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By Zika Bobby
The Kano/Jigawa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has generated N52.7 billion revenue for 2023.
The figure according to the Command represents 26.4 per cent increase above the N41,699,095,822 2022 revenue.
Customs Area Controller of the Command, Comptroller Dauda Ibrahim Chana, said the Command performed well last year in terms of revenue generation, trade facilitation, and anti-smuggling operations, especially when compared to 2022 record .
According to him, the Command achieved voluntary compliance by its stakeholders following regular sensitization and proactive engagement with the business communities in Kano and Jigawa States by the Comptroller.
He added that vigorous enforcement actions by his men have resulted in several seizures, which has contributed in arresting smuggling in the two States.
Some of the seizures by the Command made were handed over to sister government agencies in the spirit of inter agency collaboration. Comptroller Chana commended the various organisations for their support to the NCS
The seizures made last year included; Donkey skin, marijuana, expired and unregistered pharmaceutical products which were handed over to the concerned agencies of government
“If you could recall, a few weeks ago, we had course to invite heads of sister agencies to handover huge confiscated contraband items to them.
We handed over 665 pieces of Donkey skins to ACGQ AI Gano, Northwest Zonal Coordinator, Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Services (NAQS), while 450 blocks of Cannabis Sativa was handed over to the State Commander, National Drugs and Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) as well as 1290 cartons of expired and unregistered pharmaceuticals released to the State Director, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Kassim Idrisa Ibrahim.
“The continuous synergy and collaboration between our organization and our esteemed partner agencies exemplify our shared dedication to maintaining a safe and healthy environment for all citizens of the country” he said.
On trade facilitation, the Comptroller said he made several visits since assuming leadership of the Command to improve overall compliance levels among the various stakeholders engaged in Customs trade activities.
These visits according to him were part of a broader strategy to streamline processes and foster a more efficient and transparent trade environment. He engaged them on wide array of topics including regulatory adherence, accuracy of documentation, and the educated them on being efficient in terms of adherence to trade procedures.
Speaking on the recent Comptroller General of Customs Conference held in Lagos, which centered on Data Analytics, Comptroller Chana said the Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi’s initiative to having a data driven Customs Service is highly commendable considering its importance in effective review and planning to streamline Customs operations.
Relaying the theme of the conference to the Kano/Jigawa Command of NCS, Chana said the Command employs data to forecast, analyse, and digest information relating to seizures, revenue generation, and anti-smuggling efforts to improve on its mandate and predict the future.
He stated further that for the CGC conference theme to cascade down to the Command level,there will always be need for continuous stakeholder engagement with a view to ensuring compliance and seamless operations .
According to him, earlier in November, he coordinated a training session for enterprises operating at the Kano Free Trade zone, and there are plans in place to meet with all of them within the first quarter of 2024, especially members of Kano Market associations and Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN).
