The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has proposed a budget of ₦1.13 trillion for its 2025 operations, aimed at strengthening revenue generation and improving service delivery across the country.
This was disclosed by the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Finance, Administration, and Technical Services, Mr Bello Jibo, during the 2025 budget defence session organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise, held on Monday in Abuja.
Presenting the breakdown of the proposed budget, Jibo explained that ₦247.1 billion representing 21.8% of the total sum was allocated to personnel costs. Overhead costs are projected at ₦239.9 billion, accounting for 21.1%, while capital expenditure will take the largest share of ₦645.4 billion, or 56.9%.
He appealed to the National Assembly to give favourable consideration to the proposal in order to facilitate smooth operations within the service.
Jibo also recounted the service’s achievements in the previous year, noting that the NCS generated ₦6.105 trillion in 2024 despite significant challenges, including revenue losses from waivers, concessions, and duty exemptions.
“This is despite the continuous drop in cargo throughput due to economic constraints, the impact of currency floatation resulting in reduced trade volume, and expected shortfalls in revenue inflow,” he said.
He added that the government’s decision to de-excise several commodities, leaving only cigarettes, beer, and alcoholic beverages, and exempt certain essential food items from customs duties and import VAT, also affected revenue in 2024.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the House Committee on Customs and Excise, Hon. Leke Abejide (ADC–Kogi), expressed concern over what he described as the poor funding of the NCS in 2024, despite the agency’s revenue performance.
“I have gone through your 2024 budget performance and was flabbergasted, astonished, surprised, and at a loss for words over the level of poor funding of the Nigeria Customs Service,” Abejide said.
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He revealed that only 43.5% of the budgeted personnel cost, 46.3% of overhead cost, and 45.6% of capital projects were funded in 2024.
“Despite surpassing your target of ₦5 trillion to generate ₦6.1 trillion a 20.2% increase you still could not fund your personnel cost, overhead, and capital projects, both new and ongoing,” the lawmaker noted.
He also raised concerns over the lack of revenue from the 60% share of the 1% Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS), which was intended to fund key components of the service’s budget.
“Another shocking revelation is that from January to December 2024, the 60% of the 1% CISS, which was a key revenue source for overheads, personnel costs, and capital projects, recorded zero remittance. This committee would like to know what went wrong because the purpose of creating the 1% CISS was to take care of service providers,” he said.
