By Chinonye. Anyatonwu
The Port Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) Command of Nigeria Customs Service(NCS) has collected a total of N138,034,958,113 as revenue from January to September 2020.
In a release made available by Mohammed Yakubu, Customs Public Relations Officer of the command stated that the collected figure is 19 percent above N115,910,867,674 collected within same period of 2019 with a surplus of N22,124,090,439.
He attributed the increase to volume of cargo and strategies by the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Festus Okun, to block possible areas of revenue leakages.
Disclosing this in a press statement, Yakubu said the command made its highest monthly collection this year in August with a record N18,147,171,910
Okun urged all port users operating in PTML to remain compliant by making sincere declarations, avoiding smuggling and adhering strictly to import and export prohibition lists.
He also commended customs officers under his watch for their diligence and commitment in ensuring seamless trade facilitation and promoting ease of doing business in line with government directives.
A month by month breakdown of the collections shows increases in 2020 figures above 2019 except in the month of July when N14,860,863,304 was collected in 2019 which was 1.3 percent above N14,661,692,533.36 collected in July 2020
