At a press briefing held on July 5, 2024, Comptroller Olusola Bisi Alade of the Ogun II Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) proudly presented the command’s scorecard for the first half of the year, January to June 2024. The event, held at the command headquarters, highlighted significant achievements in revenue generation, trade facilitation, and national economic security.
Comptroller Alade reported that the Ogun II Area Command generated a substantial revenue of ₦12,830,493,630.06 during the period under review. This figure marks a 51% increase compared to the ₦8,505,038,818.30 generated in the same period last year, reflecting a differential of ₦4,326,454,811.76.
“This attainment is evidence of the diligence, professionalism, and commitment of our officers and men who worked tirelessly to ensure that we met and exceeded the revenue targets given to our command,” Alade stated. “It is also indicative of our steadfast commitment to the growth of our national economy.”
He further elaborated on the improved activities in free trade zones, which contributed significantly to the command’s monthly revenue collections. In April, the command collected ₦3,486,961,186.71; in May, ₦2,801,833,739.40; and in June, revenue soared to ₦3,664,776,499.07.
Comptroller Alade attributed the success to several factors, including:
– Good motivation from the management of the service, boosting officer morale.
– Continuous deployment of intelligence and reconnaissance by the monitoring unit, leading to the discovery of new factories now under excise control.
The newly discovered factories include Sygen Pharmaceutical Limited, Sprout and Kingsberg Nigeria Limited, Adesouthern Nigeria Limited, Abraham & Sarah Beverages Nigeria Limited, Oyinloye Honey, Double Crown Oluyemi Akintan Nigeria Enterprises, Lorna Nigeria Limited, Makindez Multi-business Ventures, Digo Herbal Remedy Limited, Broadway Food & Beverages Limited, Beezun Flavoured Drinks, and Nellyvan Global Limited (Bonded terminal).
Comptroller Alade commended the dedication of his officers and men, as well as the cooperation from other units like the Customs Intelligence Unit and Customs Police Unit. He also acknowledged the support from the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, whose leadership and principles of consolidation, collaboration, and innovation have been instrumental in achieving these results.
In his concluding remarks, Comptroller Alade expressed gratitude to the CGC and NCS management for providing an enabling environment for these accomplishments. He also thanked critical stakeholders for their continuous collaborative efforts and synergy with the command in fulfilling its statutory mandate in Ogun State.