Premier command has given itself an ambitious revenue target of N1.5 trillion for this year. Comptroller Jaiyeoba said with the indices on ground the command will again make an unprecedented feat this year.
This is against the N1.426 trillion target given to it by the Customs Headquarters.
At the moment, the command, he noted has hit close to N900 billion.
Though the nearly one week strike action as well as currency exchange rate were challenges, the workforce has put all strategies in place to ensure due diligence.
Speaking while playing host to members of the League of Maritime Editors, he stated that the leadership of the command has been engaging with importers and clearing agents on the need for honest declarations.
Stressing that once there is honest declarations, goods will naturally be cleared in good time and it will favour their turnover.
‘Once there is good turn around time, charges will reduce because of the elimination of unnecessary delays’
So those are the measures we put in place when I came in, and am happy to report here that agents and importers alike are complying.
Jaiyeoba noted that he is very much concerned with what strategies to inject into the system to ensure that traders trade at minimum cost ,’because every additional day in the clearing process attracts money. We are in for total trade facilitation ‘
Trading itself is about money, tge earlier you clear your goods the better for traders.
Those are the things we are confronting, we have met the agents and we told them that they must embrace honest clearing and that we will also assist in the entire process.
It will reduce delays and if you don’t have delays, you will not have to pay unnecessary demurrage. It will also assist us because we don’t have to handle a document two to three times thereby wasting our time. Just today, we met some terminal operators, they have identified their own challenges and we are addressing them.
The idea of leaving documents on the table has been eradicated, any officer that can not solve a problem arising from a document would take it to his immediate superior for instant solution, he deposed.
To give credence to his determination to hit the N1.5 trillion this year, he disclosed that as at yesterday, the command has made N136.39 billion for the month of October, yet today is still ongoing. This represents over N26 billion more than that of the September revenue.
The Deputy Comptroller incharge of revenue, Wale Adenuga furnished the area controller with revenue statistics to buttress his points.
Earlier, the President of the League of Maritime Editors, High Chief Timothy Okorocha has congratulated the Area controller on his well deserved
appointment as the Command’s boss.
He noted that his redeployment was based on merit and one of the best appointments by the current Comptroller General, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR.
He briefed the customs boss on the forthcoming 25th anniversary of the League of Maritime Editors coming up in few weeks time.
Okorocha stated that the two day function will feature at the first day key note speakers which include the minister of Marine and Blue Economy, while the Comptroller General of Customs will address the gathering on the 2023 customs Act , the implications on Maritime developments.
He extended invitation to him seeking him to grace the occasion.