The Nigeria Customs Service has said that its export terminal, Lilypond Terminal in Lagos, exported 12,438 containers with a free onboard value of, $519m between January and September 2023.
In a statement on Thursday by the National Public Relations Officer of the service, Abdullahi Maiwada, the Customs Area Controller in charge of the terminal, Ajibola Odusanya, said this in Abuja on Wednesday.
Giving details of the exports, Odusanya, explained that within the period under review, 6,524 × 20-foot containers and 5914 × 40-foot containers were facilitated within this period.
“From January to the end of September 2023, the Command has facilitated the export of 12,438 export containers; if you break them down, we have 6524 × 20-foot containers and 5914 × 40-foot containers with a free-on-board value of $519m. For the goods, we have agricultural produce such as cocoa, cashews, soya, ginger, hibiscus flower, cotton, sesame seeds, locally manufactured goods like cigarettes, cosmetic items, and beverages. We also had solid minerals like aluminum, copper, magnesium, lithium, and zinc being exported,” he added.
He described the command as a one-stop shop for export business, stressing that the current government policy in Nigeria requires zero duty payment for export.
“Exporters don’t pay export duties, except on special occasions, where goods that were otherwise imported and are being re-exported, they pay 2.5 per cent levy on the current value of the goods with the government’s permission,” He added.
Odusanya, however, defined the role of the service in ensuring the smooth flow of goods across borders.
He said that considering the service’s role in facilitating export trade, the NCS stands at the forefront of Nigeria’s efforts to boost its export economy.
Meanwhile, in the statement stakeholders using the export terminal maintained that processing their documents with customs has been an efficient one.
Augustine Umunnakwe, said, “Customs Officers are efficient in terms of their work, but we have challenges with shipping companies because of less manpower attending to us. Another thing is that, though government agencies are doing their work, in terms of clearance, their representatives should be stationed here to make the work more efficient.” He added.
The Head of Processing Diamond Star Port and Terminal Limited, , stated that, as an export processing terminal, there is a strong relationship and collaboration with the shipping lines and government agencies.
“We facilitate the processing at the Port, we have our handshake with the major shipping lines and the terminal, we confirm the bookings to ensure that whatever leaves this terminal goes directly to the vessel, and we ensure their quality and their quantity. We don’t do it alone, we work with Nigerian Ports Authorities, export processing terminals, and customs as well and make sure that we do not export anything that customs have not duly released.” Babatunde explained.
The Southwest Principal Trade Promotion Officer at Nigeria Export Promotion Council, Emmanuel Ekle, disclosed that registration for exporters is a seamless process that is done online.
Emmanuel also revealed that the council supports trade promotion activities and administer export incentives as well as export expansion grant.
