ZAINAB JUNAID
Just as Murtala Muhammed Airport Command (MMAC) of the Nigeria Customs Service reported raising a total sum of Forty-Five Billion, Two Hundred and Thirty-Two Million, Four Hundred and Eighty-Three Thousand, Five Hundred and Twenty-Eight Naira only (N45,232,483,528) as revenue generated into government coffer in the first quarter, the Command has successfully surpassed it’s 2024 quarterly revenue target of Thirty Six Billion naira only (N36,000,000,000) by N9.2 Billion.
Recall that the Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Muhammad Sani Yusuf, had earlier this year revealed that N144 Billion was allocated to the Command by the NCS management as 2024 revenue target and if divided into four will amount to N36 Billion quarterly revenue target for 2024.
Amidst various challenges that adversely affected various sectors in the Country, the Command did not only surpassed its quarterly revenue target for the year 2024,it has also successfully outshined it’s 2023 performance with an appreciable increase of Twenty-Three Billion, Eight Hundred and Sixty-Nine Million, Seven Hundred and Thirty Thousand, Eight Hundred and Fifty-One Naira and Fifty-Six Kobo (N23,869,730,851.56K) which indicated 111.7% increase.
In the first quarter of 2023, Comptroller Yusuf said the Command collected Twenty-One Billion, Three Hundred and Sixty-Two Million, Seven Hundred and Fifty-Two Thousand, Six Hundred and Seventy-Six Naira, Forty-Four Kobo (N21,362,752,676.44K) while in the corresponding period of 2024, it recorded Forty-Five Billion, Two Hundred and Thirty-Two Million, Four Hundred and Eighty-Three Thousand, Five Hundred and Twenty-Eight Naira (N45,232,483,528) only.
He maintained that continuous synergy with stakeholders will make the set target N144Billion achievable in 2024.
In anti-Smuggling, he revealed that the Command intercepted fifty (50) pieces of 9mm live ammunitions which was discovered in a joint examination conducted by the Service and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
“The seizures made in the first Command includes One Thousand, One Hundred and Sixty Four (1,164kg) sea cucumbers, Fifty Eight Kilograms (58kg) of donkey genitals and seventeen packages (17) of Tramadol among others, having a cumulative Duty Paid Value (DPV) of Five Billion, seven hundred and ninety four million, ninety nine thousand, three hundred and seventy one naira, one hundred and nineteen kobo only (N5,794,099,371.119k).
“All the seized items contravened some of the provisions of extant laws as enshrined in the Nigeria Customs Service Act (NCS Act) 2023,” he added.
Speaking further, Comptroller Yusuf noted that in the area of stakeholder’s engagement, the Command has maintained its open-door policy and resolved a lot of issues of common interest with concerned stakeholders.
“Let me also at this juncture thank our critical Stakeholders, Sister Agencies and the Media for their collaborative efforts and synergy while carrying out our statutory mandate in the state.
“Finally, I want to use this medium to thank the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR and his Management team for their continued support as well as Officers and Men of the Command. I urge them to remain focused and steadfast in discharging their assigned responsibilities,” he concluded.
