The House of Representatives Committee on Finance has directed the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to submit a comprehensive report on the approximately ₦34 trillion import duty waivers granted in 2025, including the beneficiaries, legal basis for the approvals, and the purposes for which the concessions were granted.
The directive was issued by the Chairman of the Committee, Rt. Hon. James Abiodun Faleke, during the National Assembly’s ongoing second-quarter revenue monitoring and oversight session, where the management of the Nigeria Customs Service appeared before lawmakers.
Faleke clarified that the Committee was not opposed to the Federal Government’s policy of granting import duty waivers but stressed that the National Assembly has a constitutional responsibility to ensure such concessions are transparent, accountable, and beneficial to Nigeria’s economy.
According to him, lawmakers want to identify all beneficiaries of the waivers and determine whether the incentives achieved their intended objectives.
He noted that waivers on medical supplies and agricultural products are understandable because they are designed to improve healthcare delivery, reduce food prices, and support economic growth. However, he insisted that the Committee must receive full details of all recipients of the ₦34 trillion waivers.
The Committee also questioned discrepancies in the revenue figures presented by the Nigeria Customs Service despite the agency consistently exceeding its annual revenue targets.
Faleke observed that although Customs had posted impressive revenue performances, the documents submitted did not adequately explain the sources of the additional revenue generated beyond approved targets.
He directed the agency to provide a month-by-month breakdown of revenue collections and detailed explanations for fluctuations recorded during the year, stressing that proper reconciliation of the figures was necessary before lawmakers could fully commend the agency’s performance.
The Deputy Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Saidu Mohammed Abdullahi, urged the Federal Government to raise revenue targets for major revenue-generating agencies, particularly the Nigeria Customs Service.
He noted that Customs exceeded its ₦5 trillion revenue target in 2024 by generating ₦6.1 trillion, and also surpassed its 2025 target of about ₦6 trillion by recording ₦7.2 trillion, arguing that higher targets would encourage even stronger performance.
Responding on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Finance, Administration and Technical Services, Kikelomo Adeola, explained that the Nigeria Customs Service does not approve import duty waivers but only implements approvals issued by the Federal Ministry of Finance in accordance with existing laws and government policies.
Adeola also advocated the establishment of inland dry ports across the country to decongest seaports and improve cargo clearance efficiency. She said state governments should invest in the facilities to facilitate smoother trade operations nationwide.
On cargo clearance delays, she informed lawmakers that Customs scanners were largely functional across the country, with only a few currently undergoing repairs. However, Committee member Hon. Ifeanyi Uzokwe urged the Service to sanction officers whose negligence leads to equipment failures or operational delays.
The Committee also scrutinised the operations of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), directing the agency to submit a comprehensive database of all registered companies and businesses in Nigeria, including the registration fees paid by each entity.
Lawmakers further queried the Commission for failing to submit its audited financial statements to the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) since 2019, as required by law, and directed it to immediately reconcile its financial records with those of the FRC.
During the hearing, the Fiscal Responsibility Commission disclosed that the Corporate Affairs Commission owed the Federal Government ₦13.9 billion in unremitted operating surplus accumulated over several years.
In response, the Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission said the agency had commenced reconciliation with the Fiscal Responsibility Commission and had agreed to liquidate the outstanding debt through quarterly payments of ₦500 million.
