Why Customs may miss N1tr revenue target

From all indications, the Nigeria Customs Service’s (NCS)self-imposed revenue target of N1 trillion for 2016 may not be met if monthly income remains at the present average of N50 billion, as disclosed by the NCS Comptroller-General, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd).

The agency had in January set a target of N1 trillion annual revenue (about N83 billion monthly), which would be a modest N46 billion higher than the 2015 generated revenue of N954 billion. However, the agency disclosed that its average monthly revenue has now dropped to about N50 billion.

Speaking during his courtesy visit to the District Head of Gwadabawa in Sokoto State, Lawal Zayyana, Ali attributed the drop to the low domestic and international trade, as well as the nation’s dwindling foreign reserve.

He further lamented the crippling effect of smuggling on the nation’s economy, stating that “the only solution remains focusing more attention on mechanised farming to make Nigeria self-sufficient in food production.”

Nevertheless, he assured that the agency would continue the fight to end smuggling, especially of arms and illicit drugs, while soliciting the support of the local community to make the efforts of the officers and men of the service at policing the nation’s nearly 4,070-kilometre borderline more effective.

However, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’adAbubakar III, has urged the NCS to consider lifting the ban on rice importation through the land borders. The monarch told Ali, who paid him a courtesy visit in Sokoto that the policy was strangulating Nigerians by worsening the nation’s food scarcity.

Stating that he has been receiving complaints over the present hardship, he urged a review of the policy to lessen the pains of hardshipon Nigerians.

While commending government’s renewed efforts to boost domestic production of grains and assuring ofthe traditional institution’s support,he noted that “there is no food in the country, so there is the need for the borders to be reopened for rice importation through land borders,” online maritime platform, Ships&Ports, quoted him as saying.

On his part, Ali said the agency would forward the request to the appropriate quarters, adding that as a Federal Government policy, it does not start and stop on his table.

Ali, who came with high hopes on assumption of office last year, had declared a mission to reform and restructure the agency, and to increase revenue for the Federal Government by “blocking all leakages and making sure that our system works perfectly,”while hopingthat government policies would also favour that.

Unfortunately, that did not happen, as the apex bank’s forex restriction to some 41 import items, the weakening of the naira against other major currencies, as well as the diversion of imports to neighbouring countries’ ports in reaction to high import charges, among others, have caused the agency to lag far behind in its revenue target.