By Chinonye Anyatonwu
Ports and Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) Command of Nigeria Customs Service(NCS), has collected a total of N146,016,858,662 from January to August 2021.
In a statement issued by the Image maker of the command, Mohammad Yakubu, shows an increase of N25,389,278,620 above the N120,627,580,042 that was collected within same period of last year which translates to 21 percent increase.
He said that aside the first two months of the year when importation activities were low, the Customs Area Controller(CAC), 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 .
He 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.
A comparative breakdown and percentage differences of monthly collections for January to August 2020 and 2021 is shown below:
In the months of January and February 2021, the command collected N15.2b and N11.7b respectively. It started surpassing monthly revenue collections from March 2021 above that of 2020 to August.
In March 2021, 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 2021,N17,938,794,417 was collected with a difference of 59.5 percent above the N11,241,400,911 of same period last year.
In May, 2021 recorded a 28 percent increase with N17,606,073,741 as against N13,661,428,914 collected same month of 2020.
In the month of July and August 2021, the command collected N22,253,694,223 ; N19,532,512,815 and N21,835,143,596 while in 2020 it collected N17,512,236,904; N14,661,692,533 and N18,147,171,910 with 27 percent , 33 percent and 20 percent increases in 2021 collections for the three months respectively.
The Area Controller has reassured of effective trade facilitation while urging 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 that law as ignorance will not be taken as excuse for infractions.
