The Nation Newspaper

Tag: customs

  • Customs decries attacks on officials by host communities

    The Zonal Coordinator, Zone `A’, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Assistant Comptroller-General Eporwei Edike, yesterday decried the frequent attacks on his men by youths in Seme area.

    Edike made the remark while addressing stakeholders of host communities at the Customs Community Consultative Forum held at the Customs Seme Area Command in Seme.

    He urged the stakeholders to address their subjects to stop the violent attacks on Customs officers.

    “The incessant clashes between Customs officers and people in the host communities are becoming too frequent and it is alarming to the Comptroller -General of Customs.

    “There must be a cordial relationship between the host communities and Customs officials as both parties must learn to live together as one so that the parties can discharge their duties cordially.

    “The frequent attack by youths in the communities on Customs officials who are discharging their duties lawfully is worrisome.

    “So the chiefs should talk to their subjects so that they can apply wisdom in what they do.

    “People should not see Customs officials as their enemies but they should  them as people who are carrying out the instructions of the Federal Government to generate revenue so as to help the country.

    “People must learn that violence can never solve problems but would worsen it. So we must learn to live with each other peacefully,” the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quotes him as saying.

    The assistant comptroller-general advised Customs officials to carry out their duties professionally.

    “Customs officials are well trained and educated in carrying out their duties but there are some over-zealous ones who must be cautioned and would be dealt with accordingly.

    “We frown at situations where Customs officials make licensed agents to overpay for the duty of products and people must also pay the duty on products or items that are bought.

    “People should desist from any form of smuggling as it has negative effects on the economy of the country; and we all know how things are difficult in the country at the moment.

    “We must encourage legitimate trade so as to improve the situation of the country, ” NAN quotes Edike as saying.

    He said that the number of checkpoints was determined by the Area Controller of a command but it is done in accordance with the law.

    The Sole Administrator, Badagry West, Mr Genesis Williams, urged the commamd to reduce the multiple checkpoints on the road noting that it results to traffic.

    “There are so many checkpoints on the Badagry/Seme Expressway and this result to heavy traffic. The situation is also escalated by Customs officials on the road.

  • Committee seeks Customs, FIRS merger

    Committee seeks Customs, FIRS merger

    The National Tax Policy Review Committee has advised the Federal Government to merge the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to improve revenue generation and accountability.

    The draft of the policy was presented at the Committee’s second stakeholders engagement yesterday in Abuja by Mr Taiwo Oyedele, who is the West Africa Tax Leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

    Oyedele said the committee agreed that the current system promoted multitaxation, tax evasion and wastage, saying ”part of our recommendation will be that FIRS and Customs should be merged; but not just them, but all revenue generating agencies at the federal level should be merged into one.”

    He said what exists now is not effective, because it duplicates the collection mechanism. “All the structures you have in FIRS is replicated in Customs, so cost of collection goes up. It also makes it easier for tax evaders to manipulate the system. You can provide information for customs and FIRS is not aware of it,” Oyedele said.

    According to him,having one revenue agency “will flag all the information about a tax payer when he or she is paying tax. It will also ensure that leakages in the system are reduced. This is why we are recommending merger as part of the policy.”

    The committee also recommended the introduction of Tax Amnesty Programme. He said some companies or individuals might be afraid to join the tax net for fear of being asked to pay past tax liabilities. A tax amnesty, he said “would assure the public that past offences would be forgiven, thus enable government to expand the tax net.”

    Other key recommendations of the draft policy include establishment of Taxation Committee at national, and state assemblies, administrative framework for amnesty and whistle blowing.

    These, the committee said, were necessary to move Nigeria from its current position of 181 out of 189 countries to top 50 on the Ease of Paying Taxes World Report.

    The Chairman of the Committee, Prof. Abiola Sanni, said the need to improve revenue generation in the economy influenced the decisions of the committee.

    The National Tax Policy was first published in 2012 by the then Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to entrench a robust and efficient tax system in Nigeria. The committee was, however, set up by the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun on August 10 this year to review the existing policy.

  • Ogun customs intercept rice, N20m fake anti-malaria drugs

    Ogun customs intercept rice, N20m fake anti-malaria drugs

    Operatives of Customs Area Command in Ogun State have intercepted fake anti-malaria and anti-biotic drugs worth N20 million.

    The disclosure was made by the state Controller of Customs, Mr Multafu Wandu, at a press briefing held in the Idiroko Area Command in Ipokia Local Government Area.

