The Controller of the Apapa Port Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, has stated that generating the highest revenue was achieved through compliance and collaboration with sister agencies within the port environment.
The Command generated N1.8 trillion revenue for the first 10 months of 2024, surpassing the 2023 collection of N931 billion by 101% . In July 2024 alone, the command collected N201,853,406,964.61, its highest monthly collection in history.
Babatunde Olomu made the statement during a panel discussion on ” Building a Culture of Compliance: Inter-agency Cooperation in Border Management” which involved top border and ports security agents at the CGC’s Conference 2024.
Comptroller Olomu said that N72m was generated recently from a container and this achivement was made as a result of the intervention from National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Emmanuel Ohene, the Deputy Commissioner of Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) , disclosed that the Authority has introduced a digital platform which is known as the Integrated Customs Management System that is an end-to-end system and connects every stakeholders and partners in the port community.
He added that information is shared on this platform to enable the Authority conduct activities in the management of risk, collection of revenue and enforcement of permit license and other regulatory requirements.
“This community has proven to be extremely robust because every agency onboard is compelled to function in the Integrated Customs Management System.
“We have also gone further to ensure that we have created Memorandum of Understanding with virtually every operative in the port community. Through this ,we are able to collaborate and ensure that in due time, issues that concern security, trade facilitation and revenue mobilization is handled properly.” he said.
Still on the issue of Interagency Cooperation, the NDLEA Deputy Commander General of Narcotics, Sunday Drambi who represented the NDLEA Chairman/CEO , Buba Marwa explained that in the area of risk assessment ,the agency has observed that some people use ficticious addresses to import containers that contain illicit goods. He noted that the agency has suggested that the profile of the companies importing the containers be registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission.
“This is in order to know if the company is registered or not. It is a red flag if a company is not registered and it is importing goods. It is also important as we work with Customs. We need to have the shipping document in order for us to carry out intelligence findings to know the persons involved before we take off the containers .This will go a very long way in enforcing drug law in Nigeria.”
The Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) on Border Patrol , Badru Banji Lawal who represented the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun revealed that many people in the society are not aware of the border patrol which exist in all 27 border points in Nigeria. He explained that the border patrol was established in 2005 by General Olusegun Obasanjo with other agencies within the border to checkmate the transborder crime and some other illegal activities going on within the border.
“Recently, in Imeko, Ogun State, our officers were able to track some of these illegal activities .The case has been transferred to Ogun state Police Command for investigation. With this, all our checkpoints all over Nigeria will be able to deal with similar cases and I know that most of the Customs officers who are working along with our officers know the role we are playing together.”
The Nigeria Immigration Service Deputy Comptroller General, Border Management, Micheal Dike who represented the Comptroller General of the Service, Kemi Nanna Nandap said that the Service’s relationship with the Nigeria custom service has been existing for long and continues.
“As regards our training and capacity building we had over 1,000 officers trained in Kano in April 2024.It took place in Customs training school because we didn’t have the capacity. The CGC helped us to provide the necessities for the training. When we are talking about inter-agency collaboration, it is deep rooted between Customs and the Immigration Service”.
