Tin Can Customs boosts export trade by 73%

• Half year revenue hits N274b

By Ray Ugochukwu

Nigeria recorded a 73 per cent increase in non-oil export in the first half of the year courtesy of the instrumentation of the Tin Can Island Port command of the Nigeria Customs Service as it realized N100. 45 billion to that effect.

This translates to 138,246.50 metric tons (MT) of goods that were shipped out of the country through the area between January and June as against the 100,500(MT) recorded in the corresponding period of 2021.

This disclosure was made Friday in Apapa, Lagos, by the Customs Area Controller (CAC), Comptroller Adekunle Oloyede, as he presented the command’s half year stewardship to the media.

Oloyede

Comptroller Oloyede explained that the feat showed a 60 per cent increase in revenue from export as against the N66.3 billion the command recorded in the same period of 2021.

He commended the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) management for its wonderful support to the command in facilitating the clearance process of export goods in the area.

In his words, “Tin Can Island Command has so far experienced an increase in export activities for the first half of the year 2022. The command recorded an outward throughput in cargo of 138,246.50 metric tons representing an increase by 73 per cent from 100,500 metric tons recorded in 2021, with an FOB (free on board) value of N100, 447,304,814.00.

“This also represents an increase of 60 per cent from N66, 294,630,421.00 recorded in the fiscal year 2021. We commend the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority for their seamless collaboration with the command in facilitating the clearance of export-related cargo at Tin Can Island Port command”.

On revenue generation, the Controller disclosed that in the first half of the year, the command recorded a total sum of N274.3 billion as against the N229.3 it realized in the corresponding period of 2021, showing an increase of 27.5 per cent.

“Between January 1 – June 31, 2022, Tin Can Island Port Command recorded a collection of N274, 320,712,179.22 in revenue. This is a 27.5 per cent increase from last year’s collection of N229,321,865,091.16 within the period under review”, he stated.

Oloyede also revealed that a total sum of N1.3 billion was realized as the Duty Paid Value (DPV) of seizures made in the period under review on goods he said contravened Sections 46, 47 and 161 of the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) Cap 45 LFN 2004.

According to him, these included 145 kilograms of Colorado, otherwise known as Indian hemp, concealed in two units of Ridgeline trucks and two units of Toyota Corolla vehicles and 206,000 pieces of matchetes.

Others, he disclosed, were 640 bales of used clothes, 236,500 pieces of used shoes, 62,500 pieces of new ladies shoes, 1,670,400 pieces of Chloroquine injections (5mg/5ml) and 1,814,400 pieces of Novalgen injection (500mg/5ml).

Also impounded were 48,850 rolls of cigarettes, 23,800 tins of sodium bromate and baking powder, 3,303 pieces of motor batteries found in three containers falsely declared as three units of Toyota Hiace buses and four units of Mack truck heads.

The CAC also disclosed that one Toyota Sequoia 2008 model, one used Mercedes Benz GL 350 model and one Toyota 4Runner were also seized by the command in the reviewed period.

“We handed over one suspect, one arm pistol, two empty magazines and 300 rounds of live ammunition to the DSS for further action”, the CAC disclosed.

On the contentious VIN valuation scheme, he said, “At the command level, we faced challenges at the early stages of deployment due to the degree of understanding of the process most especially on the part of the stakeholders.  Nevertheless, we have been able to overcome them as we put into force Article 2 of the Trade Facilitation Agreement through continuous engagement and consultation with the relevant stakeholders which led to updates and upgrades of the service to address some of these challenges.

“We have also strengthened the risk management structure to mitigate the consistent attempts by some non-compliant agents to abuse the process through acts of commercial fraud as falsification of documents and forgery of signatures”.