Aligning with stakeholders who continue to raise alarm,over the crippling traffic situation at Apapa, the Tin Can Island Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has also expressed fears that the grid lock may soon take its toll on the revenue of the Customs.
Saying however that it collected N26billion in June 2014, the customs whose operations are linked to that of other stakeholders; espically imported and clearing agents expressed helplessness in the face of the heavy traffic.
Aligning with stakeholders who continue to raise alarm,over the crippling traffic situation at Apapa, the Tin Can Island Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has also expressed fears that the grid lock may soon take its toll on the revenue of the Customs.
Saying however that it collected N26billion in June 2014, the customs whose operations are linked to that of other stakeholders; espically imported and clearing agents expressed helplessness in the face of the heavy traffic.
Image maker for the Tin Can port command of Customs, Chief Superintendent of Customs, Chris Osunkwo in a chat with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos yesterday said, even though that there has been a steady rise in the revenue of the command from the beginning of January 2014, there are fears that this may not be so for too long.
According to him, a breakdown of the revenue performance issued to our correspondent shows that the command collected N21, 560, 202, 424.00 in January, and also collected N21, 670, 425, 686.00. For March, it recorded N16, 662, 709, 991.00.
The breakdown equally showed that the command collected N26, 388, 039, 441. 00. in April, N26, 523, 975, 171. 00 in May and N26, 131, 233, 948. 00 in June 2014.
Osunkwo however lamented that the traffic gridlock on major access routes to the port has affected man-hour at the port and that if not corrected; it may soon lead to port congestion.
"Generally, we lose a lot of man-hour to this traffic , it affects all facets of our lives as human beings, whether you are a crayfish seller, a customs officer or an agent, so long you are doing business in Apapa"
"We are being proactive, we have it on good authority to report to our management that something urgent must be done, because we are envisaging that in no distant time, it might start affecting our operations"
"It is normal to think that way because if you release 500 containers and the importers are afraid to take them because when they take them and get to the road the goods will be thrown-off, it will affect because the 500 will not give room for another 500 to come in, so it must affect us one way or the other" Osunkwo stated.
He reiterated that even though the situation has not clearly affected revenue yet, if nothing is done urgently, it will negatively impact on customs revenue.
According to him, this might lead to port congestion as importers may prefer to pay the demurrage on cargoes until they can have a way to lift their cargoes out of the port.
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