Not less than N4.9 billion worth of goods were exported out of the country through Nigeria’s premier border, Seme in the first six months of the year.
Some of the goods exported during the period include plastics, furniture, fruit drinks in retail packs, mattress, beer, and slippers.
The Free on Board (FOB) value of the goods exported is N4.9 billion while the total amount due for the Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme (NESS) is N24. 5 million.
These were disclosed by the Nigeria Customs Area Controller, Seme Border Command, Willy Egbudin, in his mid-year report.
In a press statement, he explained that unlike imports, the export section is not revenue yielding because of the federal government policy of boosting exportation of made in Nigeria goods.
According to the customs chief, the officers in the section had been trained and re-trained and appropriate measures put in place to ensure a conducive environment for exportation.
He revealed that notable firms in the country have taken advantage of government’s incentives to export their products to other markets in the West African sub-region.
On the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) and the Vehicle Import Transit (VIT), he said the initiatives of the Comptroller General of Customs, Alhaji Dikko Inde Abdullahi, have eased the processes involved.
He stated that these innovations have eased the process of importation into Nigeria as they feature transparency, accountability and easy to monitor.
He explained that at the advent of the PAAR regime, the command organised training and re-training programmes for our stakeholders.
“I am glad with the impressive level of compliance among the stakeholders. Worthy of commendation also is the orderly manner in which scanning activities are being carried out in the Command. Nigeria bound trucks are scanned and 100 percent physical examination are carried out on all selected by the system for same to avoid the importation of unwholesome, prohibited and dangerous goods,” he added.
According to him, within the period under review, the VIT regime debuted at Seme Border on 23rd April 2014. Borne out of his concern for the security of the nation, suppression of smuggling, improvement in revenue collection and facilitation of trade, the Comptroller General of Customs led other Director-Generals of Customs of proximate countries of Benin, Cameroun, Chad and Niger to a historic meeting on 16th March, 2014 at Abuja.
His words: “This policy makes it possible that all Nigerian bound vehicles imported from the affected countries will be handed over to the Nigeria Customs Service by the country’s Customs administration after due clearance. In line with his vision, we no longer have to engage in the hazardous task of chasing vehicles being smuggled through the bushes.
“It has drastically reduced the smuggling of vehicles and increased our revenue collection. So far, the total revenue collected since the programme commenced on 23rd April 2014 up to 30th June, 2014 amount to N1, 084, 644, 883. The total number of vehicles cleared within the period is 6,653.
