The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Monday said it has obtained a presidential approval to extend distribution of seized perishable items to Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps and registered orphanages across the country.
Customs Spokesperson, Joseph Attah who made the disclosure during a breakfast meeting in Lagos explained that prior to the approval of the extension, perishable items like rice, second-hand clothes and groundnut oil had been distributed to IDP camps in the North-east only.
He said almost half a million bags of 50 kilogrammes rice have so far been distributed in the region.
Attah said between January and November this year, customs paid N1.1 trillion into the Federation account.
He said, “Recall that last year while announcing the unprecedented revenue record of 2017 which was N1.037 trillion, we had expressed hope of breaking the record.
“Today, I am happy to announce that the Service has already broken 2017 record with N1.1 trillion revenue.
“This is no doubt a clear testimony of the fact that the ongoing reforms of the service are impacting positively on productivity.
“Rice and other perishable items are being given to the victims of the unfortunate insurgency in the North-East. So far, a total of 424,391 (50kg) bags of rice worth N4,047,615,000.00 and other seized perishables have been distributed to IDPs in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Edo states.
“The Controller-General of Customs has therefore sought and obtained presidential approval to extend distribution of these relief items to other IDP camps and registered orphanages across the country.”
The Customs spokesperson said a list of IDPs and orphanages across the country are already being compiled in order to start the distribution as soon as possible.