The Nigeria Customs Service, Apapa Area Command, said it collected N1.172tn worth of revenue in 2023.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Customs Area Controller in charge of the command, Babajide Jaiyeoba, disclosed this while decorating newly promoted officers and men of the command.
The PUNCH reported that the Nigeria Customs Service Board, chaired by the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, in December, confirmed the appointment of two Assistant Comptrollers-General and the promotion of 2,209 senior officers.
However, speaking during the decoration, Jaiyeoba, said that the command collected the sum of N1.02tn within the same period in 2022.
He attributed the revenue performance of the command to the collective efforts and support of his management team.
“What we achieved last year, we achieved as a team. When I assumed duty in September 2023, I discovered that we were far from realizing our revenue target. So we started with strategic revenue meetings every day where we look at the challenges and the gaps we need to bridge and look at the way forward. Later, the meeting was reduced to three times a week and then two times a week when we discovered we were already getting there,” Jaiyeoba said.
The Apapa Customs boss charged the newly promoted officers to up their games in the command’s efforts towards optimizing it is revenue collection in 2024.
According to him, even though the customs management has not officially announced the target for the year 2024, “it cannot be less than N1.8tn”.
He warned the promoted officers not to use their new rank and position to exert authority but to see it as a call for greater responsibility and performance in their various assignments.
“For those promoted, it means more work so more is required from you and we are going to work this year like we have never done before because we all know that it is a very tall order but I know we can achieve it,” he said.
Jaiyeoba noted that the promotion exam was the first conducted by the current customs management and the result was released the same year.
“In September last year, a promotion examination was conducted and for the first time after so many years in the service, the results were released in December 2023. So on behalf of the promoted officers, I want to express our gratitude to the Comptroller General for his interest in the welfare of officers and for keeping to his words to give promotion when due,” he said.
The Customs boss also called on officers who were not promoted to redouble their efforts in the next promotion exercise.
