The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), yesterday, said it did not have details of the Customs $3.2 billion modernization project.

The Comptroller-General of the NCS, Adewale Adeniyi, made the disclosure at the National Assembly.

He was represented at a public hearing organized by the Senate Joint Committees scrutinizing the 2024-2026 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper by the Deputy Comptroller General Mba Musa

Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Sani Musa, is leading chairmen of the Appropriations, National Planning, Local and Foreign Debt panels to conduct the investigative hearing.

The senators inquired from the Customs CG, details of the agreement signed by the Federal government on the Modernization of Nigeria Customs.

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) had in April 2023 approved the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) modernization project, also known as e-customs, despite a court order restraining the federal government from going on with the initiative.

The administration of former president, Muhammadu Buhari, specifically approved the implementation of the Customs modernization project to a concessionaire.

The concessionaire is Bergman Securities Consultant and suppliers limited as the project sponsor, Africa Finance Corporation UFC as lead financier while Huawei Technologies will be trained as lead technical service provider.

However, stakeholders have knocked the project, saying it’s to mortgage the future of the service and also inimical to national security.

On the modernization project before the Senate joint panel, Mba told the lawmakers that the NCS was not privy to details of the modernization agreement.

“We are not privy to details of the modernization agreement of the Nigeria Customs Modernization Project,” Mba told the federal lawmakers.

 

He explained that NCS would have generated more revenue to the nation’s Consolidated Revenue Fund in 2023 if not because of the waivers and concessions arrangements.

Obviously not comfortable with the arrangement, Musa, the Chairman of the Joint Committee, said the Senate would commence investigation into granting of waivers and concessioning in the country.

“By now we shouldn’t be talking about concessions for cement manufacturers, we should not even be talking about sugar importation.

“We should not deny ourselves, revenues that we should generate to make our economy vibrant. By now, we should be consolidating on waivers given to boost revenues.

“We would review the waivers and make our recommendations. By now, you (NCS) should be meeting up on your projected target, if there is no waiver.”