Seme Customs command generates N1. 3bn in 3 months

The Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service said it has generated about N1.3 billion as revenue in the first three months of the year.

Comptroller in charge of the command Benedict Oramalugo who disclosed this when the House Committee on Customs and Excise visited the command also said the command seized goods with duty paid value of over N800 million.

This is as the Committee threatened to blacklist contractors handling various projects at the Seme Border Area Command in Lagos State.

The Comptroller appealed to the National Assembly to come to the aide of the command to address ocean surge which threatens the existence of the command.

Oramalugo also told the committee that the command was able to generate about N1. 3 billion as revenue in the first three months or the year while ceasing goods with duty paid value or over N800 million

Speaking when he led other members of the committee on an oversight visit to the command, Chairman of the Committee, Leke Abejide (ADC, Kogi) frown at contractors being awarded contract which they will not execute.

Abejide said the projects are important to the operation of the Command, adding that their absence affect the operations of the Command which controls the busiest land border in the country in terms of revenue generation.

Abejide stated that, they have an obligation to follow up on the circumstances leading to the failure of the contractors to complete the projects saying that, any contractor found being deliberate to undermine the Customs would be appropriately sanctioned.

He directed the Command to provide details of the projects including the costs, the contractors and all other details necessary.

Abejide said the purpose of the visit was to “check your books, operations, projects domiciled in this command and to compare whether they are in line with what was approved in the previous budgets more especially the last two budgets of 2023 and 2024 which will guide the committee on what to approve and what to delete in 2025 budget where there is no or poor performance.

“In your operations, we need to know whether it facilitate trade in order to encourage more patronage for our ports than our neighboring countries. How you are able to mitigate and suppress smuggling in your command. Above all how do you block leakages and optimize your revenue collection.

“As an Area we are sure you have been given target to meet it with monthly and aggregate will be in twelve month that is one fiscal year. This Committee will like to know what you have been able to generate from January 2025 to March 2025 in relation to your monthly target.

“The way we are concern about your operations so we are concerned about your welfare. As such we would like to know what are the challenges you are facing in carrying out your operations and in what way do you think this Committee can be of help to the command and the service.

“As you know you do not see us always, therefore this is a golden opportunity to lay it bay so that if it is something that can be done via budget then we shall ensure is captured in 2025 budget and also follow up to ensure the implementation is done very well.

“As we are here the Committee will like to know how the E-Customs has impacted on your operations in terms of improvement on your Revenue networks uninterrupted, trade facilitation and suppressing of smuggling you should let us know which era is better NCIS or B’odogu?

The Comptroller told tyw Lawmakers that the commnd is still using the NCIS platform for its operations, adding that the headquarters of the service has sent officers to come and train it’s personnel on the use of the B’odogu platform.