The Seme Command of the Nigeria Customs Service said over the weekend that, it collected a whooping N1,247,131,069.14 in November, 2016.
In a statement issued on Saturday by its spokesperson; Mr Taupyen, S.K, the command disclosed that, in addition to the revenue haul, it also made different 99 seizures with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N82,884,308.00 in the same month.
The spokesperson also quoted the command’s Customs Area Controller (CAC); Comptroller Victor Dimka as acknowledging that the upsurge in the revenue figure of the last quarter justifies the command’s open door policy and its commitment to excel in revenue generation and its anti-smuggling operations.
Commenting on the revenue figure, the CAC attributed the huge revenue and the seizures to the commitment of his management team, the cooperation and compliance level of the stakeholders and the host communities.
He stressed that being firm and persistent with the principle of transparency, diplomacy and fairness despite forces of distraction is gradually stabilizing the command’s revenue drive. He reiterated that the command will continue to facilitate and provide a conducive and a level playing ground for every genuine trader that uses the Seme international land border as a corridor to the West African sub region.
Comptroller Dimka also charged the command’s personnel to be more alive to their responsibilities, especially during the coming yuletide. He stressed that officers and men must ensure that the entire border is fortified against smuggling activities and cross border crimes of any kind.
The Controller however cautioned against unprofessional use of arms among operational officers, stressing that arms should be used only when the conditions for usage becomes unavoidable. He warned that a situation where the border environment and communities always witness a lot of cross border vices and crises during the yuletide season will not be tolerated under his watch.
He also attributed the success recorded to the firm stand taken by the Valuation Unit in generating values and the resolve of the Republic of Benin to comply with the Memorandum of Understanding signed recently.
This, according to him has translated to higher revenue collection, despite the numerous challenges.
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