ENUGU/ANAMBRA/EBONYI CUSTOMS COMMAND SETS NEW REVENUE RECORD, RAKES IN N50.8 BILLION IN 2024
By Ranmilowo Ojalumo
The Nigeria Customs service Enugu /Anambra /Ebonyi Command has raised the bar to an unprecedented height in 2024, with the collection of N50,847,625,597.08 (Fifty billion, Eight hundred and forty-seven million, Six hundred and twenty-five thousand, five hundred and ninety-seven thousand and eight kobo) only.
The figure represents over 50% increase in revenue collection when compared to that of the preceding year 2023 with the collection of 27,954,707,493.00 (Twenty-seven billion, nine hundred and fifty-four million, seven hundred and seven thousand, four hundred and ninety-three naira only, a feat ever achieved, since the inception of the command.
The customs controller of the command, Comptroller Comfort Ukpanah in a statement on Friday said the outstanding breakthrough was achieved through the commands’ deliberate and concerted efforts in alignment with the three policy guidelines of the comptroller General of customs viz: Consultation, Innovation and Consolidation.
She said “in this regard, the command worked assiduously to create an all-inclusive methodology in our modus Operandi with our stakeholders. Consequently, the command leveraged on that to galvanize and earn the trust of our esteemed stakeholders in adhering very strictly to the extant guidelines in terms of trade.
She added that the command developed a template for monitoring compliance by the stakeholders as well as with the commitment levels of the command officers/men to ensure that all verified operational gaps are blocked.
She said “this procedure was also applied to our excise factories and parcel post functions. The command, through intelligence sharing and collaboration was able to identify excise factories that use hitherto not brought under excise control. The command ensured a round the clock (24hrs) surveillance on activities of such factories, in addition to the existing ones, to ensure that appropriate excise duties were collected. The command clearly understands the risk in not paying attention to parcel posts; hence the rejigged effort.
“Generally speaking, the period under review had its fair share of challenges occasioned by the global economic recession. However, the resilience and deep commitment of our officers/men enabled us to ensure that identified areas of Revenue leakages were blocked with a view to collecting all collectible Revenue.
“The command is not oblivious of its’ obligations and role in realising the Revenue target set for the Nigeria Customs service, in view of the fact that the service has a pivotal role in the overall revenue projection for the nation”.
Recall that just recently, Mr. President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federation Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR announced a budget of 49.74 trillion as budget projection for 2025. In view of this, the controller said the command will surely take steps to re-position itself and create fresh operational strategies to ensure that it meets and even surpass the revenue target that will be given to the command in year 2025. “We have the competence and capacity to achieve that”, the controller said.
According to controller Comfort Ukpanah, in year 2024, several activities aimed at strengthening the existing relationship between the service and other agencies, including traditional institutions were given a priority attention, noting that the command had the exceptional support of the various security/regulatory agencies where it operated, adding that intelligence sharing was a critical factor that necessitated the command’s giant strides.
She said “the highlight of the activities was the visit of the National chairperson of the Customs officers Wives Association Mrs. Kikelomo Adewale Adeniyi with her National Excos to the command. The visit afforded the national chairperson the opportunity to inspect and commission all completed COWA projects in the command, especially the ultra-modern clinic that is serving the health needs of not just our officers but communities proximate to the command”.
While appreciating the comptroller General Bashir Adewale Adeniyi and members of his management for their unflinching support and guidance which provided the command with the wherewithal to deliver on its mandate, controller Ukpanah assured the CGC that the command will remain a strong link in the Value chain in assisting him to realise the huge expectations of the President and Nigerians
She also commended the media for their support towards the Nigeria Customs Service in general and the Command in particular. “You have proven overtime to be a very reliable and dependable ally of the service. I therefore urge you to continue in that light as the task of nation building is a shared responsibility. I salute your exceptional sense of duty and professionalism in all ramifications, we are very proud of you”, she said.
She reiterated the commitment of the command to up its ante in the year 2025 to enable it meets and even surpass its revenue target for the year, even as she commended the officers/men of Enugu/Anambra/Ebonyi Command for their untiring effort in 2024. “I believe they will do even better this Year”, Comptroller Ukpanah.
