Bravo!! Nigeria Customs, Seme Command Reportedly Made a Remarkable N1.2bn Revenue in November.

The Seme Command of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has collected a total of N1,247,131,069.14 as revenue in the month of November, 2016. This is even as the Command made 99 seizures with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N82,884,308.00 within the same period.

According to a statement signed by the command’s spokesman, Taupyen, Selchang over the weekend, the revenue generated in November 2016 exceeded the monthly revenue target by N59,131,069.14. Commenting on the revenue figure, the Customs Area Controller, Deputy Comptroller Ardo Mulima, attributed the feat to the commitment of his management team, the cooperation and compliance level of the stakeholders and the host communities that were ready to partner with him in transforming the Command.

He stressed that being firm and persistent to the principle of transparency, diplomacy and fairness despite forces of distraction is gradually stabiliing the Command’s revenue drive. He reiterated that the Command will continue to facilitate and provide a conducive and a level playing ground for every genuine trader that uses the Seme international land border as a corridor to the West African sub region.

 He also attributed the success recorded to the firm stance taken by the valuation unit in generating values and the resolve of the Republic of Benin to comply with the Memorandum of Understanding signed on August 4, 2016.

This has actually translated to the higher revenue generated despite the numerous challenges that would have ordinarily hampered the revenue generated. In one of the briefings to his management team and patrol leaders, the Customs Area Controller highlighted that the posting of a proper officer to a particular duty post is predicated on the fact that the officer is conversant with the books of instructions that guide his modus operandi, hence, infraction observed will be traced to where it originated from and the culprit made to face the consequences of his action.

Commenting on the yuletide season just around the corner, the Customs Area Controller disclosed that officers and men must ensure that the entire border is fortified against smuggling activities and cross border crimes of any kind. He also cautioned the unprofessional use of arms among operational officers, stressing that arms should be used only when the conditions for usage becomes unavoidable. He warned that a situation where the border environment and communities always witness a lot of cross border vices and crises during the yuletide season will not be encouraged nor tolerated under his watch.