… Nnadi records 6.23% surplus in target revenue as he bows out of Seme
The new Controller of Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Comptroller Timi Bomodi, has announced that he would operate an inclusive administration, integrating the views of sister agencies and stakeholders in policy making.
Bomodi who declared this at the handing over ceremony of the Command to him from Comptroller Dera Nnadi, said this was necessary because he is in the business of creating solutions.
To achieve this, he said he would operate an open door policy engaging the agencies and stakeholders in regular interactions.
As part of his plans in this regard, he assured that he would engage border community residents to ensure that the needs and expectations of the citizenry are met while facilitating trade.
Stressing on his open door policy he said freight forwarders would be allowed to bring in new ideas to solve trade issues and finetune trade policies.
Bomodi reiterated that Customs administration of Nigeria and Benin recently met to chart a roadmap to make trade facilitation seemless by aligning fiscal policies so that both countries can act accordingly.
The outgoing Controller redeployed to Tin Can Island Command, Comptroller Dera Nnadi, in his valedictory speech said he was happy and fulfiled to be handling over to a capable officer of the NCS, Timi Bomodi, who he said is versed in the operations of the Service.
According to Nnadi, upon assumption of office as the Customs Area Controller of Seme Command, he pledged to adopt new strategies to boost trade while enforcing the nation’s anti-smuggling laws along the Abidjan Lagos Corridor (ALCO) in line with the ECOWAS protocols on free movement of goods and persons and he has kept faith with this promise.
He said: “It is gratifying to mention notable impacts made by the Command in our key performance indicators to include revenue collection, anti-smuggling operations, and trade facilitation.
“The revenue target for the Command for the year 2023 is N1.97bn but as at Friday the 15th of September, 2023 the Command has collected 2.89bn only. This comes with a 6.23 per cent increase in total revenue.”
Nnadi said this was achieved due to the painstaking efforts made by the leadership of the Command in partnership with the stakeholders to ensure compliance with our revenue generation agenda.
In the area of anti-smuggling operations, he said Seme Command has intercepted fake six million US dollars equivalent to N2.7bn, rice, motor spirits, general merchandise goods, 594 parcels of Cannabis Sativa, Tramadol Tamol-X, Tramadol Royal, 225 Tablets of Heineken Ecstacy and cigarettes between January and August 2023.
“The duty paid value for items seized for the period January to 8th September 2023 is N1.83 bn.
“Under Export, the Command facilitated 146,400.93 metric tonnes of export produce, with FOB value of 16.53bn,” Nnadi narrated, adding that the outstanding Customs officers who saw to the success of the operations at Seme Command were given letters of commendation by the Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, as a way of encouraging them.