The Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs in charge of Zone A, Charles Edike, has urged the Lagos Industrial Command of Nigeria Customs Service to strive and increase its revenue generation.
Edike gave the charge during a tour of the command in Lagos. “Our major concern and obligation is how to generate revenue for government because the money you generate is important. “If you remove one kobo from one billion, one can never get the same amount. “It is your duty to collect revenue from industries that are producing alcohol and spirit in Lagos for the government,” he said.
He urged the command to fish out defaulting companies which had refused to pay their duties, stressing that government relies on revenue to fulfill its obligations.
In his response, Area Comptroller of the command, Umar Bapetel, said that 99.9 per cent of the command’s revenue generation was from industrial duties.
Bapetel said that Nigerian Breweries was the command’s highest largest revenue generation company.
He attributed the shortfall in revenue collection by the command to economic downturn, saying that the command and some industries had carried out a survey on the shortfall in revenue.
“Our findings indicated that when breweries produce alcoholic drinks in Lagos, they distribute to some Northern states such as Taraba, Kogi and others.
“In those areas, their consumption is low due to religious fanaticism,” he said.
He said that in some cases, some industries alleged that their drivers connive with some people to steal the products given to them to distribute and claimed that they were attacked by armed robbers.
By Pita Ochai