    He said that the drugs were discovered during a raid on an illegal warehouse where 500 bags of rice were also evacuated. He said: “Just last week, our operatives raided an illegal warehouse at Okere creek near Bawe Gbo in Ipokia. The raid resulted in the confiscation of 500 bags of rice with a duty paid value of N5, 100, 000.

    “Also seized were 33 cartons of substandard medicaments imported illegally through the Nigerian/Benin Republic border. These medicaments which include six cartons of Fluctox injection, four cartons of Goldwin dusting powder, four cartons of Ondecan injection, five cartons of Meropen injection, seven cartons of Himadium capsules, six cartons of Artemeter anti-malarial injection, among others, all valued at N20, 000, 000 were stored in this warehouse for onward transportation into the country to be sold in the open market.’’

    While handing over the drugs to the officer in charge of Port Inspectorate Directorate Unit of the National Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in Ogun State, Mr Datol Bitrus Andrew, Wandu added that the operation was successfully carried out following a tip-off. “It is pertinent to reiterate here the mandate given to the service to ensure that smuggling activities are suppressed to the barest minimum and of course this has propelled the operatives of this command to put in untiring efforts to combat the scourge.

    “Therefore, I wish to use this medium to solicit the support of the media and other government agencies for more synergy, especially through information sharing so that our common goal will be achieved.”

    Andrew said: “The drugs have no NAFDAC number. Maybe this is how they have been bringing fake drugs into the country to be sold to unsuspecting members of public. And only God knows what could have happened to people who might consume the drugs if they had not been intercepted by Customs.

    “NAFDAC is short of personnel, hence, we have been working with sister agencies to ensure that fake or substandard drugs are not brought into the country.”

  • Customs revenue collection hits N557b

    Customs revenue collection hits N557b

    The total revenue which the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) collected from January to August this year was N557,083,996,324.16.

    According to the summary of monthly revenue figure that The Nation obtained from the corporate headquarters in Abuja yesterday, revenue collection rose from N75.6 billion in July to N95.7billion in August.

    In June, the service collected N72.7billion, May N57.3, April N57.3 billion, March 61.2billion , February N62.8 billion and N74.3billion in January.

    The total import duty in cash in the eight months under review was N286.7billion, while the total Negotiable Duty Credit Certificate (NDCC)in non-cash receipt was N203 billion. In the period under review, the NCS said that it collected N28 billion from excise duty, N1.1 billion fees, and recorded N57.9billion federation account levies.

    The NCS noted that its non-federation accounts levies in the period was N73.3billion while its Value Added Tax (VAT) was N109 billion.

    The Public Relations Officer, Mr. Wale Adeniyi however told The Nation that the rise in revenue was due to the new forex exchange regime following a review from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) that the Service applied in its duty collection.

    On the increase in revenue collection in August, he said the service commenced operation of the new policy in July that boosted revenue only a month later.

    He said: “As you would expect there was a change in foreign exchange regime. It was a review of the foreign exchange rate which was reviewed by the CBN. And we are using the extant rate applicable to compute the value for the payment of customs duties.

    “We used the advelorem system- meaning that what you are going to pay for duty is a total of the cost and the freights. And it was calculated using the exchange rate that is applicable. So you expect once there is a change in that rate there is also a change in the in the value.

    “We started this new policy in July and this is already affecting revenue situation in August. In practical terms it means that the total landing cost for these goods in Nigeria has increased. Though the rate of duty has been constant, there hasn’t been any revision in the rate of duty because there is a higher cost of value it has translated to a higher duty.”

  • ‘Customs collected over N95b in August’

    ‘Customs collected over N95b in August’

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has collected N95.7 billion in August, its hihest collection in the last 10 months.

    Its Public Relations Unit on its website yesterday, said: “Last month, August 2016, the Service recorded the highest revenue in 10 years despite the Forex difficulty, low imports and general economic downturn. The Service generated N95,760,763,642.04, a feat that points to the efficacy of the Comptroller-General’s policy thrust.”

    According to the statement, the strong position of the Comptroller-General’s on the issues of discipline, integrity and strict adherence to customs codes and clearance procedures is yielding positive results in the areas of suppression of smuggling and revenue collection.

    The statement reads in part: “Col. Hammed Ibrahim Ali (rtd) on assumption of office as the Comptroller-General of Customs August last year arrived with a three prone Presidential Mandate namely:- reform, restructure and raise revenue.

