The Apapa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service says it has intercepted 24 containers of tomato pastes and vegetable oils from China with Duty Paid Value of about N200, 886, 124.
Newly-promoted Acting Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Abubakar disclosed this at a valedictory press briefing and handing over ceremony of the Apapa Area Command to Comptroller Mohammed Abba-Kura yesterday in Lagos.
Abubakar said the seizures were made between January 1st and March 14th, 2019.
He also said that the command between January and February 2019 collected N60 billion. He said this commendable feat was achieved despite the lull in business activities due to the apprehension of the 2019 general elections.
ACG Abubakar also noted that the export seat of the command has also built an increased level of compliance in documentation . The seat recorded exports with FOB value of 2,505,76 USD which translates into about N5.5billion.
He said "Within the last two months, I have seized 24 containers of tomato pastes, I cannot imagine that with all the tomatoes we grow in Nigeria, somebody would still go to China to import containers of tomato pastes"
"We have recorded N60 billion in two months, if we go by the 2018 figure, we are expecting N35 billion per month"
"The annual target of Customs have not been handed over to the command, but the 2018 target was 426, 192, 827. which translates into a monthly target of N35 billion"
Also speaking, the new Comptroller of the command, Compt Aba kura assured that he was reviving the monthly stakeholders meeting which his predecessor had cancelled for lack of results.
He charged stakeholders to improve on their compliance level by ensuring accurate cargo declaration.
He said "What I would tell the stakeholders is that they should improve their compliance, they should make genuine and honest declarations in order to facilitate trade, if they are not doing good declarations then we would have issues"
"We are going to continue meeting the stakeholders periodically, if they have challenges, let them bring it forward.
There is going to be capacity building for officers in the command as well as the stakeholders"
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