“It is important to note that activities embarked upon by the Command is a patriotic duty in the interest of national security and economic wellbeing of Nigeria”
By Uzor Odigbo
The Customs Area Controller of the Seme Area command of Nigeria Customs Service, Compt. Dera Nnadi, has handed over seized six million fake dollars to the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The controller handed over the fake dollars to the Zonal Coordinator, EFCC, Lagos Zonal office, Mr. Michael Wetras on Tuesday.
Compt. Nnadi also handed over seized 14 international passports and 10 international drivers’ licence to the controller of Seme command of Nigeria Immigration Service, Compt. Douglas Audu.
Six of the passports belong to Malta, two to Senegal, three to Togo, four to Republic of Benin and one to Niger Republic.
Briefing the press on the activities of his command in the first quarter of the year, Compt. Nnadi said that on export, the command handled 1,243 trucks bearing 40,096.47 metric tons of made in Nigeria cargo declared on 165 Single Administrative Documents (SAD) with Free On Board value of N4,291,322,887.19 and Export Supervision Scheme Fees of N21,456,551.83k.
He recalled that he pledged to adopt new strategies to boost trade while enforcing the nation’s anti-smuggling law along the Abidjan Lagos Corridor and also promised to encourage compliant traders along the corridor while enforcing the law against inflexible offenders who will wish to test the command’s resolve.
Compt. Nnadi noted that in keeping to these promise the Command has in the first quarter of 2023 facilitated the movement of goods across the corridor.
He disclosed that the command processed ETLS’s 425 Trucks with fees amounting to N314, 720, 938.71
412 baggage declarations with duty amounting to N58, 844,382. The items imported under this arrangement include food products and beverages produced within the sub-region.
During the same period in 2022, 3006 trucks bearing 116,053.9 metric tons of cargo with FOB value of N6, 597, 506, 993.28K with NESS Fee of N32, 989,006.16 was recorded.
According to the controller, other source of revenue for the Command are fees collected from the auction sales of seized items especially petroleum products and other perishable goods.
Compt. Nnadi disclosed that the Command generated a total of Three Hundred and Fifty Million, Ninety-Nine Thousand, Five Hundred and Forty-One Niara Seventy-One Kobo (N350, 099,541.71) in the first quarter of 2023.
“The above is One Hundred and Five Million, Ninety-Five Thousand, Seven Hundred and Eight Niara Seventy-Six Kobo (N105,095,708.76) or 23.09 percent short of Four Hundred and Fifty-Five Million, One Hundred and Ninety-Five Thousand, Two Hundred and Fifty Naira Forty-Seven Kobo (N455,195,250,.47) collected in the corresponding period in 2022,” he noted.
He explained that the deficit could be attributed to lull in activities during the cashless policy and the wait by the traders for the outcome of the general elections, recalling that he had earlier informed the press that the economic policy of the Republic of Benin who charge fees on goods in transit to Nigeria constitute tariff barriers to trade along the corridor.
In his words: “These affected the Command’s revenue and need urgent review.
“One of the core mandates of the Service in Seme as elsewhere is trade facilitation. The Command is conscious of its strategic location as the foremost frontier for trade and tourism in West and Central Africa particularly the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS) and the emerging African Continental Free Tade Area (AfCFTA).
“Nigeria has lots of potentials in both trade regimes considering its GDP, population and industrial capacity which is the highest in the West and Central Africa subregion and indeed Africa.
“However, I wish to repeat as I had earlier mentioned in my previous interactions with the media that the major source of revenue of the Command (import/export) have not been enhanced since the opening of the land Borders as directed by the Federal Government of Nigeria as the traders are still bracing with the challenges of having been out of business for over two years.
Where few have embraced the reality of the circumstances, they have requested and appealed for a review of the process of obtaining approvals for re-exportation which requires that they go to Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning at Abuja for every application for re-exportation.”
On anti-smuggling and enforcement activities,
the controller sad that having realised that a secured border will translate to more revenue even at the sea ports, Seme Command in the first quarter of 2023 has recorded milestones in its anti-smuggling operations.
He listed some of the anti-smuggling landmarks by the command to include the seizure of fake $6m (Six Million) USD (equivalent of N2.763 Billion at exchange rate of N460.52 ) which was handed over to the EFCC.
Nnadi also said that seizures in the first quarter include 2, 242 bags of 50kg rice equivalent to 112,100 kg or four trailer loads of foreign par boiled with Duty Paid Value of N72, 700, 480.
Again, he stated that 7, 587 by 30 liters of Premium Motor Spirit equivalent of 227,610 liters or Seven Tanker loads of PMS with duty paid value of N51, 075, 684 were impounded.
Other seizures, according to him, include 550 pieces of donkey skin with duty paid value of N10, 689,504, six Maltese International Passports with the same picture of a lady but bearing different names, Two Senegalese International Passports , Three Togolese International Passports, Four Republic of Benin International Passports, One Republic of Niger International Passport and Ten International Driver’s Licenses.
The licences were handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service on the orders of the CGC and in line with the Service desire to consolidate the synergy between NCS and partner agencies at the briefing.
Compt. Nnadi stated that the command equally seized 1160 pieces of dead rats, 1102 pieces of dead tiny birds and 34 pieces of monkey skin and 14 parcels of cannabis sativa.
The controller noted that that the achievements were not made on a platter of gold, saying that it took the painstaking efforts of the officers who spend hours on patrol and surveillance to record the seizures.
He reiterated that the command will not relent on this effort and for this reason, the officers are being commended.