The Nigeria Customs Service, Edo/Delta Area Command, has urged maritime operators, manufacturers and traders to partner with it to achieve its N209 billion annual revenue target, warning that the goal cannot be realised without collective commitment.
The new Customs Area Controller, Dooyum Dominic Ortsen, made the appeal on Tuesday at his maiden stakeholders’ engagement meeting at the Nigeria Ports Authority Complex, Warri, where he outlined a strategy centred on consolidation, collaboration and innovation.
Ortsen said the Command was determined to protect government revenue, facilitate legitimate trade and enforce the law fairly and professionally, while ensuring that compliant businesses were not subjected to unnecessary operational difficulties.
“Our Command has been handed an ambitious annual revenue target of approximately N209 billion. This is not a number we can achieve in isolation. It is a milestone we must reach together,” he said.
The controller explained that his administration would build on the existing foundation rather than dismantle the structures established by his predecessor.
“I am not here to dismantle the existing foundation left by my predecessor; I am here to build upon it through three core pillars — Consolidation, Collaboration and Innovation,” he said.
He described terminal operators, shipping agents, manufacturers and traders as critical to the maritime and economic activities of Edo and Delta states, calling for stronger cooperation between the service and the business community.
According to him, the Command is extending an open hand of partnership to large corporations, local manufacturers and small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly amid rising operating costs and prevailing economic challenges.
“Customs must not, and we will not, become an additional burden to legitimate trade,” Ortsen said.
He called on stakeholders to bring forward their concerns and suggestions to help resolve operational bottlenecks, stressing that the revenue target required shared responsibility.
“The road ahead to our N209 billion target requires shared responsibility. Bring us your constructive ideas and your concerns today, and let us clear the operational bottlenecks together. In return, give us compliance, trust, and respect for established procedures,” he said.
Ortsen assured compliant traders that the Command would support the smooth movement of their cargo and provide guidance where clarification was needed.
“If you are compliant, we will facilitate you. We will ensure your cargo moves swiftly and predictably,” he said.
He added that the Command would listen to legitimate grievances and work to remove ambiguities in its operations, but warned that collaboration would not excuse violations of the law.
“Trade facilitation will never mean compromising national security or revenue. Where there is deliberate violation of the law or false documentation, we will enforce the law with full regulatory weight,” he said.
Industry leaders and stakeholders from Edo and Delta states attended the meeting, including Obioma Ochulor of Flour Mills Limited, Sapele; Engr. Osa Erhabor of Awaritse Shipyard Limited; and Tom Kadiri Enegbuma of Supermaritime Nigeria Limited, among others.