ABUJA: The Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), yesterday said the Service collected a total of N903 billion last year out of a target of N954 billion.
He spoke while fielding questions from reporters after the decoration of newly promoted senior officers of the NCS in Abuja.
He said the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) policy that shut out importers of 41 items from accessing foreign exchange through its window denied the Customs revenue collection to the tune of N240 billion.
Six newly promoted Deputy Comptrollers General and eight Assistant Comptrollers General were decorated by the CG.
He said: “If we had added that to what we have generated, it would have surpassed what we have, so that is the down side of why we were not able to meet the target in 2015.”
Ali who expressed the hope that the NCS will surpass its target for this year in view of the tools already put in place by the management, said: “I hope also that government will once again look at those policies and see how they can be fine-tuned.”
As part of efforts to meet this year’s target, Ali said he has gone round the various Commands where he urged officers to work harder as well as help the agency to correct the bad image the public has about it.
To the decorated officers, Ali said: “I expect nothing less than the best. I expect from you henceforth hard work, commitment and drive for the best. My mission in the NCS is to make it the best of Service not only within Nigeria but across the nations.
“My mission is to make sure we clean ourselves of all the bad impression that we carry along; my mission is to ensure that we meet all the mandate set for us by the government and I believe that all of you will have no other mission than to fall in with that and make sure that 2016 is put on the record as one of the best years of the NCS.”
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