KLT Customs bemoan Underusage Of Terminals

The Kirikiri Lighter Terminal command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Tuesday, revealed that installations available for trade at the terminals have the capability to accommodate huge volumes of both import and export consignments for optimal utilisation.

Speaking with journalists on Tuesday,the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Timi Bomodi stated this during a chat with newsmen under the aegis of Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria (AMJON), said the terminals are currently operating at less than ten percent capacity .

Comptroller Bomodi said that the terminal had a space that is identical to the big commands like Apapa and Tin Can but that it was unutilised.

The Customs boss added that the command has the prospects to increase the revenue generation of the command if the potentials are put into utmost use.

His words, "Kirikiri terminal has the capacity to handle 6,000 TEUs. We have phases one to four and other bonded warehouses and all these terminals are functioning at less than ten percent.

"What it means is that between January and June, on the average, we were collecting between N3.5 to N3.6 billion. That means we were performing at less than ten percent but if we are functioning at maximum capacity, which means we will be doing like N30 billion

"We have the space, we have the capacity but we don't have the containers to make effective use of this space.

"Fortunately, we have a good collaboration with NPA in terms of improving on existing infrastructure, and currently, NPA has done a remarkable work revamping phase 2

"We asked that it be done because we can't be talking about attracting shipment to the command if the infrastructure is bad. So, they have improved on the terrain, they have done a lot of work and we applaud them for that," he maintained.

Speaking on the Command's revenue drive, Bomodi said a whooping N7.8 billion was collected in the month of July, 2023, saying the figure was the first of its kind in the history of the command.

This, according to the Customs boss, is a departure from what hitherto obtained pointing out that the new sum is a leap from the N3.5 to N3.6 billion that the command used to generate in six months.

"As for revenue, like I said, we are operating at less than ten percent so between January and June, we have been doing an average of N3.5 to 3.6 billion but remarkably, in July, for the first time in the history of the command, we were able to make N7.8 billion

"Not because necessarily, there was an increase in output, we tightened our revenue collection mechanism, we made our business processes more efficient.

"In a way, the exchange rate impacted on that too. We are beginning to see an uplift in our collection which is remarkable and we believe that going forward, that will be our new reality."