Onne Command records 98% revenue growth in 2024

The Onne Area 2 Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in Rivers State exceeded its 2024 revenue target, generating N634 billion against a target of N618 billion it received earlier in the year.

This represents 103 percent of the target given and 98 percent increase over the N321 billion revenue collected in 2023. Comptroller Mohammed Babandede, the Customs Area Controller, attributed this achievement to “robust stakeholder engagement, synergy, collaboration, and intelligence sharing.”

The Onne Port, which focuses on maritime operations, trade facilitation, and anti-smuggling activities at the Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone had already surpassed more than half of the annual target by July when the Comptroller disclosed that the Command generated over N312,094,367,124.58 billion in the first half of the year alone (50.5 percent of the annual target).

This strong performance contributed to the Customs service record N5.79 trillion revenue as of November 2024, surpassing its N5.079 trillion target.

Read also: Onne Port processes $953m worth of non-oil export in 2024, doubles revenue

The Onne Command also recorded major successes in its anti-smuggling operations, seizing 76 containers of uncustomed goods, including arms, ammunition, illicit medicines, vegetable oil, footwear, donkey skin, and used clothing. These seizures had a total duty-paid value (DPV) of N150,872,551,207.

Since November 2024, the Command intercepted 12 additional 40-foot containers of illicit medicines with a DPV of N20.3 billion. Sized items included 1,721,100 bottles of 100ml cough syrup containing codeine, 510,000 tablets of 50mg Really Extra Diclofenac, 7,100,000 tablets of 225mg Royal Apple Tramadol and Tramaking, 3,461 pieces of sanitary ware fittings used for concealment, 840 pieces of chilly cutters used for concealment, and 153 cartons of TVS rubber.

In its efforts to facilitate trade, the Command processed the export of 2.7 million metric tonnes of goods in 2024. The exports, comprising agro and mineral resources such as sesame seeds, aluminium ingots, granular urea, wheat bran, and orange peel, were valued at $952,986,490.99 (N1.26 trillion) Free on Board (FOB).

“These results demonstrate the effectiveness of our strategies and the critical role of stakeholder collaboration. We are optimistic about achieving even greater results in 2025,” Babandede said.