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Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs Services (NCS) said that a total of 378, 447million tons of exports worth N26.3b were shipped out of Nigeria through the ports between July and September 2020.
Customs Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Muhammed Abba–Kura, stated this at a media briefing in Lagos, saying the exported goods have a free on board (FOB) value of $85.861m.
According to him, the exported items included mineral resources, steel bars, agricultural products amongst others.
Abba-Kura added that the volume of export trade through the Apapa port stood at N78.6b with FOB value of $257m from January to September 2020.
On revenue generation on imports, Abba- Kura said the command collected the sum of N367.7b from January to September, adding that the figure represents 17 per cent increase as against the N313.5b collected within the same period in 2019 with a difference of N54.2b.
He noted that in the third quarter of 2020, the command collected and remitted the sum of N140 billion as Customs duty and other charges to the Federal government coffer, adding that the figure is 27 percent higher than the N110 billion recorded within same period in 2019.
“The difference recorded was made possible as a result of resilience of officers in ensuring that importers and agents are made to do proper declarations, adhere strictly to import/export guidelines in tandem with extant laws,” the Controller said.
On the area of smuggling, Comptroller Abba- Kura said the command made a seizure of total numbers of 328 containers of various goods with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) as against 37 containers seized in the same period in 2019 with a DPV of less than N3b.
He said the seizures, which include pharmaceutical products, foreign parboiled rice and second hand clothing among others were seized because of various infractions, adding that the level of compliance by importers still remained at between 40 to 60 per cent, which accounted for the increase in the number of seizures made.
