NIGERIA: The government of Nigeria through its Customs Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has collected a revenue of over N 15 billion from its operations in Osun and Oyo States.
Though the Oyo/Osun Area Command of the NCS is regarded as an anti-smuggling outpost, the command was said to have generated a total of N15, 205, 286, 408. 63 between January and December 2014.
The Customs Area Command (CAC), Mr. Richard Oteri, who disclosed the figure said the revenue came mainly from excise duties and duty from fairly used imported vehicles popularly called tokunbo.
“The excise collection amounted to N14, 561, 262, 542. 43, while duty from used vehicles is N644, 023, 866. 20. The revenue achievement showed a 10 per cent increase above the revenue generated in 2013 which was N12, 139, 122, 324.50”.
The Customs chief also revealed that the command recorded 453 seizures in the area of anti-smuggling, confiscating in the process, 30,000 rounds of live cartridges concealed with yam and dry cassava flour; 14,636 bags of 50 kilogram rice; in addition to 23 bags of the 25 kilogramme and 20 bags of 10 kilogram bags of rice.
Similarly, within the period under the review, the command also impounded 125 bags of Indian hemp, 60 wraps of hemp, in addition to 28,343 cartons of imported frozen poultry products, particularly, turkey.
Oteri said: “Comparatively, the seizure figure recorded for 2014 represents 25 percent increase over that of 2013 during which 270 seizures were recorded. The command anti-smuggling activities in 2014 actually accommodate various general merchandises that include used tires, vegetable oil, textiles, among other items.
The Oyo/Osun Area Command is poised in her resolve to continue building and improving on the achievements so far made both in the areas of revenue generation and anti-smuggling feats. This is expedient especially now that the current management under the leadership of Alhaji Inde Dikko Abdullahi has made the service a place of pride and a force to reckon with in modern day Customs world”.
