Lillypond Customs Revenue Jumps By N256m

The Lilypond Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Ijora, said yesterday that it collected N605.48 million in February, the figure is up by N256 million, when compared with the previous month’s collection .
The Area Controller, Comptroller Dalhat Mahmoud, made the disclosure in Lagos while speaking at the command`s stakeholders` forum.
He said the figure was a significant improvement on the N349.07 million recorded in January.
The controller attributed the increase to the command`s aggressive revenue drive and the dedication to duty by officers of the command.
Mahmoud, however, said the revenue figures for both January and February 2016 were a far cry from those of the corresponding months in 2015.
The controller attributed the sharp drop in 2016 to falling importation occasioned by economic challenges.
She said : “There is no doubt that our nation is passing through a very difficult times, owing to the economic challenges posed by the drop in the price of crude oil globally and sharp drop in import.
“This has also affected the command in meeting its revenue target as a result of lull in the maritime sector as vessels and containers are no longer stemmed as expected.
“Despite this ugly situation, the command was able to generate N349.07 million for January 2016 and 605.48 million for February 2016.
“Though these figures are far less than the revenue for the corresponding months in 2015, we can say the performance is not a bad one,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quotes Mahmoud as saying.
The controller said the fortunes of the command would have been better if the feeding terminal, AP Moller Terminal in Apapa, had patronised the command well.
Mahmoud said he did not understand the rationale behind APM terminal sending containers to dry port in Kaduna and other parts of the country when Lillypond terminals close by was not getting enough.
The controller, however, said that the command would seek innovative ways of improving its fortunes and would continue to engage stakeholders to achieve this.
Mahmoud thanked stakeholders for their support for the command and urged them to always interface with the command on how things could be improved.