By Stephen Ubanna
Acting omptroller Ahmadu Shuaibu, immediate past Coordinator, Headquarters Strike Force, HSTF, who was redeployed to the Tin-can Island Command, under the close watch of Compt. Kunle Oloyede, when the Team was reconstituted late December 2021, and later to Ogun II, Command, on October, following the retirement of Compt. S.T. Bala, the former Area Controller, on Thursday, October, 29, 2022, has a big task at hand: to replicate what he did at the Lagos Zone A, HSTF, by generating mouth watery month excise duties revenue for the government.
Recall that until, his redeployment to the HSTF, to Coordinate, the activities of the reconstituted eam, on October 10, 2021, the government was losing billions of naira, to fraudulent importers with their agents at the Lagos ports of Apapa, Tincan Island , Port Multi-services Terminal, PTML and Kirikiri Lighter Terminal, KLT, phases I and II, Ijora bonded terminal and other bonded terminals in Lagos. Even illegal exporters of wild life, Charcoal, Processed wood and other assortment items, were having a field day, in Lagos and its environs.
Acting Compt. Shuaibu, the then Coordinator, of the HSTF, who has the mandate of Hameed Ali, a retired Army Colonel and Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs, to block all the areas of revenue leakages at the Lagos ports may have encouraged him and his Management Team and the Head of the Team Information, Communication, Technology, ICT, to go back to the drawing board.
This may have resulted in tightening the noose against the importers with their agents at the Lagos seaports. The HSTF, Lagos Team A, under the Leadership of DC. Shuaibu, were said to have set up structures that was impregnable to ensure that all lost government revenue through underpayment of duty by the importers and their agents were recovered.
Indeed, with ‘’the deployment of intelligence in its operations and professional ICT skills’’, between October 10, 2021, to November 30, 2021, the Team, was said to have recovered N4.2 billion for the government. This money that could have entered into private accounts. This may have informed why the Customs Management had given Mohammed Yusuf, a Deputy Comptroller and successor, a revenue target of N25 billion out of its N3.01 trillion revenue target this year.
Retired Compt. Bala, overseeing Ogun 1I, Command, who may have been impressed with theperformance of DC. Shuaibu at the HSFT, LagosTeam A, had described him as an ‘’unapologetic revenue Collector, and crime burster, going by the massive seizure of prohibited Contrabands ranging from wide life, that run into billions of naira, Charcoal, processed woods and other assortments of Contraband items including Hides and Skin.
Note that when information broke out that DC. Shuaibu, has been appointed by the Ali, led NCS, Management, to take over from Compt. Bala, as the Area Ontroller, Ogun II, Command, many officers, and industry stakeholders welcome d the appointment, noting that he has the capacity to sustain and improve on the structure that had been put in place for the collection of government duties from excise Manufacturing Companies that dotted the nooks of crannies of Ogun state.
Recall that in handing over to the unapologetic revenue collector, in the presence of top officials of me of the manufacturing companies and other stakeholders, within the Command, areas of Jurisdiction, Compt. Bala, may have made his successor to understand that ‘‘the Command is basically for excise duty collections, and had remained the leading Command in excise duty collection for the government over the years.
The information may have charged acting Comptroller Shuaibu,, who is determined to show the stuff he is made off to have given his words that the new Management of Ogun II, Command under his Leadership, will ensure that ‘‘it will not only meet its monthly revenue collection target but surpass it with a wide margin’’.
He has every reason to believe that he Command will overshoot its 2022, revenue target because of the newly introduced Import Adjustment Tax, IAT, with additional taxes and levies on 172 tariff lines of extant Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, Common External Tariff, CET, 2022-2026.
In spite of the government introduction of the IAT, and additional taxes and levies on 172, other items, t the approval by the Katsina state born Nigerian President was said to have also approved for implementation of Supplementary Protection Measures, SPM, for the implementation of the ECOWAS CET, and excise duties on non-alcoholic beverages, Acoholic beverages, Cigarettes and Tobacco products as well as telecommunication services, which had taken effect , since April, 1st, 2021. This is also expected to further boost the Command monthly excise duties collections.
Given his no nonsense attitude in HSTF, Team A, office in Lagos, the nation’s Commercial nerve centre, where he was said to have made it clear to fraudulent importers caught in the act to turn a leaf and always ensure to pay correct duties to avoid into trouble with the Team, which is using its ICT , radar, to beam searchlight on their activities at the ports, the new Ogun II, acting Comptroller, was said to have the sought Cooperation and support of the manufacturing Companies s to succeed in the onerous tasks ahead. He was said to have asked them to ensure to do the right thing, assuring them that as public servants they will ‘’play their roles’’.
Appealing to the Manufaturein and Producers ‘’ to continue to abide by the extant rules and guidelines, on manufacturing products he stated that’ ‘it is the only way ‘‘the Manufacturers will be the friend of the Command with having any problems with him’’. He
He may have been guided by the immediate past Comptroller’s mandate ‘’to accelerate, expand and ensure that all processes involved in excise manufacturing and production are obeyed and followed to the later’’ that he had asked them to always ensure they do the right thing.
