Cable gave a condition that such unclaimed dividends must have been left unattended for at least six years before the government can access them.