Customs sets N1trn as revenue target for 2016

Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has set a target of N1 trillion revenue collections for the Federal Government for the year 2016.

Despite drop in import volumes and continuous increase in smuggling activities at the country’s borders, the NCS generated N904 billion in 2015 out of N944 billion target set for it.

Speaking at the 2016 International Customs Day (ICD) on Tuesday in Abuja, Ahmed Ali, NCS comptroller general, said the service had not officially received the 2016 revenue target from the Budget Office of the Federation, but had set for itself the N1 trillion target.

“We normally set a target for ourselves, and we are looking at and we hope, working and blocking all leakages and making sure that our system work perfectly and hopeful the polices of government will also be in our favour, we hope to cross the N1 trillion,” Ali said.

Speaking on the level of compliance regarding the declaration of assets, Ali said: “I believe that all my officers are complying.” Pressed further on what sanction waits non-compliant, he said, “We will know what to do when the time comes, if there are any. But I believe my officers are compliant.”

Meanwhile, as the NCS joined its counterpart world over to celebrate the 2016 ICD with the theme, Digital Customs: Progressive Engagement, the CGC said the deployment of e-Customs had boosted Customs role of providing connectivity between nations.

With regards to the NCS modernisation, he said “collection of revenue and interception of harmful imports have been made easier with the help of technology. Since their deployment in 2013, they have been tested and acknowledged by stakeholders as effective tools for progressive engagement.”

In his goodwill message, the secretary general of the World Customs Organisation (WCO), Kunio Mikuriya, urged Customs administrations to actively promote the use of ICT in order to collect and safeguard Customs duties, control the flow of goods, people and money, as well as secure cross-border trade from crime, including international terrorism across the globe.

Also giving a goodwill message, speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, who was represented by the deputy chief whip, Pally Iriase, promised the House support to the NCS, while urging the Service to digitalise all its processes, saying e-process helped to fight corruption by eliminating human contact.