Non-oil export through Tin Can Customs rises by over 62%
…As command hits N135b revenue in Q1
By Ray Ugochukwu
The nation’s drive to boost revenue through the non-oil sector is beginning to yield good result as export in that area through the Tin Can Island Port (TCIP), Lagos, hit 71,014.4 metric tons (MT) in the first quarter of 2022. The feat shows a 62.67 per cent increase over the corresponding period of 2021 when the figure was 44,502.9MT.
Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Tin Can Island Port Command, Comptroller Kunle Adewale Oloyode, made this disclosure Wednesday, in Apapa, when he briefed the media on the performance of the area between January and March this year.
Giving a breakdown of the feat, he said the free on board (FOB) value of the non-oil export in the period under review, was N56.21 billion as against the N31.4 billion of the corresponding period of 2021, an increase of 55.82 per cent.
“In terms of export, the total tonnage of goods exported through Tin Can Island Port for the period under review, January-March 2022, is 71,014.4MT with a total FOB value of N56,205,901,295.00 while in the preceding year, January-March 2021, the total tonnage of goods exported through the command was 44,502.9MT with a total FOB value of N31,371,825,954.00”, he stated.
He continued, “Comparatively, between January and March 2021 and 2022, the tonnage of goods exported through the command increased from 44,502.9MT to 71,014 representing an increase of 62.67 per cent. The FOB value in Naira of the above mentioned tonnage also increased from N31, 371,825,954.00 to N56, 205,901,285.00, representing an increase of 55.82 per cent within the period under review”.
Comptroller Oloyode listed the commodities that struck the good cord as copper ingots, stainless steel ingots, sesame seeds, cashew nuts, cocoa beans, rubber, cocoa butter, leather, ginger, frozen shrimps, among others.
On revenue generation, he disclosed that between January and March this year, the command realized N135.44 billion as against the N112.7 billion it generated in the corresponding period, showing a 20.18 per cent increase.
The former revenue officer of the Customs Onne Command, Rivers State, disclosed that in the period under review, seizures of duty paid value (DPV) of N1.05 billion were made.
According to him, they included 145kg of Colorado (Indian hemp) concealed in two units of Ridgeline trucks; two units of Toyota Corolla vehicles, 206,000 pieces of matchetes, 640 bales of used clothes and 236,600 pieces of used shoes.
Others, he said, were 62,500 pieces of new ladies shoes, 1,670,400 pieces of Chloroquine injections (5mg/5ml), 1,914,400 pieces of Novalgen injection (500mg/5ml), 48,850 rolls of cigarette and 23,800 tins of sodium bromate and baking powder.
“The import of these products contravenes Sections 46, 47 & 161 of the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) Cap 45 LFN 2004”, the Controller said.
The Controller displaying a matchete from one of the eight containers of matchetes seized by the command.
Oloyode however. regretted that despite the successes recorded by the command, it still faced the challenges in the area of overtime goods because of the non-implementation of the extant laws guiding uncleared cargo.
In addition, he said, “the lack of Government Warehouses at close proximity to the port has led to difficulties in logistics and handling cost”.
Comptroller Oloyode all the same, assured the trading public of a better performance of the command in the days to come. He expressed optimism that with “the e-Customs agenda of the Service and the recent deployment of non-intrusive technology such as scanners, we would be able to achieve more in our core responsibilities of revenue generation, trade facilitation and enforcement of government’s fiscal policies”.
The Area Controller later conducted members of the press round the Roll-On Roll-Off (RoRo) terminal to see the many seized containers that came in with unwholesome and offensive goods.
