Story by Dili Utomi.
The Comptroller-General of the Customs, CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, presented the Service’s 2024 budget on 5 February 2024 to the Nigeria Senate Committee on Customs at the National Assembly.
The CG, while defending the 2024 budget of 706.43 billion naira, focused attention on consolidating carried-over projects, increasing staff welfare by improving and motivating officers’ performance, and integrating technologies into Customs processes.
Regarding Officers’ welfare, CG Adeniyi mentioned that Officers will be encouraged in various ways to increase efficiency and improve their well-being. He stated that this would be done through awards, promotions, and payment of allowances.
Additionally, the Comptroller General pledges to surpass the revenue target of 5.079 trillion naira in 2024. According to him, the revenue target for 2024 is 27.75 percent higher than the target of 2023.
Furthermore, the Comptroller-General outlined strategies to achieve the 2024 target, including implementing the National Single Window championed by the Federal Ministry of Finance. He also harps on strategies to agonize and standardize Customs processes, port decongestion, collaboration with other agencies for efficiency and competitiveness, anti-smuggling operations, integrating ICT into operations, investing in capacity building, and stakeholder engagement, among others.
The CG also emphasised supporting local production and taking food security seriously. He stated, “We intend to grant waivers to vehicle owners to pay duties within a specific time to avoid sanctions and to regularize the importation of vehicles through payment of duties.”
He added, “The service plans to recruit 1,600 personnel in 2024. The low figure is due to the small vacancies we have available. These vacancies are primarily for junior staff who will carry out Customs operations and guard duties. In subsequent years, more recruitment exercises will be carried out.”
CG Bashir, however, noted that the Service had a shortfall by 12.62 percent in its 2023 revenue target, citing concessions in section 99 of the Common External Tariff (CET), import duty exemption certificates, cash crunch, general elections, and other factors affecting revenue generation negatively. He assured of a positive outcome in 2024.
Senator Isa Jibrin, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Customs, applauded the CG for the progress and success achieved in his brief tenure in Office, beckoning him to perform better as the house will support him in terms of remuneration and infrastructure to meet up with the 2024 target.
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