The Tin-Can Island Port Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it generated N78.8 billion in the first quarter of 2019, up from N76.7 billion realised in the corresponding period of 2018.

NCS Area Controller, Mohammed Musa, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) in Lagos on Sunday.

He said the command projected an income of N84 billion during the period under review but it generated about 94 per cent of the target.

Musa said the command was given a target of N343 billion for 2019, saying that it surpassed the target for two months but the election holidays affected the revenue in March.

He said the command is working hard to boost the revenue and surpassed the revenue generated in 2018.

According to him, the command is committed to the transformation of revenue collection and reporting system with the implementation of Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System (NICIS).

“There is improvement on compliance in the command, mostly because of the policies and directive from the headquarters insisting on 100 per cent examination of imported cargo with regard to protection of the environment.

“The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), retired Col. Hameed Ali, has also directed that all pharmaceutical products must be cleared from the ports, meaning that there should be no movement of pharmaceutical products to outside terminal.

“The directive was made to control the influx of Tramadol and other related goods imported into the country.

“The command also intercepted used tyres, second-hand clothing and six containers of foreign parboiled rice in the period under review,” Musa said.

He reiterated that the command would work hard to make the second quarter revenue generation better than the first quarter.

The command boss said that there were relative peace and calm in the command due to the high-level engagement, saying that its doors are open to interpretation at all times.

“If the agents need clarification on service, they get in touch with our officers and the command had also established a Dispute Resolution Committee which comprises of all the unit heads in the command.

“We also have a Help Desk which I am the Chairman and the command Public Relations Officer, Uche Ejesieme, is the Deputy Chairman of the desk.

“The Committee on Dispute Resolution takes care of challenges and if the issue is not solved by the committee, then it would be transferred to the Help desk and all issues are expected to be resolved in few hours,” he said.

He said that the idea of the introduction of the Resolution Committee and Help desk was to facilitate trade, saying that any delay in the release of cargo could affect the whole Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Musa, however, said that the command was creating competitiveness in the environment, saying that it had few arrests in the period under review and the suspects are helping in the investigations. (NAN)