The Muritala Muhammed Airport Command of the Nigeria Customs Service reported a revenue generation of N74.28 billion between January and October.
Speaking to journalists at the command on Wednesday, Muhammed Yusuf, the Customs Area Controller overseeing the command, stated a notable 23% increase in revenue compared to the N60.1 billion generated during the same period in 2022.
Yusuf also disclosed that during the reviewed period, the command successfully intercepted tramadol worth N3.1 billion being transported into Nigeria from Pakistan and India.
“When compared to N60.1m collected in 2022, it shows a progressive difference of N14.23bn, representing a 23 per cent increase in revenue,” he said
Yusuf mentioned that with this amount, the command has currently achieved 76.3% of its annual target.
“The was made possible as a result of the resilience of officers in ensuring that agents were made to do proper declarations and to adhere strictly to import/export guidelines in tandem with extant laws,” Yusuf stated.
The head of Customs at MMA clarified that the dispatch of unregistered pharmaceutical products, believed to be tramadol, was halted due to suspicion of surpassing the approved threshold set by the Federal Government.
“In the area of anti-smuggling activities, the command has intercepted unregistered pharmaceutical products suspected to be Tramadol tablets. The shipment was intercepted on the suspicion of exceeding the approved threshold by the Federal Government. The cumulative duty paid value of the items mentioned above stood at N3.1bn,” he added.
Nevertheless, he encouraged the command’s officers to stay dedicated and concentrated in fulfilling their responsibilities.