The Federal Government has proposed legislation to prohibit the Nigerian Customs Service from collecting revenue, claiming that the role is a distraction to the service.
The government believes that the sole responsibility for collecting revenue should be vested in the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), while the NCS facilitates trade.
This was stated by Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, during a one-day public hearing on a bill to repeal the Customs and Excise Management Act (2004) and the Nigeria Customs Service (Establishment) Bill.
The meeting was organized by the House Committee on Customs. The bill’s sponsor and Committee Chairman, Leke Abejide, stated that the bill’s goal was to replace the board of customs and excise management with competent and results-oriented technocrats.
