….resolve to summon the Comptroller General
BY RAPHAEL EKPANG
The Senate Committee on CUSTOMS, EXCISE AND TARIFFS on Thursday lamented the dwindling revenue base of the NIGERIA CUSTOMS SERVICE (NCS).
In a bid to curtail the unfortunate situation, the Senate committee has resolved to summon the COMPTROLLER GENERAL of CUSTOMS ,COLONEL HAMEED ALI (RTD )to appear before it and explain why they (CUSTOMS) got to where they are today.
Speaking at the COMMITTEE INAUGURAL MEETING, the committee Chairman, SEN. FRANCIS ALIMIKHENA (EDO NORTH) said their mandate is to unearth shady practices going on in the CUSTOMS SERVICE if any and block leakages in Customs revenue collection among other things.
“We are not out to witch-hunt anybody”
“We are here to draw our work plans for the next four years, to stop the leakages in Customs revenue collection.
“In order to achieve that we have resolved to summon the CG to appear before us,” he said.
Speaking further ALIMIKHENA asked “Why Customs has become the number three revenue collector in Nigeria behind; FIRS and NNPC, despite being the only agency that collect excise duties,”
He noted that where Customs do well they are going to commend them and where they fail, the committee won’t hesitate to reprimand them.
You would recall that NIGERIA CUSTOMS SERVICE over the years has been the number one agency in terms of revenue generation in the country but suddenly the revenue base dropped to three places behind the FIRS and the NNPC, a situation Sen. ALIMIKHENA led 9th Assembly senate committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff says is worrisome and his committee is ready to unearth the reasons.
It would be recalled that in 2017 the senate committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff had a serious disagreement with the COMPTROLLER-GENERAL of the Nigeria Customs Service, COL. HAMEED ALI (RTD), over his refusal to wear customs uniform before appearing before the committee.
