By Emmanuel Elebeke

Nigerian Customs Service says it has raised its monthly revenue drive from N30 billion a month in 2009 to N100 billion in 2014.

Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Mr. Bashar Y Usman, disclosed this in an interview at the weekend during the African ICT Professionals Conference held in Abuja.

He said the achievement was made possible through the deployment of ICT facilities across their entire operation basis across the country by the current leadership of the Customs.

With the adoption of ICT in the operation al activities of the service, he said it had not only made the work easier for men of the service but had earned the country a good name from the global community, thereby making  Nigeria as a bench marking tool to not only African countries but the whole world.

“Today, I can now wear my uniform and go to any country without being ashamed of myself and country because people read on the net and see what we do, that we have build a good name. So, it is obvious that the Transformation Agenda of the President is working,” he said.

In addition to this feat, he said the novel system in the Customs had also enabled the organization to partners with other government agencies to achieve operational efficiency and better service delivery.

“When the Comptroller General of Customs, CGC came in to office the monthly revenue was N30 billion in 2009, now, we are generating N100 billion monthly in 20014. So, from N30 billion in 2009 to N100 billion in 2014 was made possible because we used ICT as an enabler.

“The driver is the CGC, while the ICT is enables him to do achieve the mile stone, not only in increase in revenue drive but also in trade facilitation and service to the nation.

“With ICT, we also broke that wall of suggesting to other government parastatals the need to adopt ICT platform because  it used to be customs and other government agencies, but now we said no, by partnering other government agencies. It is no longer customs and the rest but everyone is involved as partners in progress. We now educate ourselves, that is why we have customs on board, quarantine on board, SON, NAFDAC and EFCC also on board  among others,”