The Customs and Excise Unit of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), on Friday said it generated N7.6 billion in January.
The Customs Area Controller (CAC) Mrs Modupe Aremu, disclosed this when the Customs Zonal Coordinator, Zone “A”, Assistant Comptroller-General Monday Abueh, visited the Customs & Excise Unit in Festac, Kirikiri Lighter Terminal and the Western Marine Commands of the NCS in Lagos.
Aremu appealed to the Management to provide adequate tools for officers to increase on their revenue drive..
In his reaction, Abueh said the Management would make moves to enable the Federal Government include other excisable products that government had removed in 2009 in order to get more revenue from excise.
“The excisable products which Customs generate revenue from are just Tobacco and alcohol beverages.
“Management has written to government to return excisable items because the revenue Customs collect was based on production.
“Customs collect two per cent of any production of the company involved and the Nigeria Customs do not collect excise duties on imported goods,’’ NAN quotes Abueh as saying.
He commended all officers working in the factories.
Abueh advised the controller of Excise Unit to collaborate with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) to provide the manufacturers’ list to enable officers go after them and get more revenue.
He urged officers to develop more interest in excise operations, adding that it would assist officers who were about to retire to set up their business.
At the Kirikiri Lighter Terminal, Abueh urged officers to operate with sincerity and also warned them to stop signing cargo documents they did not participate in the examination.
According to him, any officer caught would be dismissed without any delay.
He explained that he did not wish any officer should end up in detention in the course of performing his or her statutory rights.
According to him, learning all Customs operations should not end in a particular command.
He advised officers not to be in hurry in learning Customs operations and procedures.
He said that have never worked in any Customs office in Lagos but there was no aspect of Customs operations he did not understand and pleaded with the officers to improve on their performance.
Abueh urged officers at the Western Marine Command of the service to ensure maximum security of Nigerian waters, adding that they should not allow any unwanted items into the country.
He said that any officer signing an under-valued consignment and later discovered after clearance by Post Clearance Audit Unit of the council, should consider his or her way out of the service.
Abueh said the Management was working seriously to provide all the requests of the various commands adding that officers should not relent in their efforts while the requests were being processed.
The Controller in charge of Customs and Excise, Comptroller Modupe Aremu, requested for more vehicles, saying that the command presently operated with only one vehicle.
Aremu said that shortage of vehicles had hindered officers of the unit from locating more companies that produced alcohol and tobacco.
She pleaded with the Management of the NCS to upgrade the Information Communication Technology (ICT) Department to reduce stress during collation of data.
Aremu said that the unit generated close to N750 million revenue from breweries alone.
The Controller, Kirikiri Lighter Terminal Command, Comptroller Benjamin Aber, commended the tremendous commitment of officers redeployed to the command.
Aber said that before he took over the affairs, the command usually generated a minimum of N2 million in a month.
“Since seven months ago, the command had constantly been generating at least N1 billion with the support of officers in the command.
“Western Marine Command generated N1.07 billion in January.
“ We are pleading with the management to improve the welfare of officers to motivate them to do more,
“We have numerous challenges such as non-conducive working environment, constant gridlock along the Mile 2 Expressway which delayed officers’ access to office,’’ Aber told NAN.
He said that the command had been able to create an Enforcement Unit and trained over 60 officers to make use of gun with the support of the Nigerian Army.
Aber said that he would invite the zonal coordinator to the Stakeholders’ Forum organised by the command to decongest the gridlock around Mile 2 area.
The Controller, Western Marine Command, Comptroller Yusuf Umar, said the command had been able to intercept numerous seizures to ensure that smuggled items did not escape through the creeks.
He urged officers of the command to make use of all instructions given by the zonal coordinator.
An officer of the command pleaded with the NCS Management to provide more tug boats, canoes and engines.
He also requested that the Management should inaugurate two ocean-going vessels bought by the past NCS Management to enable officers carry out their duties effectively.
The zonal coordinator after listening to all the complaints by the officers, said he would discuss it with the Management and was optimistic that the result would be positive. (NAN)