The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) said on Thursday that trade facilitation and compliance to border routes in the West and Central African region would enhance revenue generation.
The Controller-General of NCS, Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the World Customs Organisation (WCO) Conference in Abuja.
“The aim is to combat smuggling and compel importers to pass through the approved routes like the boarders, sea ports and air ports.
“When the people comply, the revenue generated by the countries will go up,’’ he said.
Dikko reiterated that allowing smuggled goods through illegal routes would not be in the economic interest of the region.
“ If you allow smuggled goods to enter, really, it will harm the whole of West and Central Africa region.
“So it is better we ensure that whatever we do is right.
“Then we can also look inward, basically to be patriotic and make sure that the federation account gains more than the individuals, ’’ he said.
He said that the NCS had partnered neighbouring countries, to ensure smuggled goods seized from unapproved routes were handed over to the customs concerned.
He said that the region had approved border routes for the movement of goods but the challenges had been the proliferation of illegal routes by smugglers in the region.
Dikko urged customs in the region to collaborate and ensure every smuggled good was passed to the appropriate customs according to the international transits procedure.
“And every country should have a landing certificate, indicating that such a good does not slip out of hands,” he added.
Dikko stated that the Nigeria Customs, in 2014, successfully prosecuted about 28 economic saboteurs and rewarded 179 traders, who maintained high level of compliance and integrity.
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