The Ports and Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said it collected a total of N146billion from January to August 2021.
Public Relations Officer of the command, Muhammad Yakubu, said in a statement that the amount shows an increase of N25.4billion above the N120.6billion collected within the same period of last year which translates to 21 percent increase.
Yakubu said aside the first two months of the year when importation activities were low, the Controller of the command, Comptroller Festus Okun has consistently achieved monthly revenue increase from March to August.
“Comptroller Okun has always improved revenue collection strategies by blocking possible areas of leakages, collection of identified shortfalls through demand notices and facilitating trade without compromising national security and interest.
“The Controller has recently reiterated that 6 hours clearance of imported vehicle is still working for compliant importers and agents while urging people who smuggle vehicles through land borders to desist from it and take advantage of the trade facilitation benefits put in place in PTML,” he said.
A breakdown of the collections shows that in the months of January and February 2021, the command collected N15.2billion and N11.7billion respectively.
In March, a total of N19,937,869,175 was collected which is 27.4 percent above N15,646,193,726 collected same period of 2020.
In April, N17,938,794,417 was collected with a difference of 59.5 percent above the N11,241,400,911 of same period last year.
For May, the command recorded a 28 percent increase with N17,606,073,741 as against N13,661,428,914 collected same month of 2020.
For June, July and August 2021, the command collected N22,253,694,223, N19,532,512,815 and N21,835,143,596 respectively as against N17,512,236,904, N14,661,692,533 and N18,147,171,910 it collected in 2020.
The Area Controller while reassuring of effective trade facilitation in the command urged importers and their agents to be compliant by obeying extant import and export guidelines, making sincere declarations, paying accurate duty and avoiding all forms of port related contravention.
He also advised them to keep abreast with government import and export prohibition list to avoid doing business in violation of the law as ignorance will not be taken as excuse for infractions.
