Apapa Customs scores high in export trade
*Hits N26.2 bn export in third quarter of 2020
*Records N367.6 bn revenue in 9 months
(Written by Silas Onuoha):
Comptroller Abba-Kura in the middle during press conference :
The Apapa Area Command of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), has made impressive performance on export trade in the third quarter of 2020.
The Command recorded over N26.2 billion in export trade, notwithstanding the COVID-19 Pandemic slowing down economic activities in the country.
The Customs Area Controller (CAC), of the Command, Comptroller Mohammed Abba-Kura, disclosed this during a press conference at the Command yesterday.
He explained, “These exported goods include mineral resources, steel bars, Agricultural products, among others, with a total tonnage of
378,447 million metric tons and Free on Board (FOB) value of $85,861,787.
“Similarly, the volume of export trade from January to September, 2020, stood at N78.6 billion, with FOB value of $257,003,965.00”.
Comptroller Abba-Kura revealed, “Looking at the
area of revenue generation for government,
Apapa Command collected a huge sum of N367.7 billion from January to September.
“These figures represent 17 percent increase when compared to N313.5 billion collected within the same period in 2019. This shows a significant difference of N54.1 billion”.
According to him, “In the third quarter of 2020, Apapa Command collected and remitted N140.3 billion, as Customs duty and other charges to the Federation account.
“Comparatively, the N140.3 billion is 27 percent higher than N110.2 billion recorded within the same period in 2019 previous year.
“The difference recorded was made possible as a result of resilience of officers in ensuring that importers and agents are made to do proper declarations, adhere strictly to import/export guidelines in tandem with extant laws”.
The CAC continued, “Also in anti-smuggling, Apapa Command seized 328 containers of various goods with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N19.5 billion, as against 37 containers seized in the same period in 2019, with DPV of less than N3 billion”.
