NIGERIA: The Nigeria Customs Service currently generates an average of N500,000 monthly as duties from the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.
The Customs Area Controller, Enugu/Anambra/Ebonyi Area Command, Mr. Kashim Ajiya, stated this at the inauguration of the Nigeria Aviation Handling Company/Aviance bonded cargo warehouse at the airport, in Enugu, on Thursday.
Ajiya said that the N500,000 monthly revenue being generated from the airport was mostly from passenger baggage declarations. He admitted that the sum was very insignificant, especially at a period when the country was experiencing a huge decline in revenue because of the fall in the price of crude oil.
However, Ajiya expressed the hope that with the commencement of operations in the NAHCO/Aviance cargo warehouse, the NCS would start collecting “millions of naira” in revenue from customs duties from the airport.
He said, “The Enugu/Anambra/Ebonyi Area Command is more or less an excise-oriented command; 98 per cent of our revenue collection is from the excise traders and not from import duties, despite the presence of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport inaugurated in September 2013.”
