The Federal Government has raked in approximately N382.52 billion as revenue generated by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in the nation’s two major economic gateways, Apapa and Tin-Can Island Ports (TICP) commands.
The revenue, which was announced recently by both Customs commands in a separate reports, represents the amount generated in Customs duties paid by Nigerian importers on their imported cargoes from the month of January to June (first six months) 2019.
As the major seaports that handle over 70 percent of Nigeria’s import cargoes, Apapa and Tin-Can Island Ports, also generates over 70 percent of revenue, collected for the government from the seaports.
Ironically, the roads leading to both seaports are presently in bad shape as motorists, commuters and port users, find it increasingly difficult to access Apapa port city where both ports are located, due to the traffic gridlock that has become a daily reoccurrence, since the last five years.
The traffic situation worsened due to the failure of government to utilise a fraction of the trillions generated from the ports annually by Customs, NPA, NIMASA, SON and others, to repair the bad portions of Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, the major access into Apapa.
For this singular reason, majority of the trucks and trailers going to the seaports and oil tank farms littered in all parts of Apapa city, are forced to pass through Ijora-Apapa-Wharf road, thereby creating travel difficulties for motorists and port users.
Tony Anakebe, a Lagos-based Customs Licensed Agents, said the seaports are the goose that lay the golden eggs for the Federal Government, yet the government has failed to invest in development of port infrastructure especially roads.
Meanwhile, the Customs revenue was over N33.27 billion higher than about N349.27 billion generated by both Customs commands within the first half of 2018.
A breakdown of the revenue generation shows that Apapa Customs collected total revenue of approximately N203.26 billion in the period under review, which represents 54.5 percent of its annual revenue target of N372.56 billion and N26.51 billion higher than that of the same period in 2018.
In Tin-Can, Customs collected the sum of N179.26 billion, representing 52.28 percent of the annual target, and N6.76 billion higher than that of the same period in 2018.
Further breakdown shows that in January, Customs generated the sum of N32.58 billion in Apapa and N29.67 billion in TICP; in February, it recorded the sum of N27.52 billion in Apapa and N23.19 billion in Tin-Can; in March, Customs collected the sum of N34.61 billion and N25.99 billion in Tin-Can.
The month of April, Customs collected the sum of N37.39 billion in Apapa and N27.79 billion in Tin-Can; in May, the service generated the sum of N38.31 billion in Apapa as well as N32.39 billion in Tin-Can, and the month of June, it collected the sum of N32.85 billion from Apapa port as well asN28.86 billion from Tin-Can Port.
Reacting, Muhammed Abba-Kura, Customs Area Controller of Apapa command, said the command was able to achieve the feat due to strict adherence to professionalism through sensitisation of officers as to their responsibilities in line with the standard operating procedures for optimal revenue collection.
“Periodic stakeholder engagements, open-door policy, prompt resolution of disputes by the Dispute Resolution Committee, as well as maintaining the right synergy and collaboration with sister-agencies were other factors that helped increased revenue from Apapa port,” he added.
On the other hand, Mba Musa, Customs Area Controller of Tin-can Island Port said the command has gone beyond revenue collection/generation, to creating an enabling environment for legitimate businesses to thrive in line with the Presidential directives on Ease of Doing business at the ports.
He said his command has resolved to achieve speedy clearance of cargo from its port terminals in order to reduce the cost of doing business, adding that these were factors that have projected the command to becoming a hub and most business friendly port.
AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE
