The Nigerian Customs Service Apapa Area command has said it generated revenue worth N1.02 trillion between January and December 2022.
Addressing reporters at the command in Apapa in Lagos state on Thursday, the customs area controller in charge of the command, Comptroller Malanta Yusuf, said the figure is 16 percent higher compared to the N870 thousand. million raised by the command in the previous year 2021.
“This feat was made possible by the resiliency of our officers and men in blocking revenue leaks and ensuring that all unpaid returns and unused pre-arrival screening reports were tracked and accounted for in the federal government coffers.”
It also said that N28.2bn of commodities were exported through the command within the period under review.
Yusuf said that in 2022, the command recorded a total of $68.5 million in free export shipments on board.
He also said the figure had a total tonnage of 6.4 million metrics.
“Items exported through the Apapa port last year 2022 include steel bars, agricultural products such as hibiscus, sesame, cocoa, cashew nuts, ginger, soybeans, and mineral products,” it said.
However, Yusuf said that the industry experienced a back drop in trade from the second quarter of 2022.
“It will be recalled that starting in the second quarter of last year, the industry experienced a trade backdrop, caused by exchange rate fluctuations and a sharp drop in consumer purchasing power that made trade unpredictable.
“In the year under review, a total of 157 containers with a tax paid value of N14.4bn were seized, compared to 102 containers with DPV of N32bn.
seized in 2021.
The customs chief said counterfeit and prohibited drugs without the necessary certification from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control and Tramadol overdoses top the list of seizures made last year.
“Other items seized include codeine syrup, foreign parboiled rice, vegetable oil, processed/unprocessed lumber, used clothing, etc. So far, a total of 60 suspects have been arrested in connection with some of the seizures and are in various stages of investigation. and prosecution by other government agencies that we turn over to the appropriate agency,” he said.
