ABUJA: The Murtala Muhammed International Airport Command of Nigeria Customs Service disclosed at the weekend that it has generated over N20.111 billion as revenue from its operations between January and July 2015.
Apart from the huge revenue collection for the last six months, the Lagos airport command of Nigeria Customs Service also said it collected over N5.209 billion in the month of July being the highest revenue collected by the airport unit since its formation.
The public relations officer of the Lagos Airport Command, Thelma Williams disclosed this in an interview in Lagos.
Williams said First Bank Nigeria Plc has been designated as the bank for the collection of import duty which is processed using the Passenger Electronic Baggage Entry System ( PEBES) .
The duty payable, she said is calculated based on the tendered invoice value of some items.
Williams said over N179, 326,833.00 million have been collected by the Command at the international wing of the Lagos airport between January and July 2015 as revenue accruals on informal trade alone.
The huge amount she said would have been lost save for the devotion and eagle eyes of Customs officers deployed at the arrival halls of the Lagos International Airport.
Williams said the huge revenue capture was achieved as evidence of the diligence and hard work of officers and men of the command in the period under review.
She attributed the huge revenue as part of ongoing reforms as well as the diligence of officers of the MMIA command in the discharge of their responsibilities as it affects trade facilitation duty collection and the enforcement of prohibition.
The stride by the Airport Customs Command, Williams said will be sustained with the cooperation of stakeholders in the aviation and allied sector, just as the she urged industry players to partner with Customs to achieve its goal of trade facilitation and revenue generation for the nation.
She clarified that where invoices are not available for these collection passengers are referred to the valuation unit where imports are assessed using valid data in the system.
Williams said :” Recent events at the arrival and departure halls of the MMIA , Ikeja, Lagos has made it necessary to clarify issues related to the operational modalities of officers posted to the arrival and departure halls with particular focus on methods of processing payment for merchandise in baggage , defined as merchandise accompanying inward bound passengers for which import duty is supposed to be paid .
Also passengers are statutorily required to make declaration of all cash in excess of $10,000 both at points of entry and exit.
She further said: The Customs Service implores travelers to be patient and honest during routine checks and questioning. Where travelers have complaints about the conduct of officers on duty help desk and the officer of the public relations officer are available to help resolve all disputes that may arise thereof .
