The Nigeria Customs Service, Port Harcourt Area ll Command Onne Port has collected a total of N115,264,159,921.12 from January to June 2022.
The 2022 half-year collection shows a remarkable difference from the N78b collected in the first half of 2021 and N46.6b collected in the same period of 2020.
Further comparison indicates a 147 percent increase above the 2020 collection and 47 percent increase above 2021 figure showing differences of N37,097,079,630.91 and N68,597,503,002.82 for 2021 and 2020 respectively.
Under Comptroller Auwal Mohammed, the Customs Area Controller (CAC), the Command’s revenue collection showed upward progression on monthly basis.
Anti-Smuggling
The Command made 28 seizures comprising 9 containers valued at N531,386,166.78 (Duty Paid Value).
Amongst the seized items were machetes brought into the country without an end user certificate, military wear, vegetable oil, whisky, soap and used clothing.
Other seizures recorded include used tyres, foreign parboiled rice, tomato paste, used vehicle parts and other items either classified as prohibited or for which duty payment were being evaded.
Export
A total of 876,775.60 Metric Tonnes with $495,384,221.99 free on board (FOB) value translating into N203,969,499,562.18 and Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme (NESS)value of N1, 075,060,914.52 were processed through the command in the period under review.
The above export figures are over a hundred and fifty (150) percent increase in value to that of the first half of 2021.
The CAC has brought to the knowledge of port users that there is a Domestic Export Warehouse (DEW) approved by Federal Government at Onne.
According to him, the DEW provides further opportunities for exporters to process and package their exports while enjoying the seamlessness of the export cargo warehouse in Onne directly to vessels.
He said due diligence by regulatory and government agencies functions, including Customs examination, shall be conducted in the DEW facility.
Comptroller Mohammed described the DEW facility as a one-stop-shop emplaced by the Federal Government to promote and encourage export trade which the command has aligned with ahead of its full take-off.