Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR.

The Nigeria Customs Service has said it handled a total of 10, 786 Single Goods Declaration (SGDs) documents for non-oil export goods comprising mainly of agricultural and allied produce in the first quarter of 2024. This represents a 10.6per cent growth rate when compared to the 9,752 SGDs handled in the comparative period of last year.

The service also collected a mouth-watering revenue of N1.34trillion within the first three months of the year across all its commands and operations, representing a substantial increase of 122.35per cent when compared to the N606.1billion collected in the comparative period of last year.

Briefing newsmen on the activities of the service for the first quarter of the year in Abuja, Wednesday, Comptroller General of the service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, disclosed that the management of Customs under his watch is particularly interested in the growth of the country’s non-oil export sector.

This, according to him is to align with the priorities of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led administration and the initiatives pursued by the service since assumption of office last year.

He further disclosed that a significant portion of the growth in non-oil export volumes occurred in January 2024 when 4,067 transactions were processed as against the 3,352 SGDs in 2023, representing a 29.69 growth rate.

While giving a month-on-month breakdown of the revenue figures, the CGC disclosed that the service recorded an upsurge in its revenue in the month of January 2024, collecting a whopping N390.8billion as against the N199.8billion collected in the comparative period of 2022, which represents a 95.60per cent increase.

Recall that the Federal government had given the service an annual revenue target of N5.07 trillion for the 2024, which translates to a monthly revenue target of N423 billion.

Available records also show that this upward trend continued in February 2024, with a staggering 138.68per cent growth, as Customs revenue  rose to N450.2billion from the N188.6billion collected in February 2023 while it further grew by 132.76per cent from N217.7billion in March 2022 to N506.7billion in March 2024.

Reacting to the impressive revenue performance in the first quarter of 2024, the CGC said: “We are pleased to report an average monthly rerevenue   growth of 6.2per cent over the set monthly target and a cumulative revenue collection of 18.6per cent, equivalent to N78.67billion over the set quarterly  target of N1.27 trillion.”

In terms of anti-smuggling operations, the service also recorded a superlative performance in the first quarter of 2024, as it recorded a total of 572 seizures, encompassing various items with a duty paid value DPV of N10.6billion.

A breakdown shows that 111 seizures were recorded in January amounting to N 842.9million in DPV, while February marked the highest seizure numbers of 432, totaling N3.7billion in DPV. A further breakdown shows that rice constituted 39per cent of the total seizures, followed by petroleum products at 26per cent while motor vehicles and textiles accounted for nine per cent and six per cent respectively.

It was further gathered that a total of 22 suspects were detained over these seizures, even as plans are on to commence appropriate legal measures to be taken against the suspects in accordance with the provisions of the new Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.

Speaking on these successes, the Customs CG said: “A myriad of deliberate factors have contributed to the successes around NCS key performance indicators. It is important to acknowledge the dedication and efforts of the officers and men of NCS who have worked tirelessly and around the clock to ensure consistent and upward momentum. NCS officers have played a key role in driving the implementation of initiatives, as evidenced by our performance across the three core statutory responsibilities set by the government. Among these initiatives is the introduction of the E-auction, which generated a total revenue of N1.6 billion in February and March, 2024.

“Furthermore, stakeholders from both the private and public sectors have played an instrumental role in our recorded successes. Their commitment and enthusiasm towards our objectives have been commendable, especially in adhering to the terms of various Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) during bilateral engagements and larger forums like the National Trade Facilitation Committee. Additionally, significant commitments were documented at the last Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC’s) Conference, notably enshrined in the Lagos Continental Declaration, highlighting the collective effort and collaboration towards our shared goals.

“It is imperative to highlight the ongoing support of the government, particularly in approving initiatives aimed at fulfilling the mandate of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS). Among these initiatives, notable is the granting of a 90- day window to owners of un-customed vehicles, facilitating the payment of appropriate duties on previously imported vehicles into the country. Members of the public are strongly advised to avail themselves of this opportunity to regularise their papers, as failure to do so will result in applicable penalties.”

He however listed some of the challenges faced by the service during the review period to include what he described as ‘systemic challenges’ that impeded its ability to fulfil some of its statutory responsibilities effectively.

These challenges, it was further gathered revolved around issues related to non-compliance with regulations, infrastructure limitations, and a notable decline in cargo throughput, evidenced by a 4.89per cent decrease in the volume of transactions handled.

“Additionally, significant fluctuations in exchange rates applied in the Customs clearance of consignments posed considerable difficulties. As per protocol, the exchange rate utilised by Customs in the clearance of goods via the Nigeria Integrated Customs      Information System NICIS is based on the rate determined by the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN”, the CGC also said.