New Policy On Rice, Car Importation Will Not Affect Customs’ Revenue Target — Customs

The Assistant Comptroller-General (ACG), in charge of Zone ‘C’ of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr Dan Ugo has said that the new policy on importation of rice and vehicles will not prevent Customs from meeting its 2014 revenue target.
 Ugo told newsmen in Port Harcourt yesterday that analyses had shown that what the nation might lose revenue due to the ban, but added that the loss of tariff from imports, it would generate revenue internally.

The Assistant Comptroller-General (ACG), in charge of Zone ‘C’ of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr Dan Ugo has said that the new policy on importation of rice and vehicles will not prevent Customs from meeting its 2014 revenue target.
 Ugo told newsmen in Port Harcourt yesterday that analyses had shown that what the nation might lose revenue due to the ban, but added that the loss of tariff from imports, it would generate revenue internally.
 He said that the Federal Government had announced that Nigeria would commence exporting cars in June/July 2015.
He told the participants that:“’You see, if we are blocking access (importation), local manufacturing is going on, internally-generated venue is going, idle hands are employed and security is getting better.
‘’So, it is a win-win situation; you cannot only be looking at how much you are collecting.
‘’When these things were not banned, we were creating employment for the exporting countries.
‘’So, why don’t we transfer the employment opportunities to Nigeria?
“Between Benue State and Enugu and Abakaliki, we can feed Nigerians with rice,’’ he said.
According to Ugo, almost all the major importers of rice in the country have acquired land in Abakiliki area of Ebonyi for rice production.
  ‘’It is going to employ Nigerians, the rice mills will work, transportation will work and all the things are going to work; that is the chain and that is how it works,’’ Ugo said.
He said the issue of contraband had reduced minimally due to the risks involved.
 The assistant comptroller-general said the new customs procedure, Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR), was aimed at eliminating manual process to make work easier for NCS and traders.
He said that the new procedure would generate trade facilitation, revenue and collaborate with other government agencies to achieve security in the country.
The PAAR is the completion of all Customs transactions and payment before the arrival of the imported goods.