Customs Area 1, Port Harcourt Surpasses Target, Rakes In N17B Revenue In January

By Bon Peters in Port Harcourt

The Nigeria Customs Service Area 1 Command Port Harcourt says it has generated and collected a total sum of N17.065,088,480.16 Naira in the month of January 2024.

This was contained in a press release made available to our correspondent Friday by the Command’s Public relations officer Superintendent of Customs, Oscar Ivara in Port Harcourt the Rivers state capital.

According to the statement, the Customs Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Mustapha Hashim was quoted as saying that “this figure, when compared to that of January 2023 which stands at N8,907,222,061.89 , has achieved a significant surplus of N8,157,866,418.27”, noting “that the figure released in January has a surplus of N1,713,277,636.7 when compared to the mandated monthly revenue target of the Command which is N15,351,810,843.46.”

Speaking further, the Area Controller emphasized that the revenue recorded was made possible through import duties collected on imported bulk cargo that berthed at the port.

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He also noted that the bulk cargoes which included Premium motor spirit (PMS,) Bitumen, Salt, Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) , Sugar, Frozen Fish among others had a total metric tonne of 421,899,302.

Comptroller Hashim further stated that the Command was doing its best to create a conducive business environment for all stakeholders operating at the Command, stating that sensitization programmes were being rolled out to enlighten traders on the various trade policies of the Federal Government.

He added that the Command was making concerted efforts to conduct a robust stakeholders engagement which would target Importers and Exporters in the region.

He however gave a summary of the annual revenue target expected from the Command which according to him stood at N184,221,730,121.48, and the figure represented a 4.52 percent of the annual target of the Service.

Happy for the feat his command has achieved this January, Hashim, therefore , expressed gratitude to the Comptroller General of Customs (CGC) Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR and his management team for their support in providing an enabling environment for the Command to thrive “We thank the (CGC) for his support especially the ongoing training of our officers and men which has impacted positively on the January 2024, revenue generation of the Command.

Comptroller Hashim who said he was optimistic that the Command was equal to the task of achieving its annual revenue target also warned those engaging in unwholesome trade to steer clear of his command insisting that his Command would not tolerate any form of smuggling through its port as the eagle eyes of his officers and men were ever ready to apprehend them.