From Anthony Nwachukwu, Lagos

Export goods totaling about 5,380, 000 metric tons, with Free on Board (FOB) value of $641 million (over N245 billion), were facilitated through the Apapa Port in Lagos in 2021 following the Federal Government’s export incentive schemes and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) facilitation and automation of NXP and CCI.

Comptroller Yusuf Malanta Ibrahim of the Apapa Area Command disclosed this in Lagos Thursday, stating that the command’s sustained trade facilitation strategies yielded positive impact on export trade through the Apapa Port, as it records a boom of about 110 per cent increase in tonnage above the 2020 figure in the export of non-oil commodities.

 Malanta, who was reviewing the activities of the command in 2021, noted that the figure was in excess of the 1,300,000 metric tons exported in 2020, and its FOB value of $340 million, while the items included steel bars, agricultural and mineral products.

On revenue profile, he said the command collected approximately N870.4 billion, an increase of about 68 per cent compared to the N518.4 billion collected in 2020, adding that same has been remitted to government’s federation and non-federation accounts.

This was “in spite of the enormous challenges faced in the trade supply chain, occasioned by Covid-19 pandemic still ravaging economies around the world; high cost of freight, incessant traffic gridlock, rail construction through the port, as well as ensuring

increase in compliance level from stakeholders.”

Declaring 2022 as “a year of hope and high expectations, particularly with increase in the service revenue target to N4.1 trillion,” he said the command was determined to do more and surpass its revenue target for 2022, by God’s grace.

He added: “We hope that the service will surely leverage the deployment of digital transformation of customs business processes, which will further take care of many control mechanisms through its risk management system.

“This transformation will further harmonise the activities of our stakeholders toward a seamless ease of doing business in the port.

Meanwhile, Malanta explained that in line with extant circulars, trade guidelines and government fiscal policies, the command further strengthened its anti-smuggling operations against economic saboteurs through credible, intelligence-driven operations and partnership with other relevant agencies for effective port management in the period under review.

As a result, it made a total of 103 seizures, including the 46.55kg of cocaine concealed in Mv Karteria and Mv Chayanee Naree, which were laden with raw sugar, all with approximate Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N31.22 billion.

The other seized items included containers of foreign parboiled rice, tomato paste, second-hand clothes, unregistered pharmaceuticals like captagon pills, tramadol and codeine syrup, all of which were condemned by a competent court of law, while the suspects are still undergoing investigation and interrogation.

 “For the avoidance of doubt, no matter whose ox is gored, the command is not going to tolerate any form of illicit behaviour in the trade supply chain,” he warned. “We are not only going to expose these recalcitrant traders (importers and their cronies), we will also ensure that they are brought to book with maximum penalty under the laws of the land.”

Malanta further commended the doggedness and tireless commitment of the officers and men of the command for the achievements.

   Meanwhile, he said the command has “diligently strengthened our risk assessment capacity through forensic system audit and dispute resolution procedures in accordance with the World Customs Organisation (WCO) standard.

   “Trade disputes were amicably resolved in an atmosphere that promoted compliance, with visible results in higher revenue indicating less cost of doing business and seizures.

   “The command has also achieved a robust industrial harmony with all government agencies in the Apapa Port, especially our host, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), other sister-agencies (DSS, NAFDAC, NDLEA and SON), as well as shipping lines and terminal operators, whose tremendous contributions have been a source of great success in the past year.”