26 April 2017, Sweetcrude, Lagos — THE Seme Border Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has blamed its poor revenue generation on the downturn of economic activities on the Lagos-Abidjan trade corridor.
As a result of the development, the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Mohammed Aliyu has commenced moves to redeem the revenue profile of the command by engaging the critical stakeholders in series of mutual consultations on the way forward and also proffer solutions to the ugly trend.
The Comptroller has also warned that all Units at the point of entry or exit must be seen to be facilitating legitimate trade across the frontier.
He re-iterated that any officer’s conducts that are found to be inimical to the ideals of the service will be made to face the full wrath of the law.
Speaking on the development, Chairman of the Seme Chapter, of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Alhaji Lasisi Fanu, attributed the low level of economic activities to the current economic recession occasioned by the increase in forex (exchange rate) which affected the importation of goods generally.He explained that the change of route by some importers has also led to the loss of revenue by the command.
The group boss further disclosed that the situation has not only affect the revenue drive of the Command but has rendered most of their members of the association redundant.
In a statement by the Command’s Public Relations officer, Mr. Taupyen Selchang said that International land border which links other West African Countries and noted for its busy nature in vehicular and human traffic is for the first time witnessing a situation where the economic activities through the busiest corridor is considered to be at its lowest ebb.
This recent development according to the Customs officer is of utmost concern to the Nigeria Customs Service as the scenario has had a negative impact in the revenue drive of the command.
Disturbed by the challenge, the Command Public Relation crew visited the Atlas Park and the critical stakeholders to know the possible cause of fall in revenue generation, Selchang noted that discovered an empty park with some broken down trucks.
The downward trend in economic activities in the month of March 2017 resulted to very low revenue figure generated by the command (N474, 527,071.29).
The Command also made sixty-two (62) seizures with a duty paid value (DPV) of N25, 748,264.00 for the period under review. It is pertinent to note that the challenge witnessed in the month of March 2017 still persists.