By Eguono Odjegba

The Nigeria Customs Service, Port Harcourt Area II Command Onne processed a total of 320,245.34 metric tons export with a Free On Board, FOB, value of N109.5 billion in the first quarter of 2022, Q1’22.

The command also posted a total of N58.1 billion in total revenue during the quarter.

The figure is N19.2billion higher than N38.9 billion collected within the same period of 2021, representing 49.3 percent increase.

This is even as the command’s anti smuggling activities recorded a total of nine seizures with a Duty Paid Value of N59.5 million.

A press statement issued by the Command Public Relations Officer, Ifeoma Onuigbo Ojekwu, gave the breakdown of the seized items as follows: 18,555 pairs of footwear worth N26,507,042; 270 pieces of machinery and parts worth N2,211,753; 3,825 pieces of used tyres worth N26,215,230 and 8 bags of rice worth N171,961.

List of exported items include sesame seed, ginger, hibiscus, fluorite ore, lead ore, palm kernel shell, cotton, float glass, aluminum, ingot and urea. It also includes food stuff, columbite ore, cashew nuts, tin ore, printed sack and others.

The Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Auwal Mohammed described the feat as work in progress,  noting that the command will spare no effort in ensuring that the revenue collection for the year exceeds that of 2021.

He urged stakeholders and port users in Onne to continue to improve on their level of compliance to serve the overall interest of government, importers and other stakeholders.

He also enjoined stakeholders to embrace the non intrusive inspection regime, NII, designed to reduce human contacts in the cargo clearing process and maximize technology for economic and security advantages.

On revenue collection, he said “Our first quarter revenue collection for 2022 is a reflection of dedication to duty and non compromise by our officers. Maximizing our potentials for revenue collection through interventions and issuance of demand notices, DN, have contributed to this achievement

“What we have achieved so far is commendable but we must not be carried away by either relaxing or being complacent. I believe, we can do more in months ahead.

“It is part of the Comptroller General of Customs mandate to raise revenue and we will remain focused at achieving it without compromising national security by ensuring that no cargo exits Onne Port without due examination and duty payment

” l urge all of us to embrace the reality of modern trade thrust in ports which emphasise a reduction in human contacts and maximum deployment of technology. The NCS management is taking further steps to actualise this as reflected in the recent stakeholders sensitisation meeting on Non Intrusive Inspection carried out by the ICT and Modernisation department.