The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) may be losing N1 billion in revenue from smuggling of roofing sheets, the Chairman, Basic Metal, Iron and Fabricated Steel, Kamoru Yusuf has said.
The group which is a sectoral arm of the Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (MAN) is appealing to the Federal Government to come to its aids in curbing the activities of smugglers in the galvanized and fabricated roofing sector.
Yusuf who spoke in Lagos yesterday during the Interactive Session with Muhammed Ali, the Comptroller-General of Customs, on the sidelines of the 47th Annual General Meeting of MAN.
The CG was represented by Chinwe Ekekezie, Assistant Comptroller General (ACG) and other senior Customs officers.
Yusuf said there were about 200 containers of smuggled roofing sheets coming through Onne Port, Cross Rivers State.
He made reference to the recent discovery of warehouse with N500m worth of fake roofing sheet in Owerri and Okigwe, Imo State by the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), adding that a lot more need to be done to curb the activities of the smugglers.
He said while the local manufacturers paid 45 percent duty, the smugglers pay zero duty, noting that the development has taken a toll on their businesses apart from the huge revenue customs is losing.
According to him, while four of their members have shut down due to the activities of smugglers, the rest of them still in business operate at less than 40 per cent capacity.
Yusuf however stressed the need for the NSC and SON to synergize more in tackling the activities of smugglers, adding, “Many items are coming to Nigeria without documentation”.
Ekekezie in her response said customs does not fake and smuggled items in the country. She added that Nigeria has all it takes to be self-sufficient and encouraged manufacturers to up their game.
“What are we all doing? We want to be self-sufficient. Nigeria has all it takes to be a mega country on this earth. We want to be the one that would be calling the shot. We have what it takes,” she said.
IFEOMA OKEKE
