The Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Hameed Ali, has said that the Service generated N1.167 billion in the last seven months.
Ali revealed this on Thursday at the public hearing on the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) hosted by the House Finance Committee.
He said NCS is on track to reach the N2.267 trillion target by the end of the fiscal year and exceeded the target in the 2021 fiscal calendar by N1.715 trillion compared to the N1.67 trillion target in the budget.
Mr. Ali also spoke about the Service’s efforts to curb the importation of rice on the high seas.
He said NCS has been able to effectively patrol land borders but has difficulty patrolling sea areas. He said the agency has been hampered by a lack of ships.
He added that the agency has acquired some ballistic ships and is looking to double its fleet.
“We don’t have proper boats to patrol these waterways, and these waterways are ways that smugglers use to smuggle rice.
“We have already done our analysis and we have been able to isolate some of the places. We’ve just ordered some fast ballistic boats. In our budget, we are requesting to double the number of boats to make our men mobile effectively.
Ali also alleged that the government of the Republic of Benin has been helping smugglers into Nigeria, noting that the service is deploying diplomatic means to tackle the smuggling of rice.
He said the NSC is partnering with the Nigerian Navy to help tackle smuggling on the high seas.
“We are also using the Navy to make sure that those who use the high seas…..while we man the creeks and the Marines.
“In addition, we have taken a diplomatic angle when discussing with the Republic of Benin. Most of this rice comes from the Republic of Benin. They don’t eat the kind of rice we eat, they eat sticky rice,” he said.
