Border Drill: Seme Customs Records N2billion Revenue Shortfall

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By DAPO OLAWUNI


The closure of the land borders by the Federal Government has affected the revenue drive of the Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Border Command, even as the command announced a shortfall in its revenue target for year 2019.


Customs Area Controller, Seme Command, Comptroller Mohammed Uba Garba said this in a press statement sent to our correspondent yesterday by the spokesman of the command, Hussaini Onawo said the command has collected N4, 941, 393, 548. 90 from January till date


This revenue represents a 76% implementation of its annual allotted target of N 6, 506, 588, 275. 31.
This is a far cry from the N 5, 078, 768 371.42 recorded in the same period of 2018.


Compt Uba said “The shortfalls is as a result of border drill exercise that was initiated by federal government, which commenced 20th August this year, placing temporary embargo on movement of goods through the land borders nationwide”


“Although, the command has been surpassing its monthly allotted targets of  N 542, 115,689.61 with exception of few months that we recorded slide shortfall as a result of general elections that was held earlier this year”


“In June this year, the command achieved its highest revenue collection of  N 895, 266, 383 60 representing 165% of that month collections”


In the area of anti smuggling, he said the command has so far seized contrabands worth N1billion in eleven months.


According to the release, the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Mohammed Uba Garba disclosed that, within the period of eleven months reviewed, the command anti-smuggling operations yielded a total of N 1,578,825,136.00


These seizures include the following;28,180x50kg bags of foreign parboiled rice, equivalent to 47 trailers load with DPV plus levy of N777,735,270.00Sugar 140x50kg with DPV N588,000.0062 nos of used vehicles and means of conveyance  DPV   N220, 435,130.00 1100 bales of used clothing and 101 sacks of used clothing DPV N70,173,465.00


Others are 185 sacks of shoes, bags, belt, slippers both new and used DPV  N 27, 600,704.001,539x6yrd, 30x7yrd, 16x6yrd textile materials and wrappers DPV  N10,521,475.005,489 cartons of frozen poultry products  DPV N49,401, 000.00397x25ltrs of vegetable oil, 9x10ltrs and 37x5ltrs of vegetable oil DPV  N138,620,396.002,109x25ltrs of premium motor spirit (PMS) DPV  N7,697,299.00General merchandise 14, 955 items DPV N 234, 390 597.00Hard drugs / narcotics 1992 parcels DPV N37, 874, 400.00


He attributed the harvest of seizures recorded during the period under review to the strategic policy measures put in place to tackle the menace of smuggling, irregular migrations and other trans-border crimes.


He further reiterated his commitment of ensuring that smuggling business becomes unattractive through vigorous community and public enlightenment, sensitization on the dangers of smuggling and its impact on economy and national security. 


The comptroller urged economic saboteurs to take the advantage of various federal government programs on agriculture such as anchored borrowers for rice farming, growth enhancement support scheme (GESS), government enterprises and empowerment program  (GEEP) and many others and key into for legitimate earning.

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