The Nigeria Customs Service’s (NCS) Apapa Area Command Reports that the commands collected N676 Billion as revenue between January to August 2023 Period.
During the handover ceremony in Apapa on Tuesday, the departing Customs Area Controller, Auwal Mohammed, conveyed this information to the incoming controller, Babajide Jaiyeoba.
Mohammed was promoted to the rank of Assistant Controller General of Customs in charge of Technical Services at Customs Headquarters, Abuja, a few weeks ago. He was then redeployed out of Apapa ports, and Jaiyeoba was transferred from the Oyo/Osun command to Apapa to replace him.
In addition, he noted that August saw the command achieving its highest monthly and daily revenue.
He said, “A total of N136bn was collected as monthly revenue in August while N10bn was collected on 3rd of August, 2023 being the highest monthly and daily collections in the history of the Nigeria Customs Service.”
Mohammed enumerated some of the seizures made within the period under review, including, “N22bn worth of tramadol packed in 720 cartons containing 143.8 million units of 225mg tablets and weighing 10.3 tons”.
Furthermore, he stated that within the past eight months, the command transferred an additional 20 cartons of illicit drugs worth N1.4 billion to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
Mohammed revealed that the command’s operational successes during his tenure were a result of teamwork, diligence, and a steadfast commitment to zero compromise.
He encouraged the officers to remain vigilant in thwarting smuggling and the importation of prohibited items.
According to him, “The port is critical to the economy and national security therefore imports and export prohibition lists should be adhered to at all times.”
Mohammed commended the officers of the command for their outstanding performance during his tenure as the CAC of Apapa.
In his earlier remarks, Jaiyeoba emphasized his readiness for the responsibilities at hand. These include ensuring the proper collection of government revenue and fostering a culture of compliance within the command.
He earnestly sought the support of both the officers and stakeholders of the command to fulfill his commitment to maintaining the impressive revenue performance set by his predecessor.
Jaiyeoba gave both the officers and stakeholders his assurance that he would implement an open-door policy at the command, facilitate trade, and prevent revenue leakages.