The Nigeria Customs Service has reaffirmed its commitment to the joint border post initiative, which promotes cooperation with the Republic of Benin.

The controller of the Seme border, Benedict Oranalugo, expressed the commitment in a statement on Tuesday.

He spoke during an oversight visit by the House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise to Seme on Monday.

According to Mr Oramalugo, the initiative fosters intelligence sharing and streamlines customs clearance through a one-stop border post model.

He described the JBP as a critical hub for regional trade along the Abidjan-Lagos corridor.

Mr Oramalugo noted that since assuming command’s leadership, his focus had been on four key mandates: revenue generation, trade facilitation, anti-smuggling operations, and inter-agency collaboration.

“Under my leadership, the command has recorded significant achievements,” he said. “The command generated N1,986,395,565.86 in the first quarter of 2025 through enhanced compliance, effective risk management, and robust enforcement.”

He added, “Export activities also witnessed a boost, with over 96,000 metric tonnes of goods, valued at N20,454,888,432 (Free On Board), facilitated between January and March 2025.

“In the fight against smuggling, several seizures were made within the period, including petroleum products, narcotics, foreign rice, poultry, vehicles, and more, with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N855,700,524.”

However, the controller highlighted several operational challenges confronting the command, including poor infrastructure and insufficient personnel and equipment.

According to him, others are the lack of a power supply in the entire Seme axis for over seven years and threats from ocean encroachment.

He called for urgent government intervention, particularly in technology deployment, environmental protection, and enforcement of contractual obligations on stalled projects.

The controller expressed profound appreciation for the committee’s visit.

He described it as a clear demonstration of their commitment to strengthening customs administration, enhancing trade facilitation, and optimising national revenue.

The House Committee on Customs chairman, Leke Abejide, commended the controller for his comprehensive report.

Mr Abejide reaffirmed the committee’s resolve to critically evaluate the command’s operations, revenue performance, and capital projects in line with the 2023 and 2024 budgetary provisions.

He further emphasised the need for the command to provide comprehensive data on revenue performance relative to set targets, the impact of the e-customs initiative, integration of digital platforms, and efforts towards curbing smuggling and enhancing Nigeria’s trade competitiveness.

Mr Abejide assured that the welfare of customs officers was of equal priority, encouraging the command to use the opportunity to present actionable needs for inclusion in the 2025 budget. 

(NAN)