The Nigeria Customs Service has disclosed its intention to grant waivers to vehicle owners to pay duties within a specific time frame to avoid sanctions.
The service disclosed this in a statement by the National Public Relations Officer of the service, Abdullahi Maiwada on Tuesday.
The Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, said this when he presented the 2024 budget of the service to the Senate Committee on Customs in Abuja recently.
The PUNCH had reported that in June 2023, NPA said that the Lagos and Tincan Island Port Complexes and the Terminals, including Ikorodu Lighter Terminal, had 3,200 units of overtime cars and about 3,295 units of overtime containers, while the eastern ports have a combined total of 956 overtime containers.
Adeniyi, however, added that the planned move would regularise vehicle importation through payment of duties.
“We intend to grant waivers to vehicle owners to pay duties within a specific time to avoid sanctions and to regularise the importation of vehicles through payment of duties,” Adeniyi said.
The CGC also reiterated the need to support local production of food and ensure security.
He also said that the service planned to recruit only 1,600 personnel in 2024.
“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 that would carry out customs operations and guard duties. In subsequent years, more recruitment exercises would be carried out,” Adeniyi noted.
He pledged to surpass the revenue target of N5.1tn in 2024.
The customs boss said that the revenue target for 2024 was 27.7 per cent higher than that of the previous year.
According to Adeniyi, the service had a shortfall of 12.6 per cent in its 2023 revenue target.
Giving reasons for the shortfall, he cited concessions in section 99 of the Common External Tariff, “import duty exemption certificates, cash crunch, general elections, and other factors affecting revenue generation negatively”.
He, however, expressed confidence for a positive outcome in 2024.
Adeniyi outlined strategies to achieve the 2024 target, including implementing the National Single Window championed by the Federal Ministry of Finance.
He harped on strategies to harmonise and standardise customs processes, port decongestion, “collaboration with other agencies for efficiency and competitiveness, anti-smuggling operations, integrating information and communication technology into operations, investing in capacity building, and stakeholder engagement, among others”.
The CG, while defending the 2024 budget of N706bn, said the service would focus attention on consolidating carried-over projects, “increasing staff welfare by improving and motivating officers’ performance and integrating technologies into customs processes.”
“Regarding officer’s welfare, they would be encouraged in various ways to increase efficiency and improve their well-being,” he declared.
He stated that this would be done through awards, promotions, and payment of allowances.
Earlier, the Chairman Senate Committee on Customs, Isa Jibrin, applauded the CG for the progress and success achieved in his brief tenure in office.
He charged Adeniyi to perform better as the house would support him in terms of remuneration and infrastructure to meet the 2024 target.
