Customs Hands Over 42 Trailers Of Foreign Rice To Yobe State Govt In Two Months

As part of effort to boost its Corporate Social Responsibility, the Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Area Command said on Tuesday that it has handed over 42 trailers of foreign parboiled rice to the Nigeria Army Corps of Supply and Transport (NACST) between the month of April and May, for onward delivery to some Internal Displaced Camps (IDPs) to Yobe state government.

 

The service said the staple food and other items were distributed to the IDPs in the state within the period.

 

According to a press statement made available to our correspondent ,the Customs Area Controller,Comptroller Uba Garba Mohammed said a total of 25,000 bags of Foreign Parboiled Rice were transferred to the camp.

 

He said : “The Customs Comptroller General, directed that a total of 25,000 bags of Foreign Parboiled Rice (equivalent of 42 trailer trucks), 650 bags of Sugar, 150 cartons of Tin tomato, 150 bags of flour and 250 kegs of vegetable oil were transferred to the Nigeria Army Corps of Supply and Transport (NACST) between the month of April and May, for onward delivery to Yobe state government, Damaturu for distribution to IDPs in the state.

 

It could be recalled also that some orphanages based in the Badagry region benefitted from relief materials as distributed by the Sub-Committee coordinating the distribution of relief materials earlier in the year.

 

Some of the homes are Hephzibah Homes Orphanage, Lady Atinuke Oyindamola Memorial Home for the Mentally Challenged, So-said Charity home etc.

 

Speaking on the command’s revenue drive, the customs boss said officers and men under the unit had in various operations taken full advantage of available resources to increase revenue collection, suppression of smuggling, facilitation of legitimate trade and improving community service.

 

The Command also said it generated the sum of N2,627,149,100.21 from March till date, noting that the intensified operation of the enforcement unit has drastically reduced smuggling activities to the barest minimum.

 

He further re-emphasized the command’s determination to detect, arrest and prosecute those who fail to comply with the extant regulations; as their failure will be a cause for regret. He called on patriotic citizens to support the command by reporting any smuggling activity or any relevant information that will assist the Command in discharging its statutory obligations.

 

He added that the command aims at assessing modern communication tools to improve cross border efficiency along the corridor in facilitating border crossing for the promotion of regional integration towards simplification, standardization and harmonization of border crossing procedures thus achieving the core mandate of the service.

 

This is coming at the heels of efforts by the Customs high command for customs-to-customs inter-connectivity between Nigeria and Benin Republic which will revolutionize Customs operations at the border post.