By Godwin Oritse

There are indications that the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, is on the way to surpassing its 2024 revenue target. Information gathered by Vanguard shows that the Service collected a total of N4.07 trillion revenue as at end of third quarter 2024, Q3’24, which is about 7.6 percent higher than the prorated target of N3.81trillion for the period as given to it by the Federal Government.

With the Q3’24 figure Customs operatives hint that the fourth quarter, Q4’24, revenue would deliver the ambition to surpass the full year target of N5.1 trillion.

With the Q3’24 performance the Service now has an outstanding N981.9billion for the Q4’24 to meet its target for 2024 full year.

Vanguard also learnt that the performance so far in the last one year indicated that the new operating model and orientation introduced by the current Comptroller General, Mr. Adewale Adeniyi, has improved both the morale and efficiency of the operatives.

The collection data obtained by Vanguard showed that the month of September 2024 recorded a revenue collection of N423.2billion as against N320.9billion in the corresponding period of 2023.

A breakdown of the revenue collection as contained in the data also showed that in January of 2024, it exceeded the monthly target, collecting N390.8 billion as against N199.8billion in January 2023, while the February revenue collection recorded a total of N450.2billion as against N88.6 billion in same month in 2023.

In March NCS revenue was N506.6billion, still much higher than the N217.6 billion in the same month in 2023, and in April 2024 it collected N459.2 billion as against April 2023 record of N172.1billion.

In May of 2024 the revenue was N459billion as against N214.7billion of the same month in 2023, while in June 2024 it collected N464.6billion against N234billion in June 2023.

In July 2024 it recorded the highest monthly collection of N569billion, as against N314.1billion recorded in the same month of 2023. The figures in August was N475.5 billion as against N372.1 billion in August 2023.