Milestones of CGC Adeniyi's One Year in Office

 

               ▪︎ CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi 

Haboursandport.com: Abuja - The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi has attributed the landmark achievements recorded by his administration within a year, to "the implementation of relevant policy measures." 

CGC Adeniyi, in a presentation of his One Year in Office (June 19, 2023- 2024), said that the NCS recorded the following Key milestones under its core statutory responsibilities: 

a. Revenue collection. 

The NCS reported a remarkable 74% growth in revenue collection over the past year, recording a total revenue collection of N 4.49 trillion between June 2023 and May 2024, compared to the N2.58 trillion collected during the corresponding period of the previous year. 

This achievement was underpinned by a sustained increase of 70.13% in average monthly revenue collection compared to the previous year. 

NCS recorded an average monthly revenue collection of N343 billion, compared to the N 202 billion monthly average. 

Notably, there was a substantial 122.35% rise in revenue collection during the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in the previous year. 

These gains were attributed to various strategic initiatives, including: 

i. N 15 billion Recovery by the Revenue Review Performance Recovery exercise.

ii. N 2.79 billion Recovered from the 90-day window for the regularisation of the documents of uncustomed vehicles.

iii. N 1.5 billion Recovered from the decongestion of 1,705 overtime containers and 981 vehicles from the port.

iv. It is also worthy to note that on June 13, 2024, NCS recorded

a daily All-Time-High of N 58.5 billion in revenue collection.

v. The deployment of officers to sensitive posts on the basis of merit and capacity. 

b. Trade Facilitation. Significant achievements have been made in this category, including:

i. The decongestion of ports and the reopening of previously inaccessible access roads. 

ii. Particularly noteworthy is the NCS's recent ranking under the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), which aims to streamline business operations in Nigeria through reforms and policies. Ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) 

are ranked by activities under eight broad indicator levels, including efficiency reforms based on service delivery within stipulated timelines, transparency reforms, the review and update of Service Level Agreements, and support for manufacturing and agriculture export. 

Between 2020 and 2022, the NCS maintained an average percentage score of 18.45%, ranking 28th out of the 37 MDAs ranked. 

By 2023, the NCS ranking fell further to 34th out of 39 MDAs, with a percentage score of 18.53%. 

However, by 2024, I am delighted to announce that the NCS moved up 33 places, now tied at the top with 4 other MDAs out of the 36 MDAs assessed, with a percentage score of 100%, marking a 81.5% increase. 

This remarkable improvement is directly attributed to the trade facilitation measures implemented within the past year.  The NCS remains committed to ensuring that all recommendations and global best practices are implemented to the highest standard. 

Similarly, the designation of a dedicated terminal for exports has yielded significant gains, facilitating the processing of export goods through the Lilypond command. Initially handling 317 Single Goods Declarations (SGDs) in transactions, the terminal now manages 7,464 SGDs, accounting for 19.49% of the total 38,294 export transactions recorded in 2023. 

By the first quarter of 2024, the Service has processed a total of 10,786 transactions, with 3,162 (29.32%) of these processed through the dedicated export terminal.

" The Service has enjoyed steadfast support from Mr. President, through the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, who also serves as the Chairman of the Nigeria Customs Service Board (NCSB), in the implementation of relevant policy measures." 

Protection of the Society. 

The NCS's anti-smuggling efforts in the past year have intensified, resulting in significant interceptions, high-value seizures, and numerous arrests. 

i. Notably, the Service recorded 63 seizures related to animal and wildlife products valued at ₦566 million. Additionally, seven seizures of arms and ammunition were made through our ports and borders. 

In terms of illicit drugs, a combined total of 127 cases involving narcotics and pharmaceutical products were seized, valued at over ₦6 billion. ii. The Service also recorded 724 seizures of 2.93 million litres of PMS (Premium Motor Spirit) that were attempted to be smuggled out of the country. 

The illegal dealings in petroleum evacuation have garnered the interest of relevant stakeholders, and the ongoing Operation Whirlwind will continue to intercept and disrupt the activities of smugglers in this regard.

iii. In a bid to guarantee food security and suppress the smuggling of food in and out of the country, the Service recorded 1,744 cases of rice and grain seizures valued at ₦4.4 billion. 

These concerted efforts underscore the NCS's commitment to protecting society and ensuring national security. 

Collaboration. 

The 81.5% gain in the service reform indices 

under the PEBEC ranking can be attributed to the recent trade facilitation and collaborative engagements of the NCS. 

These efforts have led to smoother operations with stakeholders, facilitated by regular interactions.

The NCS has now instituted a routine to update the public on its activities through quarterly reports. 

This initiative, introduced in the first quarter of the year, will continue with the second quarter briefing, which is due in two weeks and will provide detailed insights into NCS operations", he said .

At the most recent engagement with the Health Federation of Nigeria (HFN), greater cooperation and collaboration were emphasized, particularly to reduce the cost and time for medicament clearance. 

Stakeholders reached an agreement to set up a technical working group supported by the Ministry of Finance, comprising all relevant agencies involved in the processing of medicaments. 

They also agreed to develop specific clearance procedures for medicaments and to institutionalize a platform with customs for setting up a special corridor dedicated to the clearance of healthcare products.

The Service has enjoyed steadfast support from Mr. President, through the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, who also serves as the Chairman of the Nigeria Customs Service Board (NCSB), in the implementation of relevant policy measures. 

" Thus, the outcomes in this performance report are attributed to the successes of the Chairman and Members of the Board for creating the enabling policy environment for the actualization of Mr. President’s vision."