… orders monthly report by its committee
Senators have expressed worry over the Nigerian Customs Service’s proposed N1.13 trillion budget for 2025, describing it as “ballooning figures”, repeated rollover of unexecuted projects and an increase in revenue collection cost from 4 per cent to 7 per cent.
Although the budget report, presented by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Customs, Senator Isah Jibrin (Kogi-East), was eventually passed, senators called for more oversight on the agency to avert a situation whereby heavy spending by the agency would jeopardise the Federal Government’s revenue base.
Raising his fears, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Solomon Olamilekan, observed, “You cannot budget N1.1 trillion when last year’s performance was just 49% of a N706 billion budget.
“Where’s the justification for this scale of increase? This is the third year of repeating the same pattern.”
Lawmakers kicked against the sharp rise across personnel (N247bn, up from N94bn) and overhead costs (N239bn, up from N56bn) without clear explanations.
Commenting, Senator Adetokumbo Abiru said, “Are we hiring thousands overnight? Is there documentation?
“We can’t keep approving bloated budgets without clarity.”
On the rise in collection cost from 4% to 7%, senators described it as “illegal” and in conflict with existing legal instruments.
“What Customs is doing is not only illegal, it’s dangerous. They claim they consulted stakeholders to override an Act of Parliament. That’s unacceptable,” Senator Danjuma Goje observed.
Jibrin, on his part, had a tough time on Wednesday trying to explain what led to the new changes.
He said the agency temporarily adopted the 7% structure while awaiting restoration of the 4% FOB (Free on Board) mechanism, promising a meeting to be held with the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, to correct the issues.
Senators also questioned the rollover of unexecuted projects from previous years into the Customs N1.1trn 2025 budget, with over ₦300 billion worth of “ongoing” capital projects included again despite earlier approval.
“Year after year, they recycle old projects without justification. The public deserves transparency. We must preserve taxpayer money”, Senator Abdul Ningi, stated.
Senators insisted that the “inflated” Customs N1.1trn 2025 budget failed to reflect current economic realities, especially with the government grappling with high debt servicing, inflation, and insecurity.
But, again Jibrin defended the budget’s assumptions, citing projected personnel expansions of over 3,000 recruits and Customs’ MTEF-based revenue forecast of ₦6.5 trillion.
“We will hold them accountable. The personnel, overhead, and capital components are all justified based on internal documents”, he explained.
Before passing the budget, the Senate issued stern warnings to Jibrin to be up down with his oversight functions.
The presidential Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, told him, “Chairman, sharpen your oversight. You and your committee must give monthly reports to Senate leadership. Customs is central to our revenue; we will not compromise transparency.
“Without money, the President’s vision will stall. And Customs cannot become a black hole. We need performance. We need accountability.”
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