By Ifenyinwa Obi

…As Minna Area Command generates N451.7m revenue
THE Nigeria Customs Service, Sokoto/ Kebbi/Zamfara Command, revealed that it has so far generated over N45million in January  alone.

Making the revelation recently in  Sokoto at the inaugural conference on Building a Sustainable Relationship with Stakeholders, the Custom Area Controller Alhaji Bamidele Akande said they did not make much revenue from general goods as they did from motor vehicles.

According to the CAC, the forum was aimed at educating stakeholders on how best to collectively protect government revenue, interact with stakeholders on service operations and foster existing relationship between the command, stakeholders and the public.

The forum was also to sensitize stakeholders and trading public on the various reforms in the Customs Service as well as ensure compliance.

The CAC also debunked allegation that Nigeria Customs officials enriched themselves with impounded goods saying, the Court auctions some of those goods after due process.

He said: “Sometimes, importers of vehicles run away from impounded goods to escape prison. Sometimes to investigate a case needs time, energy and finance and, as risk managers, sometimes we accept certain risks of not even going after those offenders, but where offending goods are abandoned and due process is followed in court, there is a provision for auctioning of those seizures that are condemned   by the court.”

Speaking at the forum, the chairman, Motor Dealers’ Association of Nigeria, Kebbi State Chapter, Alhaji Mohammed Bala, argued that 90 per cent of the people plying the Nigerian roads would be indoors if Customs really worked according to the constitution.

Minna Area Command generates N451.7m revenue
Meanwhile, the  Niger/Kwara/ Kogi Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service generated N451.7million revenue last year, the Area Controller, Aminu Dangaladima, has said.

Dangaladima said that the amount was about 25 per cent higher than the command’s set target of N360 million. He attributed the feat to the support and co-operation of motor dealers in the states during a stakeholders meeting held in Minna.

The controller urged the dealers to impress on their customers to pay the correct customs duty for their imported vehicles before plying the roads to avoid embarrassment.

He said the command had been adjudged as the most improved command by the customs high command and was given an award for their achievement last year on its revenue collection efforts and enforcement.