By Edu Abade
The Enugu/Anambra/Ebonyi Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has announced an unprecedented revenue collection amounting to N50.847 billion in the 2024 fiscal year.
Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Command, Comptroller Comfort Ukpanah, who made this known in a media briefing in Enugu, yesterday, said the figure represents over 50 percent increase in revenue collection when compared to the N27.954 billion collected in 2023, a feat never achieved since the inception of the command.
Her words: “This breakthrough was achieved through our deliberate and concerted efforts at alignment with the three policy guidelines of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Bashir Adeniyi, namely: Consultation, Innovation and Consolidation.
“In this regard, the Command worked assiduously to create an all-inclusive methodology in our modus operandi with our stakeholders. Consequently, the command leveraged on that to galvanize and earn the trust of our esteemed stakeholders in adhering very strictly to the extant guidelines in terms of trade.
“Additionally, the command developed a template for monitoring compliance by the stakeholders as well as with the commitment levels of our officers/men to ensure that all verified operational gaps are blocked. This procedure was also applied to our excise factories and parcel post functions, while the command, through intelligence sharing and collaboration was able to identify excise factories that were hitherto not brought under excise control.”
Ukpanah, while presenting the Command’s scorecard for 2024, further explained that the Command ensured 24-hour surveillance on activities of such factories, in addition to the existing ones, to ensure that appropriate excise duties were collected, just as it clearly understands the risk in not paying attention to parcel posts, which resulted in reviewing its strategies.
She said the period under review had its peculiar challenges occasioned by the global economic recession, adding: “However, the resilience and deep commitment of our officers and men enabled us to ensure that identified areas of Revenue leakages were blocked with a view to collecting all collectible Revenue.
“The command is not oblivious of its’ obligations and role in realising the revenue target set for the NCS in view of the fact that Service has a pivotal role in the overall revenue projection for the country. You will recall that just recently, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced a N49.74 trillion budget for 2025.
“In view of this, the Command will take steps to re-position its operations and create fresh operational strategies to ensure that we meet and even surpass our revenue target for the New Year as we have the competence and capacity to achieve that.”
Ukpanah revealed that during the year under review, the Command prioritized several activities aimed at strengthening the existing relationship between the service and other agencies, including traditional institutions.
“We had the exceptional support of the various security and regulatory agencies with which we operated. Also, intelligence sharing was a critical factor that necessitated our giant strides.
“The highlight of the activities was the visit of the National chairperson of the Customs Officers Wives Association (COWA), Mrs. Kikelomo Adewale Adeniyi with her National Executives to the Command.
“The visit afforded the national chairperson the opportunity to inspect and commission all completed COWA projects in the Command, especially the ultra-modern clinic serving the health needs of not only our officers, but also communities close to the Command,” she added.
She commended CGC Adeniyi the NCS Management Team for their support and guidance, which provided the Command with the wherewithal to deliver on its mandate, adding: May I assure the CGC that the Command will remain a strong link in the value chain in assisting the Service to realise the huge expectations of Nigerians and the President.
Ukpanah, who also applauded the operators, compliant traders, media partners as well as officers and men of the Command for their support and effort during the period, cautioned operators contemplating non-compliance with the extant guidelines on trade to have a rethink or be ready to face the full wrath of the law.
