Revenue: Seme Customs generate N594m amid lack of facilities

The Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has generated   N594,195,311.23 in the month of January 2017, while also making 43 seizures with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N92,385,870.00. This is even as the Command has been plagued by absence of facilities like Baggage hall, Parking space, Examination bay, Functional Scanner etc, thereby leading to operational setback that has made the border command ill-equipped to operate in line with global best practices.

According to a statement signed over the weekend by the Commands Spokesman, Taupyen Selchang, the Seme Customs Area Controller (CAC), Compt. Dimka David disclosed that the amount realized was very commendable.

The CAC also said that the effect of the vehicle ban policy has no negative implication on the Nigeria Customs Service, since no revenue is lost to the Federal Government coffers despite the ban on the importation of new and fairly used vehicles through the border. This is because the revenue that is supposed to be collected through the land border will now be collected at the sea port without leakages.

The Customs Area Controller further re-iterated that every officer must ensure total compliance of the policy. He said all hands must be on deck to ensure that the success of the policy is intelligence driven with a robust relationship between the border Command and the host Communities.

The Command helmsman enjoined his officers and men to work assiduously as never before to give their best to the service in a challenging time like now. The CAC re-stated that as the busiest land border Command that is strategically located along the corridor that link other West African Countries, the Command cannot afford to fail because much is expected from the border Command.

He assured that the command will continue to perform its statutory functions of revenue generation, facilitation of legitimate trade, combating of smuggling activities across the frontier and securing the Nation’s territorial integrity among others. He said the anti-smuggling Unit of the Command is already frustrating the attempt of smugglers who dare to try the might of the Government in smuggling fairly used vehicles through the land borders.

In a related development, Comptroller David Dimka in his welcome address during the visit of the Assistant Comptroller General of Customs Zone ‘A’ ACG Abueh, M.N to Seme Area Command, lamented the absence of facilities like Baggage hall, Parking space, Examination bay, Functional Scanner etc, which has led to operational setbacks, hence making the border command ill-equipped to operate in line with the global best practices as obtainable in other developed Countries.

The CAC took the visiting ACG for on the spot assessment of the Baggage Unit, ETLS and Export Seat all located in Benin Republic and the Government Warehouse of the Command at the Nigerian site.