Murtala Muhammed Airport command collected N144.2bn in 10 months, says customs

The Murtala Muhammed Airport command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it collected N144.2 billion between January and October 2024.

Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Micheal Awe, area controller of the command, said the revenue collected represents a 94 percent growth (or N69.9 billion) compared to the N74.28 billion collected in the same period in 2023.

Awe attributed the increased revenue collection to enhanced trade facilitation, improved stakeholder compliance, effective law enforcement, and strategic resource deployment.

Others include interagency collaboration, efficient cargo clearance, and intelligent risk management strategies.

The area comptroller said the command also intercepted contraband worth N3.32 billion imported into the country from Canada, Turkiye, among others, between July and October.

“In comparison to the revenue collected in the same period in 2023, which stood at N74.28 billion, this clearly shows a progressive difference of N69.9 billion, depicting 94 percent increase,” Awe said.

“The efforts to combat illicit trade yielded impressive results, with total Duty Paid Value (DPV) of seized items amounting to N3.32 billion between July and October 2024.

“The seized items contravened some of the provisions of the extant laws as enshrined in the Nigeria Customs Service Act (NCS Act) 2023.

“These items include, 23 pieces of Walkie-Talkies; 175 pieces of Military helmets; 50 pieces of drones; 10 packs of Canadian Cannabis Sativa and 250 pieces of live turtles.

“Others are, seven packages of 200mg & 225mg of Tramadol Hydrochloride; 1.5kg of Pangolin Scales and 0.2kg of Porcupine Pins.”

Awe said the command has implemented initiatives such as streamlined clearance procedures, enhanced cargo inspection and examination to boost revenue collection, facilitate legitimate trade, and curb smuggling.

He said the command also introduced improved intelligence gathering and sharing in collaboration with other security agencies and regular stakeholder engagements.

“I express appreciation to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi and his management team for their unwavering support in carrying out official tasks effectively,” he said.

“I also commend officers and men of the command for their hard-work and dedication towards achieving this great feat.”

Awe also commended the cooperation of stakeholders, including importers, exporters, and clearing agents in complying with the laws of the country.