Nigerian Customs Service Nets N4.289Trillion in Nine Months

The Nigeria Customs Service, ( NCS) netted N4.289Trillion in import and excise duties, scoring 80.92 percent its 2024 budgeted target of N5.3 trillion.

The Comptroller General of Customs , Bashir Adewale Adeniyi stated this while delivering his key note address at the Finance and Business Online publishers (FiBOP )2024 capacity building workshop held at Orchid Hotels Lekki Lagos at the weekend.

In his paper titled :
“The Strategic lmportance of Digital Infrastructure in lmport Duty Collection and Accountability”
Adewale disclosed that the NCS netted the sum of Four Trillion, Two Hundred and Eighty Nine Billion, Seven Hundred and Thirty Two Million, Four Hundred and Fifty Eight Thousand, Fifty Four Naira, (N4,289,732,458,054.00) as revenue between the months of January and September 2024.
The Comptroller General said that the annual revenue target for the Service in the year 2024 was about N5.3 trillion out of which the Service has been collected N4.289 trillion ahead of three months in remaining this year.

He pointed out the amount so far collected in the current year has exceeded that of year 2023, N3.212 billion.
The Comptroller General who was represented at the workshop by the Customs Area Controller of the Tincan Island Port Command of the Service, Comptroller Dera Nnadi, recalled that the Service collected a total sum of N3.212 trillion in 2023.

In his words , ” What this means is that we have already surpassed our 2023 collection by over N1 trillion even though the year has not yet ended. This will enable you to understand the enormity of the progress that we have made leveraging on digital technology”, he enthused.

“Let me also try to relate this to our 2022 revenue. The Service was able to collect N2.6 Trillion in 2022. So, you can see that we are making steady progress and this is possible because we are deploying digitalization, ICT and innovation in our business process. This year on year improvement on import duty collection shows a marked improvement by measures put in place by the Central Bank of Nigeria and the commercial banks in the adoption of digital infrastructure for the customs processes.

“It also shows the huge investment in human capacity and infrastructure by the Nigeria Customs Service management in this and I must give kudos to the present Comptroller General of Customs who in less than one year of coming into office has been able to achieve this milestone.

“I want to use this opportunity to appreciate all our stakeholders that are paying this duty. Nigeria Customs Service owe you lots of gratitude. We also want to appreciate the maritime industry stakeholders particularly you, the Business and Financial Online Publishers who has been helping to project and create the great awareness for stakeholders who have been helping us to collect this revenue.

“We have also realized that when we integrate our stakeholders into what we are doing, we achieve more successes. One of the key components of the e-Customs modernization project is the integration of various stakeholders into one digital platform.

“Of course, you are aware that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu inaugurated a Single Window platform which currently is being championed by the Federal Inland Revenue Service but you will also recall that even prior to this period, Nigeria Customs Service has over 43 stakeholders within the industry and beyond who are already hooked to the Nigeria Customs Service trade platform.

L – R, Mr. Victor Kalu, MD/CEO, Zend Technology Co .Ltd:; Comptroller Dera Nnadi, Customs Area Controller,Tin Can Island Port, representing the Customs Boss, and Mr. Charles Onwuatogu, President of FiBOP at the workshop.

“One of the key components, like I said, of the e-Customs modernization project is the integration of stakeholders.

This according to him, was aimed at promoting transparency by ensuring that all parties from importers to port operators are involved, real time information sharing ensured that all parties are held accountable, reduce chances of fraud and discrepancies in duty collection.

He underscore the importance of digital infrastructure in import duty collection, and accountability stressing that it cannot be overemphasized.

The reasons include enhanced efficiency, speed, improved transparency, increased revenue and most importantly, integration of all the stakeholders.

“Digital Infrastructure automates key processes in import duty collection, minimizing errors and reducing delays. Systems like NICIS II streamlines import/export documentation, ensuring that duties are assessed in real time. The result is faster clearance process, free flow of goods through our ports and efficiency and most importantly, encouraging competitiveness within Nigeria and some neighbours.”

According to him, the NCS modernization project provided a transparent and traceable records of all transactions,

“One beauty of our process is that for every action I take on the system as a customs officer, it is not deleted. Even if I visit that system to view what my subordinates have done, the time I visited that system is recorded. If I make attempt to make an input to the process, it will record what I have done and it will record the time I did it and it will record my name and service number.

“This gives room to hold people accountable when there are misdemeanors. Digital platforms such as the e-payment system integrated into the NCS digital infrastructure allows for seamless import and duty payment and then reduce revenue leakage. By cutting down bureaucratic delays and simplifying payment processes, the NCS can as well ensure that more revenue is collected on time.