    “To achieve these, he drew his policy thrust, which harped, on honesty,integrity and transparency as bases for achieving the mandate. Starting from the Headquarters and then to all customs formations across the country.

    “Knowing that reform and restructuring are activities within the Nigeria Customs Service, while raising the much needed revenue requires cooperation and compliance from the part of stakeholders, the CGC embarked on stakeholders visitations to secure their buy into the new way of doing business with the service.

    “After one year at the helm of affairs, the NCS, revenue generation profile has continued to be on the rise.

    “Last month, August 2016, the service recorded the highest revenue in 10 years despite the forex difficulty, low imports and general economic downturn. The service generated N95,760,763,642.04, a feat that points to the efficacy of the CG’s policy thrust.

    “The strong stance of the CG on issues of discipline, integrity and strict adherence to customs codes and clearance procedures is yielding positive results in the areas of suppression of smuggling and revenue collection.”

  • Customs to tackle fraud at ports

    THE Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Tin Can Island Port Command, has devised means of arresting unscrupulous importers and clearing agents.

    NCSArea Controller Yusuf Bashar, it was gathered, directed his men to ensure that cargo examination was done twice at the terminals to prevent leakages and boost clearance.

    The exercise, the command’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr Uche Ejesieme, said  began at the Ports and Cargo Terminal.

    Bashar has handed over a 40-ft container of suspected expired medical devices to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for analysis.

    He also handed over two persons to the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) for allegedly falsifying its Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP) document.

    The Apapa Area Command collected N34, 923,757,810.77 last month, making it its highest monthly generation so far this year.

  • Customs seizes 25,000 bags of rice

    Customs seizes 25,000 bags of rice

    The Nigeria Customs  Service (NCS)  has intensified its war against smugglers with the seizure of  over 25,000 bags of rice, it was learnt.

    The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘A’, Ikeja, it was gathered, has over 11,000 bags of the seized rice in its store; while its Tin-Can Island counterpart, Apapa,  impounded about 14,000 bags of illegally imported rice from China.

    The market value of the item, it was gathered, is between N450 million and N500 million based on the market price of between N18,000 and N20,000 per 50kg bag.

    A senior official of the Customs, who asked not to be named, told The Nation that over 11,000 bags of rice at the FOU, Ikeja, were seized at various locations within its zone.

    The seizure, it was gathered, is in line with the resolve of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali to checkmate smugglers at the ports and border stations.

    Investigation around the Lagos ports and borders last week revealed that the Customs has moved against illegal importation of rice, illicit drugs, vegetable oil, textile, used clothes, confectionery, juices, used bags and other prohibited items.

    It was gathered that the rate of smuggling of rice and some other goods from Benin Republic into the country through the borders, has reduced based on the directive from the CGC to all the Commands to increase foot patrol along bush paths, as well as raise the level of intelligence gathering by its officers.

    When The Nation visited the borders last weekend, Customs officers from the Customs Headquarters were stationed on Sango-Ota/Owode-Idiroko road and Okoko/Agbara-Badagry Expressway with their vehicles roving the towns  around the border.

    When The Nation left for the Idiroko border  last Saturday, apart from the skeletal checkpoints mounted by the police on the road, Customs officers were seen at Abule-Egba, Sango toll gate, Ojore, Atan and Owode.

    At the Idiroko border, most vehicles were stopped by Customs officers who searched and seized contrabands, including small quantities of rice and cartons of frozen chicken from traders.

    Investigation, however, revealed that the smugglers are using motorcycles to ferry about 10 bags of smuggled rice from the bush around Seme to Badagry, Mowo, Agbara, Igbo Elerin, Okoko to Alaba-Rago, Oyingbo and Ido markets.

    Customs Public Relations Officer at the FOU, Ikeja, Mr Jerry Attah, said the CGC and the Area Controller Umar Mohammed Dahiru, had set in motion a system that makes the fight against smuggling more serious.

    He said the surveillance became possible because of the vehicles given to them.

    “The unit is working very hard to change its modus operandi to suit the exigencies of the moment and to ensure that it remains on top of the smugglers antics in all ramifications, particularly in terms of enhanced intelligence gathering network,” he said.

    Attah reiterated the unit’s commitment to ensuring smuggling and other anti-economic activities are stopped.

  • Customs shuts export unit at Lagos Airport

    Customs shuts export unit at Lagos Airport

    Exporters of perishable goods /vegetables have condemned  the shutting down of the Export Unit at the Lagos international airport by officials of the Federal Operations Unit of the Nigerian Customs Service.

