The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Tin-Can Island Command, has recorded a revenue shortfall of N2.7 billion in the first quarter of 2016, compared with the corresponding period of 2015.
The Public Relations Officer of the command, Chris Osunkwo, made the disclosure in Lagos yesterday.
Osunkwo, in a breakdown, said that the command generated N58.9 billion in the first quarter of 2016, adding that it generated N61.6 billion in the corresponding period of 2015.
Customs Comptroller-General, Hameed Ali, recently attributed the shortfall in Customs revenue to foreign exchange policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria, which barred the importers of 41 select items from accessing the official foreign exchange window. He said that the service, as a whole, had a revenue shortfall of N230 billion in the last quarter of 2015.
Osunkwo, however, said that the command made some seizures along with the revenue collected in the period under review.
He said that in January the command seized 60 cartons of centre tables, 30 cartons of cooking oil, 60 cartons of fruit juice, and 25 cartons of spaghetti, all with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N3.6million.
The seizures in February, according to the Customs image maker, included 50 bundles of used tyres, 15 cartons of table water and 10 cartons of vegetable oil, 11 bags of used clothes and three bags of used shoes, all with a DPV of N600,000.
He said the command seized 70 cartons of tissue paper, 70 cartons of nylon, 24 bags of fruit juice, 21 bags of used shoes and a woman’s bag, all with a DPV of N571, 000 in March.
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