Apapa Customs records declining revenue performance in 2018

The Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service is gradually losing its shine as the supreme revenue collector for the Nigeria Customs Service. For a while now, the flagship command, noted for its hefty revenue hauls which account for over 60 percent of the total annual revenue profile for the whole service, has started to falter in one of the core functions of Customs, which is revenue generation.

Since the beginning of this fiscal year, the Command has consistently failed to meet its monthly target of N35.5billon.
In January, the command realised the sum of N31billion, recording a deficit of N4.5billon.
In February, the command did not fare better when its performance further dipped with the collection of N24.8billion, losing a hefty chunk of N10.7billion.

In March, it recorded another abysmal performance with the collection of N25.9billion, thus losing N9.6million.
However, the command wanted to mask this shoddy revenue performance when it released its first quarter collection.
In a press statement by Nwala Nkeiruka Ijeoma, the Apapa Command Public Relations Officer, the command netted the sum of N81.7billion in the first quarter of the year. She gleefully gave the command a thumb up when the figures were compared with the result of the corresponding period of 2017 which was N77.4billion.

In what appears to be an indulgence in self- praise, Mrs Ijeoma declared “the flagship of the Nigeria Customs Service the Apapa Area Command in the first quarter of 2018 has collected the total sum of Eighty- one billion, seven hundred and forty- eight million, four hundred and thirty- seven thousand, one hundred and ninety- two Naira only (N81, 748, 437, 192.00) only. This when compared to the seventy- seven billion, four hundred and thirty- nine million, six hundred and forty- five thousand, seven hundred and fifteen Naira (N77, 439, 645, 715. 00) only collected as revenue in the same period in 2017, shows an increase in the revenue profile by four billion, three hundred and seven million, seven hundred and ninety- one thousand, four hundred and seventy- seven Naira only (N4, 307, 791, 477. 00)”

It was more convenient for the command to compare the 2018 first quarter results with the figures of the corresponding period of 2017 but kept mute on the declining monthly revenue performance of the flagship command.
It is instructive to note that the command’s first quarter result fell short of the target, no matter how deftly the command wanted to down play it.

Going by its monthly target of N35.5billon, the command, if it wants to meet its 2018 target of N426 billion, is expected to rake in the sum of N106.5billion in the first quarter as against the N81.7billion it garnered, thus recording a short fall of N24.8billion.

The Customs hierarchy in Abuja was said to be greatly worried by the depreciating revenue performance of the Apapa Command, expressing fears that the command may not meet its 2018 target of N426 billion.
The trepidation of Hameed Ali, the Comptroller-General of Customs is understandable because the target given to the Apapa Command is almost 50 per cent of the total revenue target of the whole service for 2018, is one trillion naira.
His worry is predicated on the valid thinking that if the Apapa Command falters in its revenue drive, it would affect the performance of the whole service this year.

The Area Comptroller of the Command, Comptroller Jibril Musa, was equally worried about the declining revenue performance of the command. He was however, quick to attribute this consistent poor performance to leakages in the system as well as the malignant traffic gridlock in Apapa. However, in a bid to arrest the slide in revenue performance, the CAC has given the Apapa Command the matching order to immediately commence operating Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System II (NICIS II).

This is an enhanced automation process that is meant to plug revenue leakages and enhance revenue collection.
The automation platform which was kick started last year at Kirikiri Lighter Terminal, has spread to PTML and Tincan commands which have since witnessed a tremendous revenue haul.

The platform is an improvement on the earlier automation processes such as ASYCUDA, ASYCUDA 2.3, ASYCUDA 2.7,ASYCUDA ++, and NICIS I, which is a software specially created to enhance seamless cargo clearance and reduce human contacts which breed extortion and corruption. Under ASYCUDA, agents could only make five declarations in one hour, but under the NICIS II, they can make up to 18 declarations within an hour.

While agents, under NICIS I, could only view what other control agencies such as NAFDAC, SON, NDLEA are doing with their declarations, under NICIS II, they could actually interact with these agencies. It is this magic wand the worried Customs hierarchy wishes to adopt to stem the spate of revenue leakages at Apapa Command which has consistently eroded its level of performance. Comptroller Musa acknowledged this much when he expressed optimism that sagging revenue performance of the command will be shored up with the introduction of the NICIS II.

“The Command is optimistic, that, with the roll out of the Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System II (NICIS II) in Apapa which is expected to block all revenue leakages as well as the repairing of the Apapa axis roads, the Command will build on her revenue profile in the months ahead”, the Apapa spokesperson admitted in her statement.

“By the time the software (NICIS II) becomes fully operational, we would have blocked almost all revenue leakages thereby increasing not only our revenue profile but compliance level”. The CAC reiterated when he was interacting with some stakeholders in Apapa recently.