By Martha Agas

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), is determined to smoke out food hoarders as part of its contribution to checking inflation, its Comptroller-General (C-G), Adewale Adeniyi, has stated.

“The service will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that the business of food hoarders is unprofitable,” Adeniyi declared in Abuja on Wednesday at a media briefing on achievements in the past one year.

He said that the NCS recorded 1,744 cases of rice and grains seizures valued at N4.4billion, in the efforts to curb smuggling.

“These concerted efforts underscore the NCS’ commitment to protecting society and ensuring national security,’’ he said.

He said that in the past one year, one of the leading policy measures it implemented was the transition from the repealed Customs and Excise Act of 2004 to the newly signed Nigeria Customs Service Act of 2023.

He explained that the new act strengthened the modernisation of NCS operations and promoted innovation within the service.

The C-G emphasised that the new act also formed the basis for several trade facilitation measures currently being pursued by NCS, including the recent transition from Fast Track 2.0 to the Authorised Economic Operators (AEO) concept.

He highlighted that the Advanced Ruling system, which also originated from the act, represented a significant advancement in aligning NCS operations with global best practices.

“This initiative is now at an advanced stage of implementation,’’ he said.

He added that Time Release Study was also inaugurated in February to identify and address bottlenecks in the clearance process aimed at easing trade facilitation.

The C-G further noted that it decongested ports and reopened previously inaccessible access roads.

“In response to the need for dedicated terminals to process export goods, the NCS command at the Port of Lilypond was designated to handle export transactions.

“Other targeted measures to jointly facilitate trade and enhance revenue collection by the service include implementation of the presidential approval to decongest the ports area and improve logistics around the port in line with the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023.

“NCS also commenced 24-hour clearance at the Port of Tincan Island, Lagos, in line with the Presidential Directive to enforce 48- hour clearance of goods,’’ he said.

According to the customs boss, NCS also implemented measures to address national security concerns which include strengthening and reinforcing the Federal Operating Units to pursue, intercept, arrest and dismantle smuggling networks.

He said that new frontiers of interagency cooperation were established with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), finalising arrangements to integrate both systems to minimise the registration of smuggled vehicles.

“The service also commenced engagement with critical stakeholders like the Health Federation of Nigeria (HFN), with the support of the Federal Ministry of Finance, to facilitate the clearance of medical goods.

“This collaboration aims to ultimately reduce challenges and costs, making these services more affordable for Nigerians and specifically targeting the Presidential Priority Areas on healthcare,’’ he said.

He said that NCS was recently ranked by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) among the top five Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

The assessment was conducted among 36 MDAs, with NCS achieving a perfect score of 100 per cent, marking 81.5 per cent increase from its previous average scores of 18.45 per cent between 2020 and 2022, and 18.53 per cent in 2023. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Abiemwense Moru

By Martha Agas

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), says it has recorded 74 per cent increase in revenue growth in the last one year.

The Comptroller General (C-G) of the service, Adewale Adeniyi, stated this on Wednesday in Abuja, during a Press briefing on NCS’ achievements in the last one year.

Adeniyi said that the service recorded a total revenue collection of N4.49 Trillion between June 2023 and May 2024, compared to the N2.58 trillion collected during the corresponding period of the previous year.

“This achievement was underpinned by a sustained increase of 70.13 per cent in average monthly revenue collection, compared to the previous year.

“ NCS recorded an average monthly revenue collection of N343 billion, compared to the N202 billion monthly average.

“ Notably, there was a substantial 122.35 per cent increase in revenue collection during the first quarter of 2024, compared to the same period in the previous year,” he said.

The C-G said these giant strides recorded were as a result of the service’s various strategic initiatives, which included the collection of N15 billon by the Revenue Review Performance Recovery exercise.

He explained that N2.79 billion was realised from the 90-day window for the regularisation of documents of uncustomed vehicles.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the NCS in March, granted a 90-day grace period for payment of import duties on improperly imported vehicles, as part of its commitment to facilitating compliance.

He added that N1.5 billion was realised from the decongestion of 1,705 overtime containers and 981 vehicles from the port.

“It is also worthy of note that on June 13, 2024, NCS recorded a daily All-Time-High of N58.5 billion in revenue collection,“ he said.

Adeniyi also noted that the NCS’ anti-smuggling efforts in the last year resulted in 63 seizures related to animal and wild life products, valued at N566 million, and seven seizures of arms and ammuition made through the ports and borders.

“ In terms of illicit drugs, a combined total of 127 cases involving narcotics and pharmaceutical products, valued at over N6 billion, were seized.

“The Service also recorded 724 seizures of 2.93 million litres of PMS (Premium Motor Spirit), that wad being attempted to be smuggled out of the country,“ he said.

He explained that the illegal dealings in petroleum products had remained an issue of great concern to relevant stakeholders, adding however, that the Operation Whirlwind would continue to intercept and disrupt the activities of smugglers.

NAN reports that Operation Whirlwind was recently inaugurated by NCS to combat smuggling of petroleum products to neigbouring countries.

The C-G said as part of its effforts to ensure food security and curb the smuggling of food in and out of the country, the service recorded 1,744 cases of rice and grain seizures, valued at N4.4 billion.

“These concerted efforts underscore the NCS’s commitment to protecting society and! ensuring national security,“ Adeniyi said. (NAN (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Nyisom Dore