Skip to main content

Customs debits importers N1.1billion in six months

Customs debits importers N1.1billion in six months

The Comptroller General (CG), Strike Force, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Zone ‘A’  has raised a Debit Note (DN) of over N1.104 billion against importers, who paid lesser duties to the Federal Government across the six area commands in the South West in the last six months.

   
The Co-ordinator of the Strike Force, Assistant Comptroller Abba Kakudi, in a statement, Wednesday, said the Debit Note was issued on seizures between January 1 and June 11, 2020, adding that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected the movement of goods.

 
Kakudi said in the last two weeks, the Strike Force has given a hard chase to smugglers, who were desperate to unleash economic sabotage on the country. 

Giving details of the seizures, he said: “Our seizures include; 1000 bags of 50kg foreign parboiled rice with the Duty Payment Value (DPV) 13.252 million, 10 Tokunbo vehicles with DPV N31.184 million and 30 bales of second hand clothing with DPV of N2.160 million. It is important to say that in order to help the economy to grow, there is no need to import what we can produce here in Nigeria or bringing in prohibited items.”
 
According to him, the federal government has encouraged a lot of rice farmers to produce in large quantities and even healthier than foreign rice, adding that traders should avail themselves of this opportunity to market indigenous products to grow the economy maximally.
   
He said: “You will be surprised that in a bid to police the smugglers from bringing in these prohibited products, our officers face a lot of dangers, as most of the smugglers are armed; sometimes not necessarily with rifles but machetes, charms and other dangerous weapons, but we are not overwhelmed.”
“This ugly situation is experienced more around the creeks where inhabitants mobilise some under-aged people against us, to the extent of calling us names as well as some stoning us, all in a bid to make/secure seizures.”
 
He therefore appealed to those who believe that smuggling is very lucrative to desist from it, as the Customs officers are always a step above them in all their plots and strategies, saying that a smuggler is an economic saboteur, and such a trade cannot be the best means of livelihood due to the inherent dangers and attendant losses.

 He decried that smuggling ruins the economy of any nation, adding that a lot of incentives have been provided by the Federal Government to revamp Nigeria’s economy, while warning importers and agents against aiding and abetting smuggling.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

N-Power: FG extends Batch C enrolment Aug 8

FG extends Batch C N-Power enrollment to August 8 Add caption The Federal Government says the enrolment for Batch C scheme of the N-Power Programme which started on June 26 will now close on August 8. Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, who disclosed this via  Twitter on Sunday night, said over 5 million applications have been received for the scheme. The Federal Government plans to enrol 400,000 applicants in the Batch C scheme. Batches A and B of the programme who are about to exit the programme held a rally at the National Assembly Complex last week, requesting FG to employ them as well as pay them a grant of N600,000 each. Providing an update on the development, the minister said on Sunday, “I received the news of a protest at the National Assembly by N-Power Batch A and B beneficiaries who presented a list of demands which we are reviewing and will address as practically possible. “Let me reiterate that th...
Post a Comment
Read more

FG SURVIVAL FUND TO COMMENCE REGISTRATION FEBRUARY 9TH

MSMEs SURVIVAL FUND TO COMMENCE REGISTRATION FOR GUARANTEED OFF-TAKE STIMULUS SCHEME & GENERAL MSME GRANT     100,000 Nigerians to benefit from one-off N50,000 MSME grant  The chairman of the Steering Committee of the MSMEs Survival Fund and guaranteed Off-take Stimulus Scheme and Honourable Minister of State, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Amb. Mariam Y. Katagum, has announced the commencement of the Guaranteed Off-take Stimulus Scheme and the MSME Grant portal opening from February, 9th, 2021.  The Guaranteed Off-take Stimulus Scheme according to Amb. Katagum is aimed at protecting and sustaining the incomes of vulnerable Micro and Small Enterprises by guaranteeing the offtake of their products.   According to her, a total of 100,000 Micro and Small Enterprises are to benefit from the scheme.   The total target national number of beneficiaries is 100,000. The breakdown is as follows: Lagos, 3,880; Kano, 3,280; Abia, 3,080; while t...
Post a Comment
Read more

PRESIDENT BUHARI RECEIVES MADAGASCAN COVID-19 HERBAL “DRUG” FROM GUINEA BISSAU’S PRESIDENT EMBALO

PRESIDENT BUHARI RECEIVES MADAGASCAN COVID-19 HERBAL “DRUG” FROM GUINEA BISSAU’S PRESIDENT EMBALO President Muhammadu Buhari Saturday at the State House, Abuja, received the Madagascan native formulation against the Covid-19 pandemic, and reiterated that he will listen to science before allowing traditional or any new medicines to be administered on Nigerians. At an audience meeting with President Umaro Sissoco Embalo of Guinea Bissau who brought along with him the samples of the traditional medicine as shared to African nations by Madagascar, President Buhari said his position on all such herbal or traditional medicinal postulates had remained the same. “We have our institutions, systems and processes in the country. Any such formulations should be sent to them for verification. I will not put it to use without the endorsement of our institutions,” said the Nigerian President. On the main reason for his visit, President Embalo said having stabilized his country after the tus...
Post a Comment
Read more