By Stephen Ubanna
Barely two months after the National Assembly Joint Committee on Finance, approved a N12 trillion revenue target for the Nigerian Customs service, NCS, under the Leadership of Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, against the N6 trn, proposed by the service, this appears to have put the Adeniyi, led Management Team and the Area Controllers overseeing the Commands on a high jump.
As a prelude to ensuring that the N12 trn revenue target is met and even surpassed this 2025, fiscal year, may have informed why the Customs Management Team had given the Command Area Controllers to go back to the drawing board to strategize on how to improve on their monthly revenue collection without much ado.
The Apapa Command, which has Compt.Babatunde Olomu, the Customs Area Controller of 2024, Fiscal year, which was said to have been given the highest revenue target from the approved N12 trn revenue target appears to be working round the round the clock to sustain the record that had been achieved by the Command over the years, as the best in revenue collection.
. The Apapa Command revenue target was said to have been closely followed by that of the Tincan Island Commands, under the close watch of Compt. Frank Okechukwu, Onyeka NCS, who had been described in Customs and Agents circles as ‘’a professional and experienced officer’’ who knows the 2024, Customs Management Act and Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, Common External Tariff, CET, to his finger- tips.
The two Commands which are based in Lagos, the nation’s Commercial nerve center may have been given the huge revenue target to collect and pay into the Federation Account this 2025, Fiscal year because of the volume of imports and exports, that passes through their controlled ports on a daily basis.
Customs Agents and other Industry stake holders who were said to have had opportunity of interacting with Compt. Onyeka, both at the individual and Association levels had placed him in the class of Compt. Olomu, of the Apapa Area Controller who has the nose to decipher frauds and block areas of revenue Leakage to ensure that the Command collects the much- expected revenue for the Government from imports and exports, laced with the issuance of, issuance of Debit Note, DN, for imports which had contravened the government Fiscal Policy.
It was not surprising why the Customs Comptroller had hit the ground running without waiting to attend the mandatory training programme for the newly promoted Comptrollers at the Customs Training College Gwagwalada, Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT and appears to be getting it right with the structure that he had put in place.
Aware that he Command under his Leadership cannot afford to disappoint the CGC and his Management team, who were said to have given him the opportunity to oversee the affairs of the Tincan Island even as a first time Comptroller, An Agent who spoke to Value News online Magazine on condition of anonymity disclosed that so far, the Tincan Island Command had lived up to expectation’’.
The Command, was said to have collected the sum of N116 billion in the month of January, described in Customs circles globally as a month of low business activities as importers adopt a wait- and – see attitude to the direction of the economy as regards to the implementation of the government Fiscal before placing orders for their goods, described by maritime analysts as very encouraging
Only recently, the Tincan Island Area Controller in the quest to improve the Command revenue generation had met the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA, Tincan Island, Chapter, Executive members in a cordial atmosphere of frank talk.
The ANLCA, Tincan Island Command, Area Controller, may have used the opportunity provided by meeting with the Leadership of ANLCA, Tincan Island Chapter, to advise the importers with their Agents ‘’to make accurate declarations and pay appropriate duty and fees to avoid being chased around.
The Customs Comptroller who was said to have given the Customs Agents operating at the Tincan Island port what they should expect from since December 21, 2024, when he took over from Compt. Dera Nnadi, now an acting Assistant Comptroller General, ACG, to make accurate declaration of their importers’ Consignments and pay the appropriate duty and fees which are essential in enhancing ‘’the ease of doing business and facilitating smooth trade operations at the port’’.
The tough talking Area Controller, who is not ready to lose sleep because of the activities of fraudulent importers with their agents was said to have made the ANLCA Leadership, Tincan Chapter, to understand that ‘’proper declaration of imported cargoes from the Asian countries of China, India , South Korea, and the European countries of Turkiye, France, Netherland, Norway and the North American of the United States, US, and the United Kingdom, UK, would not only ‘’ help in fostering transparency in the clearing process but also play critical role in combating illicit trade practices and reducing delays in the clearing process at the port, which is currently being modernized, alongside the Apapa port, by President Bola Ahmed Tibu’s Administration under the supervision of Adegboyega Oyetola, a former governor of Osun state and minister of Marine and Blue Economy.
The Customs Comptroller, who many had said ‘’thinks and dreams on how to meet the 2025, revenue target’’ that had been set for the Command put at a little above N3 trn, was said to have stated clearly to the hearing of the ANLCA, Tincan Island Leadership on the need to make correct declarations, insisting that it is the only way the country’s revenue collection on a monthly and yearly basis.
