In Five Months, Customs Generate N573bn

The Senate on Thursday asked the Nigerian Customs Service to exceed its N957bn revenue target contained in the revised 2020 budget by blocking all revenue leakages.

The marching order from the red chamber came following the disclosure by the NCS that it generated over N573bn revenue between January and December this year despite the outbreak of the COVID -19 pandemic.

The Deputy Comptroller General of the NCS in charge of Human Resources, Sanusi Umar, represented the Comptroller General, Colonel Hameed Ali.

Umar said the executive and the legislative arms of government, following the outbreak of the COVID -19, reviewed the initial revenue target of N1.6tn to N957bn.

He expressed optimism that the NCS would achieve the reviewed revenue target despite the challenges it was likely to encounter around July and August when the nation might likely feel the impact of the pandemic.

He said, “The target given to the NCS in the initial 2020 budget approved by the National Assembly in December last year was N1.6tn but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the target was reviewed to N957bn.

“As of January to May, the service has collected N573bn.”

A member of the Senate Committee, Senator Adamu Aliero, expressed doubts over the possibility of the Customs to meet the N957bn revenue target because of the dwindling oil revenue which has hindered importers from accessing foreign exchange.

Aliero, urged his colleagues to consider the possibility of another downward review of the NCS revenue target for the year in order not to overstretch the personnel.