CUSTOMS RECORDS N68. 7 BILLION IN ONNE PORT

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has recorded a whooping seizure worth 68.7 billion naira between January and September, 2014, an increase of about N7 billion naira in the corresponding period last year.

The Port Harcourt Area 2, the Onne Command also recorded noteworthy seizures, ranging from football, choice lace materials, pistons, turbo chargers to dry cell batteries.

According to a document, “Within the period under review, the command collected a total sum of N68, 684,698,903.74; as compared to N61, 013,422,930.56 generated between the same period of 2013. It is worthy to mention that an increase of N7,671,275,973.20 was recorded”, the Onne Customs Area Controller, Gummi has disclosed while crediting the achievement of the feat, to the successful operation of the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR),.

 “The new revenue collection procedure under the PAAR regime, made possible by the Comptroller General of Customs, aimed at trade facilitation assisted in no small measure to bring an improvement to the command’s revenue profile.

“It is my belief that the present revenue profile can still be improved upon, if the present bad road leading to the port is attended to,” Gummi stated further, while pleading that the command be linked to the national grid, to relieve their total operations being dependent on generators, as such could come with a positive multiplier effect, on revenue generation.

Responding to a question on smuggling, the CAC said the command’s anti-smuggling drive made a total of six seizures, consisting of a 40 feet container, and five 20 footer containers, with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N71. 2 million, alongside a suspect.

It was learnt that some of the items impounded included 20 bales of velvet lace materials, 20 bales of choice lace materials, 700 units of football, five cartons of pistons, 50 cartons of dry charger batteries, 10 cartons of sledge hammers, bags of rice and cartons of turbo charger pumps.