Nigeria Benin
Republic Customs Collaboration Fruitful
Qasim Akinreti, Lagos
The
economic cooperation between Nigeria and The Republic of Benin
Customs has yielded positive results in revenue generation and
reduction in smuggling activities.
Comptroller of Customs, Seme Nigeria-Benin Border Command, Mr.
Gabriel Aliu told newsroom that the positive results were noted
in revenue generated from automobiles and rice as well as
considerable reduction in smuggling activities in the area.
According to him, under the economic cooperation arrangements,
the Benin Republic Customs escorts goods from Cotonou port to
the Nigerian – Benin border town of Seme for necessary clearance
and payment of duty.
Statistics
Mr Aliu said available statistics have shown that revenue from
automobile and rice top the list of the command chart for last
year while that of February 2010 has increased considerably.
Motor vehicle imports recorded over N361 million and Rice levy
netted over N398 million between October 2009 to February, 2010.
The general revenue profile stands at over N3.7 billion in 2009
and over N433 million in January 2010, the highest recorded by
the Seme Command in recent years.
Seizures
In line with the government’s zero tolerance on smuggling, the
Seme Customs Command made over 429 seizures in 2009 and January,
2010. The duty paid value of the goods in 2009 was over N545
million and over N32 million in January, 2010.
In the words of Comptroller Aliu, “smuggling is a cankerworm
that does no one any good; my administration has made modest
effort to curtail the cankerworm. The government warehouse had
been overstretched because of the increase in the number of
seizures.”
Examination Bay
In order to boost the revenue profile of the Customs Command, a
new examination bay is being constructed. Consequently, the
examination of goods will become more thorough and limitation
associated with the examination on the highway will be removed.
More importantly, the height of the trucks will be strictly
controlled and the highway more accessible.
Challenges
The Comptroller of Seme Command expressed concerns over the
preference by Nigerians for foreign made goods as against
locally manufactured ones, these he said leads to youth
unemployment and has made smuggling more attractive.
It was equally sad that the Nigerian Customs at the Seme Border
are operating from the ECOWAS Building on “Foreign land” and the
amphibious nature of the terrain limits the ability of the
Customs men and officers to arrest smugglers.
