Apapa Customs Generates N676bn Revenue in 8 Months

The Apapa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service said the command collected a total of N676 billion as revenue between January and August 2023.

The out-going Customs Area Comptroller, Auwal Mohammed, made this known during the handover ceremony to the in-coming comptroller, Babajide Jaiyeoba, in Apapa, on Tuesday.

Mohammed was redeployed out of Apapa ports a few weeks ago, following his promotion to the rank of Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Technical Services at Customs Headquarters, Abuja, and Jaiyeoba was transferred from Oyo/Osun Command to Apapa.

He added that the command recorded its highest monthly and daily revenue in August.

He said: “A total of N136bn was collected as monthly revenue in August while N10bn was collected on 3rd of August, 2023 being the highest monthly and daily collections in the history of the Nigeria Customs Service.”

Mohammed listed some of the seizures recorded within the period under review to include “N22bn worth of tramadol packed in 720 cartons containing 143.8 million units of 225mg tablets and weighing 10.3 tons”.

He also said that the command handed over another 20 cartons of illicit drugs valued at N1.4bn to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency within the last eight months.

Mohammed disclosed that teamwork, diligence, and zero compromise assisted in several operational successes the command recorded under his watch.

He urged the officers to continue to prevent smuggling or importation of prohibited items.

According to him, the port was critical to the economy and national security, adding that import and export prohibition lists should, therefore, be adhered to at all times.

Mohammed applauded the officers of the command for the feat they achieved together while he was the CAC of Apapa.

Earlier in his address, Jaiyeoba disclosed that he came prepared for the task which he said included collection of revenue due to the government and promotion of a culture of compliance in the command.

He appealed for the support of both the officers and stakeholders of the command to deliver on his promises to sustain the impressive revenue record of his predecessor.

Jaiyeoba assured both the officers and stakeholders that he would run an open-door policy at the command, facilitate trade, and block revenue leakages.