Lawmakers questioned discrepancies in Customs’ revenue records despite the agency exceeding its collection targets.
The House of Representatives Committee on Finance has directed the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to provide a detailed account of the nearly ₦34 trillion in import duty waivers granted in 2025.
The committee issued the directive on Wednesday during an oversight session with NCS management as part of the National Assembly’s ongoing review of revenue-generating agencies.
Chairman of the committee, James Faleke, said lawmakers were not opposed to the federal government’s policy of granting import duty waivers but insisted that the process must be transparent and beneficial to the country’s economy.
He directed Customs to submit a comprehensive report identifying all beneficiaries of the waivers, the legal authority under which the concessions were granted and the objectives they were meant to achieve.
Mr Faleke said the committee wanted to determine whether the incentives delivered the intended economic benefits, particularly in sectors such as agriculture and healthcare.
“Waiver is good. It is not a bad thing to grant a waiver. But we want to know those who benefited from the waiver and the purpose of such waiver. It is okay if you grant a waiver on medical and agricultural products.
“If you grant a waiver, it is aimed at helping the economy to grow. For example, if you grant a waiver on agricultural products, it is intended to reduce food costs. So, we are not against the waiver. But we want to know the beneficiaries of this ₦34 trillion waiver,” he said.
Beyond the waiver regime, the committee also challenged Customs over discrepancies in its revenue presentation despite consistently surpassing its annual collection targets.
Mr Faleke said the financial records submitted to lawmakers did not adequately explain how the agency generated revenue beyond the approved targets, adding that the committee required a monthly breakdown to evaluate the agency’s performance properly.
“We are not going to applaud your efforts now because your account books are not balanced. We know that you want to be transparent, but you have not told us how the excess money you are reporting came about.
“I can see that in some months, you under-declare your revenue collection, and in other months, you overshoot the collection. We want to know what is responsible for this. You have to provide these little details that will help us properly assess your performance,” he said.
The Deputy Chairman of the committee, Saidu Abdullahi, argued that the federal government should review upward the revenue targets assigned to Customs, saying the agency’s consistent overperformance showed it could generate more income for the government.
“I personally believe that they can do more than the target we give to them.
“I think we are not pushing them enough. That is why they will always come up with excesses. In 2024, you were given a target of ₦5 trillion, and you generated ₦6.1 trillion. In 2025, you were given a target of about ₦6 trillion, and you generated ₦7.2 trillion. I believe that if we push you enough, you can do better,” he said.
Responding, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, represented by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Finance, Administration and Technical Services, Kikelomo Adeola, said the Nigeria Customs Service does not approve import duty waivers.
She explained that the agency only implements waivers approved by the Federal Ministry of Finance in line with existing laws and government policy.
On efforts to improve trade facilitation, Mrs Adeola urged state governments to establish inland dry ports, saying the facilities would ease congestion at seaports and speed up cargo clearance.
“I will encourage all state governments to invest in inland dry ports. That will have a lot of impact on our operations. Any cargo that is marked for such an inland port will not be delayed at the main port.
“The container will be transported directly to the inland port, where it will be examined. That will reduce the pressure at the nation’s ports and increase trade facilitation in the states,” she said.
She also told lawmakers that most cargo scanners deployed by the Service were operational, with only a few currently undergoing repairs.
However, a member of the committee, Ifeanyi Uzokwe, urged the Customs management to sanction officers whose negligence contributes to equipment failure or delays in cargo processing.
During the same oversight session, the committee also scrutinised the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), directing the agency to submit records of all registered companies and businesses in Nigeria, including the registration fees paid by each entity.
Lawmakers also faulted the commission for failing to submit its audited financial statements to the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) since 2019, contrary to statutory requirements, and ordered it to reconcile its records with the commission.
A representative of the FRC informed the committee that the CAC owed the federal government ₦13.9 billion in unremitted operating surplus.
Responding, the Registrar-General of CAC said the agency had commenced reconciliation with the FRC and reached an agreement to settle the outstanding liability through quarterly payments of ₦500 million.
