By BON PETERS, Port Harcourt

In line with its oversight function, the House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise paid a working visit to the Customs Zone C Headquarters in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, Wednesday, even as the Customs Area 1 Command, others showcase their first quarter revenue generation, anti-smuggling activities among others.

The event which served as stocktaking for all the Commands in the zone, saw the Area Controllers take turns to present to the house committee their achievements in revenue generation, anti-smuggling activities, trade facilitation, projects, prospects and challenges.

Speaking to newsmen on the sidelines of the event, the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Leke Abejide said he was satisfied with the findings so far, even as he promised to take home every information gathered so that the committee would work on it for effective implementation.

?Am satisfied with our findings, we will go back and look into them so that we will work out modalities to ensure more revenue is generated, trade facilitated and smuggling suppressed."

"When we talk of non-oil revenue, Customs comes to mind," he emphasized.

Earlier, in his welcome address, the Zonal coordinator Customs Zone C Headquarters (ACG) SK Dangaladima has welcomed the committee thanking them for finding time to visit his zone even as he promised continued collaboration and synergy for them to achieve the purpose of their visit.

He lauded the officers and men of his Commands for their dedication to duty, especially in revenue generation, trade facilitation and suppression of smuggling in the Zone.

In his presentation, the Customs Area 1, Controller, CAC, Compt. Mustapha Hashim, said, ?The Command has generated N56.1 Billion in the first quarter of 2025 with a statistical difference of N12.5Billion collected same period in 2024 which stood at 28.6%.?

He noted that, "The command revenue target is N216 billion for 2025 and the command has also generated over N18 billion from 1st to 22 April 2025 which has already exceeded N17.4 billion collected in April 2024.?

Compt. Hashim assured that the Command would do everything possible within the ambit of the law to raise revenue collection in the year 2025.

On Anti- Smuggling activities, the Area 1,Customs Boss, stated that the command has relentlessly fought against smuggling activities in the ports which led to several arrests and handing over of intercepted animals and plants to the appropriate government agencies in line with the convention on international trade in Endangered Species of Wild fauna and flora (CITES).

Disclosing that the command impounded 9 packages of Tafradol- 200mg tablets at the NAHCO SHED of the Port Harcourt port International Airport.

In a related development, the Customs Area Controller, CAC, Federal Operations Unit, Zone C, Owerri, Compt. Bashir Balogun, said: ?The FOU Zone C has made great success in trade facilitation, revenue generation, implementation of government fiscal policy, combating smuggling activities and illicit items across its area of jurisdiction." Balogun disclosed this while presenting his score card to the house committee.

Compt. Balogun emphasized, ?The Command recorded the following seizures without need to fire any single shot or use physical violence; a team of gallant officers and men of the FOU Zone ?C? Owerri, working on intelligence intercepted 2425 pieces of used tyres; intelligence driven operations of our officers and men led to the arrest and seizure of 647 bales of second clothing; the roving patrol team of the unit on a credible stop and search operation was able to arrest and detain 2762 Rolls of 60 Yard Each satin mirror dull face; the Rapid Response officers and men if the unit on a credible intelligence patrol intercepted a Truck load of smuggled 3,400 cartons of foreign spaghetti made in Turkey; the team of intelligence roving squad intercepted 25 blocks of Cannabis Sativa and the command arrested 233 sacks of 2kg and 50kg Foreign Parboiled Rice and 14 bags of 50kg rice. ?

Compt. Balogun noted: "From the date of my assumption of office as CAC FOU Zone C precisely 20th March 2025 to 20 April 2025, the unit has recorded over 30 various interceptions/ detentions and over 10 categories of seizures of un- customs and illicit substances within the zone and with a total Duty Paid Value ( DPV) of N1,010,113,880.00 ( One billion, ten million, one hundred and thirteen thousand, eight hundred and eighty naira only) and the unit also raised additional Demand Notices ( DN) totaling N13, 451,848.00 ( Thirteen Million, four hundred and fifty one thousand, eight hundred and forty eight naira only) within the period under review

Contributing, the Chairman/CEO of Microconsult Nigeria Ltd and the immediate past chairman, ANLCA Onne Seaport Chapter, Mr. Mike Ebeatu said the demand by the Nigeria Customs Service to be given four percent of the revenue generated is in order. " We are supporting Customs on that. They have done well and deserved to be compensated."

"Also the agents who are interfacing with the importers and doing all the jobs to ensure that enough revenue is generated should adequately benefit.? Ebeatu said.

He also noted that when agents are properly taken care of, the issue of sharp practices like under declaration, concealment among others would be a thing of the past. On the state of Eastern ports road network, he described the state of road infrastructure as very bad insisting that it is like Eastern ports are abandoned. Continuing, he added "the absence of road and rail network is negatively affecting the freight forwarding business. The rate of container accident is high; there should be a railway network connectivity from here to Aba, Nnewi, Onitsha. Some of our colleagues transport their cargoes from here to Kano dry port. It would have been better to do it through the railway to reduce the rate of accidents and road congestion,? Ebeatu opined.

He therefore, urged the federal government to develop the railway infrastructure, bring more scanners at the ports insisting that Onne Port can boast of only one scanner while other ports in the zone, do not even have hence according to him, for customs do collect more revenue there should be nonintrusive and single window container clearance at the Eastern ports.

Present at the event include Compt Chukwudi Ogbonna, Akwaibom/ Calabar Command, Comptroller Chika Dim, Eastern Maritime Command, Comptroller Comfort Ukpanah, Enugu Command, Comptroller Peterson Akpan, Imo /Abia Command, DC, Ege Chukwu Sunday who represented Oil and Gas Free Trade Zone Port Harcourt among others.

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