By BON PETERS, Port Harcourt

The Nigeria Customs Service Port Harcourt Area 1 Command has announced the generation of ₦106.593,735,469.91 as revenue collected for the first half of 2024, even as it promised to break new grounds in revenue generation.

This was contained in a press release made available on Thursday 11, July 2024, by the Commands Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Customs (SC) Oscar Ivara in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

The statement noted that the Customs Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Mustapha Hashim, disclosed that this figure showed a remarkable surplus of ₦57.982, 649,584.24 when compared to the first half of 2023 which stood at ₦48,611,085,885.67. The statement added that the figure according to Hashim, represented a 119% increase in revenue generation for the months under review.

Speaking further, Comptroller Hashim noted that the revenue collected in each month of the first half exceeded the mandated monthly target, which was averaged at ₦15,351,810,843.46 in the first quarter of the year and ₦19,189,763,554.32 in the second quarter respectively.

Emphasizing on the factors deployed to achieve such feat, he said: The efforts put in place by the Command to create an enabling environment for trade had played a major role in the astronomical rise in the revenue profile of the area.

The revenue collected in the first half of the year, all made over 100% variance with the corresponding period of 2023, particularly in May and June which stood at ₦25,016,776,741.72 and ₦20,541,439,793.02 respectively, thereby changingthe revenue landscape when compared to the corresponding period of 2023 which had ₦6,212,770,109.89 and ₦9,549,716,028.678 respectively.

The CAC further revealed that the increments varied from the differenttax heads which included Import duties, fees, excise duties, Value Added Tax (VAT), Federation Account levies and, Non-Federation account levies which are all derived from various bulk cargoes such asPremium Motor Spirit (PMS) Bitumen, Salt, Automotive Gas Oil,(Ago), Frozen fish, among others.

While promising for a conducive Business environment, at Area 1 customs Command, Comptroller Hashim says the Command is poised to make the environment more conducive to traders, but was quick to point out that, emphasis would be placed on thorough physical examination of Cargoes to forestall smuggling.

He reiterated that the Command was in full compliance with the Federal Government policy of Ease of Doing Business by ensuring that examinations are jointly conducted and clearance processes are in accordance with the Time Release Study (TRS) initiated by the World Customs Organization (WCO). He however, warned that any attempt to use the Command to smuggle illicit drugs or nefarious items such as Arms and Ammunition into the country would be met with severe sanctions.

On the inter-agency collaboration, Hashim insisted that the Command had created synergy with all Government agencies working in the Port, particularly the NDLEA, Police and the Nigeria Immigration Service, to gather information and share intelligence which will help to strengthen efficiency.

The statement noted that the Command was in high spirit as it would eventually surpass the expected annual revenue target of the Command which was set at ₦230,277,162,651.85.

While thanking the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR for his continued support for the Area Command, he promised that the Command was confident to break grounds in the Area of revenue generation.