WE WILL PAMPER IMPORTERS & AGENTS THROUGH TRADE FACILITATION—COMPT OLOMU

WE WILL PAMPER IMPORTERS & AGENTS THROUGH TRADE FACILITATION—COMPT OLOMU

Trade facilitation has become a critical part of the tripod that sustains the revenue generation policy of the Premier command in Apapa.

Ensuring that its share of the 60 percent of the entire 5.1 trillion naira target of the service is achieved, maintaining strict enforcement and ‘pampering importers and agents via trade facilitation in view of the competitive nature of the seaports especially that of Apapa and Lekki free trade ports will remain our focus, the brand new Area Controller of the Apapa command’, Dr B.O Olomu disclosed today in a chat.

To get cracking, he stated that he would leverage on existing relationship with stakeholders, partner with sister security agencies at the ports and prosecute an intelligence-driven operation in exercising his functions.

According to the command’s helmsman, the approach to stakeholders has to be done with more human face, as their cooperation is a sine-qua- non to meeting the command’s revenue target.. ‘We have to interact more to bridge the gap
We will not compromise, neither shall we shirk our responsibilities on the alter of sharp practices’

He noted that the criteria used in posting officers to work at the command was based on merit, consequent on the need to meet the huge revenue that comes through the command, noting that it was not for selfish motives for the acquisition of money, as the system, he said does not allow anyone to engage in corrupt practices.

On its revenue profile, Comptroller Olomu disclosed that more than N766 billion has been generated by the command in the first quarter of this year. He noted that since his arrival, his command’s daily revenue hovers between N7.1 billion and N7.5 billion, stressing that the command made a mouth-watering N9 billion three days ago.

This huge revenue, he added, was in spite of the fact that the volume of cargo was not as much as before, while the movement of the operations of the flour mill to Lekki Free trade zone has deprived the command of at least N30 billion which would have been collected the Apapa Customs.

Henceforth, importers are to be pampered, given assurance that we are here for them’ Dr Olomu deposed. Consequently, he said that no officer must keep file or declarations untreated for 24 hours.

Lending a voice, the Deputy Comptrollers Wale Adenuga, Turaki and Deputy Compt-Administration spoke of the need to cooperate with Dr Olomu so that his vision to take the Premier command to a desired height will be a reality.