Given an insider information based on his years of experience on the job and who at different times had manned the Onne, Tincan Island and Apapa ports exit gates checkmate fraudulent importers with their Agents.
Maritime analysts believes that the ANLCA, Tincan Island, Chapter Leadership, may have read the handwriting of what they are likely to experience at the Tincan port supervised by the no nonsense Compt. Onyeka who has beamed his searchlight on the cargoes examined and released at the port ‘’to ensure that improperly examined Containers are stopped to avoid giving room to the Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone, Ikeja, Lagos, from rerouting Containerized cargoes released from the port to their own premises for another round of examination and subsequent issuance of DN to indict the Command examination and releasing officers of not doing good job.
Recall that the early state of his assumption of office , the Customs Comptroller was said to have stopped some suspected Containerized cargoes and examined and released from exiting the port over alleged trade anomalies.
Notwithstanding the visit of the Leadership of ANLCA, Tincan Island Chapter, to Compt. Onyeka, at his Tincan Island office and plans by other Associations and industry stakeholders to visit, the Delta state born Tincan Island Area, who is following the footstep of Compt. Olomu, of Apapa Command, he was said to have asserted his position in taking decisions , insisting that the right thing must be done by all users of the Tincan port.
This may have informed why he was said to have repeatedly told the importers with their Agents ‘’to collaborate with the NCS personnel at the terminals, both within and outside the port in maintain high standards of integrity, transparency in their dealings and exhibit professionalism in their transactions’’ at the port to avoid playing into the hands of officers that would result in detention and seizure of their cargoes.
He may have gladdened the heart of the Customs Agents when he gave his words ‘’to embark on continuous capacity building and the implementation of technology -driven solutions’’ aimed at making trade easier and more efficient at the port.
The Tin can Island, helmsman, was emphatic that by working together with the Agents, particular, who are in a position to guide their importers on the country’s Fiscal Policy demands, it will go a long way to enhancing compliance, promoting transparency, and further ‘’ build a more robust, resilient and dynamic trade ecosystem for the country in this 21st century’’.
Compt. Onyeka, who could not hide his feelings had stated that at present, the Command under his Leadership is committed to working closely with all the relevant industry stakeholders ‘’to reduce the time lag and cost associated with trade transactions, that had made the country’s seaports to be the costliest in the West and Central sub-regional ports while ensuring compliance with global best practices.
Prior to meeting with the Leadership of ANLCA, Tincan can Island Chapter, Compt. Onyeka, was said to have hosted a meeting attended by Representatives of the Federal government approved agencies, approved to operate at the port , terminal operators, Representatives of ANLCA, National Association of Government Approved Forwarders, NAGAFF , National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents, NCMDLCA and other Associations ‘’to discuss trade facilitation, improved service delivery and other maritime activities’’, on Tuesday, February 4, 2025.
Given the large turnout of the invitees to the meeting may have given the Tincan Island helmsman the opportunity ‘’to speak out on the problem of multiple alerts which had hindered cargo clearance at the port over the years’’.
There is no gain saying the fact that the problem may have lingered on this long because past Area Controllers of the Command could not muster the courage to address the challenge to avoid stepping on toes. The incumbent Tincan Island Command, boss, who is determined ‘’to succeed and move the Command forward’’ was said to stopped the rot, without minding whose ox is gored.
He was said to have issued a Statement that ‘’all alerts at the port will only be issued by a Legitimate Unit of the NCS, which is Customs Intelligence Unit, CIU, if there is any suspected infringement on the clearing process, based strictly on intelligence gathering but with his approval to make it authentic.
The Tincan Island Area Controller was said to have sounded it loud and clear that ’’once the CIU, issues any alert, the onus lies on all other Units, of the Command, ‘’to key into it and reconcile with the issuing Authority before the cargo cane released to exit the port.
This is bad news for the Enforcement Unit, which the Customs Comptroller had said have ‘’no reason ‘’to place alerts on Consignments unless authorized by his office’’. He has his every reason for taking the bold initiative after several years of trials and errors to stop the riotous alerts by previous Area Controllers had failed.
He may have taken the key operational reform at the Tincan Island port, ostensibly ‘’to ensure seamless operations where traders who make proper declarations, pay the appropriate duty and fees, as well as perform the mandatory examinations of their cargoes are not unnecessarily delayed taking delivery of their cargoes. Vintage Compt. Onyeka.
