Tin-Can Customs raked in N237bn in 10 months

The Tincan Island Port command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has collected a total of N237,265,538,567.88 between January and October 2017. The figure is against the sum of N207,934,704,906.23 collected in the corresponding period of 2016.

The Customs Area Controller of the command, Comptroller Yusuf Bashar, while reminiscing on the giant strides of the command, emphasised that the command had been repositioned for greater functionality.

The controller pointed out that the command have developed operational templates which were carefully articulated to encompass adherence to due diligence on the part of the stakeholders and entrenchment of professionalism and integrity on the psyche of the officers.

He also pointed out that the command relied mostly on capacity building, training and re-training to extract reasonable level of professional integrity from the officers which ultimately led to the increase in revenue collection.

“You will recall that the command alone has recorded three different seizures of cache of arms and have recently seized two containers load of suspected controlled drugs (Tramadol) falsely declared as used vehicle and computer accessories,” he recalled.

The controller stressed that the command had diminished the capacity of such unpatriotic importers through several measures aimed at nipping such issues in the bud even as he declared that seizures were made through high profile intelligence using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a major tool.

“Our new strategic focus has strengthen not only statutory responsibility of revenue collection but also safety of lives by decimating the tendency of unscrupulous importers who bring in unwholesome drugs, particularly Tramadol which consumption would naturally have a consequential effect on our large population of youth, thereby ultimately affecting their educational pursuits and socio-economic well-being amongst other negative effects.