Customs Revenue: Apapa Command Sets The Pace
Compt. Malanta Yusuf
CAC, Apapa Command
Against all odds, the Apapa command of the Nigeria Customs Service achieved and unprecedented revenue record of N1.022 trillion for the year 2022, which is almost half of the total amount realised by the Service in 2022 put at N2.6 trillion Naira.
According to the Area Controller of the command, Comptroller Ibrahim Malanta Yusuf, the amount is 16.07 percent higher than the N870.388 billion collected in 2021.
Comptroller Yusuf told newsmen that the command was able to achieve the feat through the hard work of men and officers of the Command by ensuring that all unpaid declarations and unutilized PAARs were traced and paid into the federal government coffers.
He also attributed this laudable achievement to the creation of an enabling environment for officers which triggered motivation and productivity.
“With support from headquarters, the working environment was made more conducive, officers were encouraged, mobilized and motivated into increased productivity which translated to the results we have at the Command” the CAC said
On export trade, the command recorded a total of $68.5 million Free on Board(FOB) value with a naira equivalent of N28.2 billion of Non- oil commodities with a total tonnage of 6.4 million metric tonnes exported through Apapa port.
Comptroller Yusuf further disclosed that the anti-smuggling efforts of the command yielded a bountiful harvest in the year under review with a total seizure of 157 containers with a duty paid value (DPV) of N14.4 billion.
This was higher than the seizures made in 2021 which were 102 containers with a DPV of N 31.8 billion.
Fake and prohibited drugs without the necessary NAFDAC certification and overdose drugs of Tramadol top the list of seizures.
60 suspects were arrested in connection with some of these seizures and are in various stages of investigations and prosecution by relevant government agencies.
Comptroller Yusuf lauded the cooperation and collaboration with other agencies of government which he said contributed immensely to the successes recorded by the command.
He also expressed appreciation to the stakeholders for their support to the command, especially their financial support towards the renovation of a befitting ultra-modern conference room at the command.
In a related development, the command has decorated the 37 men and officers of the command who were promoted by the Customs management to their next ranks.
Among them are four Comptrollers, 10 Deputy Comptrollers, six Assistant Controllers, eight Chief Superintendents of Customs (CSC), five Superintendents of Customs(SC) and four Deputy Superintendents of Customs.
