The Port Harcourt Area 1 Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said it collected a total of N21,000,771,069.50 as revenue into the Federal Government coffers in the first half of 2018.
This, according to the command was over N3billion above the N17,757,112,538,.50 collected between January and June 2017.
Oscar Ivara, the command’s Public Relations Officer, in a statement made available to theportcitynews.com, said the increase in revenue surplus indicated a value of N3, 243,658,531.
According to the customs image maker, the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Isiyaku Kabiru applied strategic engagements with various stakeholders, resulting to an improved compliance to guidelines to achieve the revenue increase.
He said: “Reaching out and engaging in frequent consultations with relevant stakeholders, organising capacity building for the officers in the Command, sending delegations to parley with importers and traders in the South- East and South-South States of the country, as well as assigning officers with requisite knowledge of revenue generation were amongst others, the strategies he employed in tackling most of the revenue drawbacks.”
Speaking further, Comptroller Isiyaku Kabiru said that the Command had also fared well in the area of revenue generation with The Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme (NESS) with a total value of N2,177,438,901.06 in the period under review as against N866,942,871.35 which was generated in the entire 2017 fiscal year.
The Area Controller, who is also a member of the Presidential Technical Committee on the Ease of Doing Business, also said that the compliance rate of the Command on the Policy had been very high and his effective Public Relations approach has also contributed to the feats.
He described the cordial relationship being enjoyed between his Command and the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), as ‘running smoothly’ especially in the Arrival and Departure Halls, where the Passenger Baggage Entry Machine (PBEM) is being installed to effectively assist Customs officers in revenue generation through merchandise in Baggage.
The Area Controller also used the medium to commend the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hammed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd.) for the timely introduction of the Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System NICIS11.
