This Comptroller is Hitting Target
Tin-Can Customs Collect N274.3billion Revenue in the mid year report of the Customs Area Comptroller, an indication that Comptroller Oloyede is doing a great job
By Ovie Edomi
The Tin Can Island Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has witnessed some measures of turnaround following the redeployment of Comptroller Steven Oloyede as the Customs Area Controller of the command in February 14, 2022.
For an officer who was one of the eggheads at the Information Communication Technology ICT/Modernisation department of the service at the headquarters, his redeployment to the command coincided with the introduction of the new VIN Valuation system for imported vehicles.
Considering that Tin Can Island Port is predominantly a Roll-on-Roll-off RORO Port, which is the country’s vehicle importation hub, it accounts for over 97per cent of the automobiles imported into the country.
Comptroller Oloyede during his first official engagement with the maritime media said he was given specific instructions by the Comptroller General of the service, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd.) to grow non-oil exports through the command, which is in line with government’s economic diversification agenda.
He immediately hit the ground running, with a robust stakeholders’ engagement strategy, which became the centre point of his turnaround strategy.
It would be recalled that the customs Area Comptroller, Adekunle Oloyede told Journalists that as part of the enforcement and anti-smuggling activities, the command’s generated N274.3 billion, which is 27.50 percent increase compared to the year 2021.
Comptroller Adekunle Oloyede equally disclosed to journalists that the performance report of the command with respect to export rose by 73 percent to 138,246.50 metric tons in the first half of the year. According to him, the export cargo had over N100.45 billion in free on board (FOB), representing a 60 percent increase from N66.29 billion recorded on the 100,500 metric tons of export cargo throughput in the same period of 2021.
Comptroller Oloyede who commended the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) for creating a seamless collaboration that facilitated the clearance of export cargo at the Tin-Can Island Port command stated that the command made various seizures and detentions with a Duty Paid Value of over N1.3billion.
According to him, the breakdown of the seizures include 145kg of Colorado Indian Hemp concealed in two units of Ridgeline trucks and two units of Toyota Corolla vehicles; 206,000 pieces of machetes; 640 bales of used clothes; 236,500 pieces of used shoes; 62,500 pieces of new lady’s shoes; 1,670,400 pieces of chloroquine injections; 1,814,400 pieces of Novalgen injection; 48,850 rolls of cigarettes and 23,800 tins of sodium bromate and baking powder in addition to 3,303 pieces of motor batteries found in three containers that were falsely declared. Also seized were three units of used Toyota Hiace buses; four units of used Mack truck heads; one unit of used Toyota Sequoia 2008 model; one unit of used Mercedes Benz GL450 2008 model, and one unit of used 2011 Toyota 4 Runner that the clearing agents forged the signature of the Area Comptroller. He added that the command had strengthened its risk management structure to mitigate constant attempts by some non-compliant agents to abuse the process through falsification of documents and forgery of signatures.
The Customs boss explained that the seized and detained items contravened sections 46, 47 and 161 of the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) CAP 45 of 2004. He disclosed that the command had handed over one suspect, one pistol gun, two empty magazines, and 300 rounds of live ammunition to the DSS for further action.
Furthermore Oloyede said the command has created a dispute settlement structure that aligns with the provisions of the import duty mechanism, which allows an importer to take delivery of his consignment in the case of persistent dispute after securing a bank bond worth the duties and taxes payable on the item being disputed.
Speaking on implementation of the VIN valuation policy at the command, Oloyede said the command had overcome the challenges experienced at the early stage of the deployment of the policy through continuous engagement and consultation of relevant stakeholders.
He argued that ” the VIN valuation has helped the command achieve an expedited clearance process due to predictability of value assessment, increase in revenue generation, improved ease of doing business, generation of accurate statistics for government and a host of others.”