N1.130 Trn.Revenue Target For Tin Can Command Is Achievable-Dera Nnadi

N1.130 Trn.Revenue Target For Tin Can Command Is Achievable-Dera Nnadi
………rakes in N716bn in 2023
………declares 2024,year of Stakeholders
……….announces reward for compliant traders

‘Incurable optimist’ Comptroller Dera Nnadi,Customs Area Controller,Tin Can port Command during the press briefing on Tuesday,in Lagos

By Frank Odinukaeze

Incurable optimist , Customs Area Controller,Tin Can Island port Command,Comptroller Dera Nnadi mini, has said that the revenue target of N1.130 trillion allocated to the command by the Nigeria Customs Service for 2024 is highly achievable .
Comptroller Dera Nnadi mni, disclosed this at a press conference on Tuesday in Lagos.
Nnadi who declared 2024 as year of the stakeholders stated that , the target allocated to Tin Can Island Port Command is 27 percent of the national target for the Service; even as he commended officers and the agents for their concerted efforts at ensuring the realization of the N716 Billion for 2023.
“Last year 2023, our revenue target was N801.5 billion out of which we were able to collect N716.5 million which represents 89 percent of our target.”
According to Comptroller Nnadi,” In 2024, due to our hard work, following our beautiful performance in 2023, the Controller General of Customs (CGC) and its management, in 2024 allocated a revenue target of N1.130 trillion”.
Nnadi noted that in order to realize the N1.130,the officers and stakeholders in the command must collect N94.23 monthly, N21.7 billion every week and N4.23 billion daily.
Compt.Nnadi informed that as part of efforts to ensure the realization of the revenue target, a strategic meeting with senior officers of the Command was held to map out strategies to achieve the seemingly high target.
“This year 2024 in the command has been declared as the year of stakeholders. We believe that they are going to reciprocate the kind gesture to us by declaring the appropriate duty, correct declaration and be compliant.
Giving further clarification on the declaration of 2024 as year of the stakeholders, Compt. Nnadi said,'” It is very significant to realize that no bird flies with one wing.In the past,and in recent times,we tend to see stakeholders as strangers here.Since 2006, there has been deliberate effort by the Nigeria Customs to promote more robust engagement with the stakeholders.We have Customs Consultative Council,made up of Customs officer and some notable stakeholders in the system We have opened up our system electronically.Some of our stakeholders like SON,NAFDAC,NESREA,NDLEA,and others ,we have been relating with them.But most importantly,our beautiful stakeholders – the Freight Forwarders ,we relate with them effectively,and we intend to do more by introducing a reward system that will make sure that any agent that is so compliant ,gets expedited action in clearance of his cargo”.
He noted that this arrangement has been further taken up by the CGC all in an effort to encourage compliance ,and also encourage the agents.
He however warned that while the command will do everything humanly possible to ensure trade facilitation and seamless trade ,he would not hesitate to deal decicevely with those who are not compliant.
Speaking further Compt.Nnadi said,”We made reasonable attempts for the use of scanners. We introduced 24hours operations and weekend operations in the port, and there’s continuous capacity building for officers. We also revamped our resolution committee and we merged with other stakeholders. We have deepened our efforts to support our sister agencies, like the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the various transportation agents.”
He informed that the service has directed that every command must engage with what the CGC call ‘environmental scan’ by studying the environment and optimising opportunities inherent.
While expressing gratitude to officers and stakeholders for the Command’s performance in 2023, he stressed that the command have put in place adequate strategies and mechanisms to checkmate non compliance and boost revenue generation for 2024.