    They  said the shutting down has led to loss of revenue.

    The exporters alleged that Customs would have acted following a tip off about some unscrupulous Chinese who were exporting donkey skin through Emirates Airline.

    Confirming the incident, Captain John Okakpu Chief Executive Officer, ABX World, described the exporters frustrations as unquantifiable, saying they  have already lost millions of Naira following the Customs action.

    He said  Customs ought to have carried out a thorough investigation before shutting down all export businesses at the Lagos Airport.

    Capt. John said the action negates Federal Government’s agricultural road map which was launched by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo on Monday.

    He said, “We have even contacted the Nigrian Export Promotion Council and they are outraged. This is counter productive. You don’t shut down the whole export unit because some people are suspected to be engaged in illegal business.

    “What happens to the perishable items that ought to be exported since Monday? Who pays for the millions lost? Is this how to promote economic development in the country? We are telling the whole country to know that Customs has done something very anti-agric and economic growth,” he stated.

    In a swift reaction, an official of the Nigerian Customs Service, Murtala Muhammed International Airport Command, said the closure was sequel to information, the service received concerning some prohibited items .

    The official who pleaded not be named, said Customs operatives have been stationed at the export unit to investigate the tip off it received on the status of the items.

    The official said it would amount to deriliction of duty if such information was treated with levity .

    The official said : “ I can confirm to you that our operatives have shut down the facility . This is to enable us carry out a thorogh investigations on the information we got. Our men are still stationed there to ensure that we get to the root of the matter.”

    Meanwhile, the ground handling companies, the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company ( NAHCO ), Plc and Skyways Aviation Handling Company Limited              (SAHCOL), have kicked against the closure of the export unit.

  • Lagos NURTW disowns branch meeting with Customs

    Lagos NURTW disowns branch meeting with Customs

    The Lagos State Council of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) has disassociated itself from a meeting between officers of Mile12 branch of the union and Seme Command of the Nigeria Customs Services

    Some officers of Mile 12 branch of the Lagos NURTW (Perishable foodstuffs) led by its chairman, Mr Segun Ebiniyi, recently held a meeting with Seme Customs Area Comptroller David Victory Dimka during which some issues about the branch were discussed.

    But Lagos state chairman of the union, Alhaji Tajudeen Agbede, said the branch officers were not qualified to hold such meeting as the issues raised at the meeting were supposed to be handled by the Lagos coordinator in charge of Heavy Truck Department, Comrade Richard Adeyanju, who was appointed by the National Headquarters.

    He said the state council would direct the state coordinator to fix another time to meet the officers of the union for discussion on how to smoothen the relationship between the union and men of the Nigerian Customs

    The Lagos NURTW boss warned members of the union to always get clearance from the state secretariat of the union before having such meeting or dealing with any organ of the government.

  • Customs generates N130b in Tin Can

    Customs generates N130b in Tin Can

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Tincan Island Command generated N130,763,183, 793.00 between January and last month.

    Its Controller Y. U. Bashar, who spoke yesterday in Lagos while receiving  stakeholders in the maritime idustry in his office said  the statutory function of the command  remained revenue generation and facilitation of legitimate trade. He stressed that efforts were being made for port users to comply strictly  with alid down rules and  standards  of operation.

    He said the operations, processes and procedures of the NCS are fully automated to boost the trade facilitation programme of the Federal Government.

    The Controller however, said trade facilitation could only be achieved when the importers and clearing agents are transparent in their declarations.

    Reacting to the increase in the exchange rate for calculating import duty, Bashar pointed out that the NCS as an agency of the Federal Government is charged with the implementation of its fiscal policies in terms of trade.

    “It is instructive to note that the NCS by its statutory role, does not determine exchange rate, but only rely on the CBN to update us with the information in accordance with its establishing act.  It is therefore, pertinent to note that the current situation is beyond the Customs,” he said.

    The Controller added that the Command’s operational methodology is in tandem  with  the change ideology of the  Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (rtd),  which encompasses discipline, integrity, transparency and due diligence.

    He told the group that there is a paradigm shift in the operational system of the command aimed at ensuring that the time of cargo delivery is reduced to the barest minimum.

    He expressed desire to sustain stakeholder engagement, strengthen professionalism, promote inter-agency collaboration and synergy and ensure robust relationship. He stressed the need for “on the job capacity building” to enhance knowledge of personnel, particularly of modern trends and practices which promote trade facilitation.