The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has recorded a massive revenue amounting to N4.49 trillion in the last one year.
This was disclosed by Mr. Adewale Adeniyi, the Comptroller-General (C-G) of Customs, at a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja to mark his 1 year in office. He said:
“The NCS reported a remarkable 74% growth in revenue collection over the past year, recording a total revenue collection of N4.49 trillion between June 2023 and May 2024, compared to the N2.58 trillion collected during the corresponding period of the previous year.
“This achievement was underpinned by a sustained increase of 70.13% in average monthly revenue collection compared to the previous year. NCS recorded an average monthly revenue collection of N343 billion, compared to the N202 billion monthly average.
“Notably, there was a substantial 122.35% rise in revenue collection during the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in the previous year”.
The gains, Mr. Adeniyi said, were attributable to the N15 billion recovery by the Revenue Review Performance Recovery exercise; N2.79 billion recovered from the 90-day window for the regularisation of the documents of uncustomed vehicles; N 1.5 billion recovered from the decongestion of 1,705 overtime containers and 981 vehicles from the port. He also mentioned a whooping N58.5bn generated in one day.
“It is also worthy to note that on June 13, 2024, NCS recorded a daily All-Time-High of N 58.5 billion in revenue collection.”
He attributed the success to the deployment of officers to sensitive posts on the basis of merit and capacity. This led to the impressive performance recorded within the period under review.
On the trade facilitation mandate of the NCS, Mr. Adeniyi said that the decongestion of ports and the re-opening of previously inaccessible access roads have played key roles.
He said, “Particularly noteworthy is the NCS’s recent ranking under the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), which aims to streamline business operations in Nigeria through reforms and policies.
“Ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) are ranked by activities under eight broad indicator levels, including efficiency reforms based on service delivery within stipulated timelines, transparency reforms, the review and update of Service Level Agreements, and support for manufacturing and agriculture export.
“Between 2020 and 2022, the NCS maintained an average percentage score of 18.45%, ranking 28th out of the 37 MDAs ranked. By 2023, the NCS ranking fell further to 34th out of 39 MDAs, with a percentage score of 18.53%.
“However, by 2024, I am delighted to announce that the NCS moved up 33 places, now tied at the top with 4 other MDAs out of the 36 MDAs assessed, with a percentage score of 100%, marking a 81.5% increase. This remarkable improvement is directly attributed to the trade facilitation measures implemented within the past year.”
The Comptroller also mentioned that, the designation of a dedicated terminal for exports has yielded significant gains, facilitating the processing of export goods through the Lilypond Command.
According to him, “Initially handling 317 Single Goods Declarations (SGDs) in transactions, the terminal now manages 7,464 SGDs, accounting for 19.49% of the total 38,294 export transactions recorded in 2023. By the first quarter of 2024, the Service has processed a total of 10,786 transactions, with 3,162 (29.32%) of these processed through the dedicated export terminal.”
Also, The NCS has grounded numerous smuggling efforts in the past year. Their activities he said resulted in significant interceptions, high-value seizures, and numerous arrests, including 63 seizures related to animal and wildlife products valued at ₦566 million.
“Additionally, seven seizures of arms and ammunition were made through our ports and borders. In terms of illicit drugs, a combined total of 127 cases involving narcotics and pharmaceutical products were seized, valued at over ₦6 billion.
“The Service also recorded 724 seizures of 2.93 million litres of PMS (Premium Motor Spirit) that were attempted to be smuggled out of the country.
“In a bid to guarantee food security and suppress the smuggling of food in and out of the country, the Service recorded 1,744 cases of rice and grain seizures valued at ₦4.4 billion. These concerted efforts underscore the NCS’s commitment to protecting society and ensuring national security.
The comptroller general mentioned that he was working closely with the Central Bank of Nigeria to achieve a stable rate for import of goods to enable business plan activities. Mr. Adeniyi said that his organization was on the trail of illicit arms and would make the seizure public once achieved.
