The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) claims that operations at its TinCan Island Command will produce N574.3 billion in 2022.
The command area controller, Olakunle Oloyede, addressed this on Friday in Lagos.
He stated that the number is a growth of N80.90 billion, or 16.39 percent, over the N493.4 billion recorded in 2021.
“This accomplishment can be credited to the ongoing rejigging of the existing measures aimed at maintaining the command’s revenue profile,” he stated.
“It is as well as utilization of some disruptive strategic measures such as periodic capacity building, reshuffling, and redeployment of officers using the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis and implementation of the vehicle identification number (VIN) valuation.”
“These led to timely intelligence sharing, utilization and voluntary compliance to government’s extant laws by the trading public.”
Oloyede also highlighted some of the significant events that occurred at the port in 2022.
He stated that seizures included 763 kg of Colorado (cannabis sativa), 1,150 bales of used clothing, 1,190 containers of 20% potassium bromate, and baking powder, among other things.
“Also, 1,383 cartons of 50 cigarettes per carton, 650 cartons of 50 pieces per carton of new ladies shoes, 2,666 pieces in 36 pallets of new starter ex-premium inverter batteries, 1,980 cartons of assorted non-alcoholic beverages, and 1,048 cartons of Tilda basmati rice,” he said.
Officials recovered 2,594 rounds of ammunition and 20 weapons, including one pistol with the 611090 (S/W) model JCP 40mm, and one used CO2 air pistol with attachments for cal. 117 (4.5 mm) BM, one marksman repeater pistol, six Mace pepper guns, and ten suspected arms of various types, according to Oloyede.
“A total of 60 suspects were detained in 2022 and were granted administrative bail while the command has 8 cases pending in court,” he added.
Oloyede said the command recorded a significant increase in the free on board (FOB) of exports in the period under review to the tune of $589,696,648 (N242,365,322,333.00) as against the $496,075,796
(N141,985,109,159.00) recorded in 2021.
He attributed the increase of 34.4 percent in the FOB to the high quality and value of exported commodities.
“However, the export report shows a decrease in tonnage of export from 1,723,986.8 in 2021 to 336,179.5 in 2022,” he said.
“The decrease in tonnage could be connected to current government fiscal policy which prohibited the export of wood and wood products as well as the global unrest with its concomitant economic challenges.”
He listed the commodities exported through the command to include: cocoa beans, insecticides, dried ginger, empty bottles, soya beans, cashew nuts, cigarettes, rubbers, cocoa butter, frozen shrimps, copper ingots, aluminum ingots, and sesame seeds.
“Cocoa beans were the highest exported commodity while the legend stout was the least exported commodity,” he said.
“The future of export in the command looks brighter as the command in line with the headquarter circular on export Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) released a port order on the command’s harmonized SOP for the seamless facilitation of export trade in strict compliance with extant laws and guidelines on export.”
