Customs: We generated N188.64bn at Onne Port in 2021 — exceeding 2020 revenue by N69bn

The Area 11 command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in Onne Port, River state, says it generated N188.64 billion revenue in 2021.

Ifeoma Ojekwu, public relations officer at Onne Port Command in Rivers, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.

According to Auwal Mohammed, customs area controller, the command’s revenue generation in 2021 surpassed the 2020 collection by N69.6 billion, adding that N118.96 billion was generated as revenue in 2020.

Mohammed described the collection as the highest in the history of the command.

“They are indeed laudable milestones that we must not only sustain but also improve upon for the benefit of our country’s economy and national security,” he said.

“Indeed, our various meetings with stakeholders and port users paid off in 2021 because we have noted remarkable improvements in compliance levels.

“As we enter 2022, let us continue to blend our enforcement capability with intelligence, to always detect all attempts at circumventing the law through false declarations, under-declarations and concealments.”

Mohammed also charge the officers that in 2022 anyone that attempts to do the wrong things will be arrested and persecuted.

“In 2022, whoever attempts doing the wrong thing, like smuggling through Onne Port, will get his cargo seized and risks facing arrest for prosecution in accordance with the Customs and Excise Management Act.

“We cannot afford to compromise our positions or disappoint on the trust reposed on us. I hereby advise once again that all importers and agents using this area for their businesses stay on the part of compliance at all times.”

According to him, 34 seizures worth a total duty of N11.98 billion were made in 2021, and prominent among the seizures was 1,387 cartons of tramadol.