Delay in approving 2017 budget, shrunk Customs record revenue for 2017

More facts have emerged on why the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) failed to meet its revenue target set for 2017.

Explaining issues during a recent End-of-the-Year Breakfast Meeting with newsmen in Lagos, the National Public Relations Officer of the service, Deputy Comptroller Joseph Attah, traced the failure to the refusal of National Assembly to pass the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) budget.

According to him, the non-appropriation of funds by the National Assembly affected the service’s performance in 2017, even though it generated a record N1.3 trillion.

Attah averred that “We believe that what we are celebrating as our achievement of 2017 could have been better if not for paucity of funds. We look forward to improvement in our finances. Also, the service has received some interventions like the issue of patrol vehicles and in few weeks we will have those things delivered as the process has reached advanced stage.

“We have also got the nod to form a presidential taskforce and funds are released in respect to acquire more vehicles, patrol kits for presidential taskforce that will be led by Customs including Civil Defence and  National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

“So, towards the end of last year, we received robust support from the Federal Government and early this year, those monies manifested to increase logistics and fund to do the job,” he said, assuring that the service will improve on its relationship with the National Assembly in 2018.

However, there are twists on from Customs excuse as industry analysts argue that 2017 was bedeviled with serious drop in importation caused by the forex restriction 41 items coupled with recession which to a great extend, hobbled economic activities thought-out last year.

Continuing, Customs image maker was smart to noted that “As regards  relationship with Senate, we believe it will improve and I believe every new year comes with deliberate wish by everyone to do something better and we hope at the end of the day it will be at the interest of the nation. The National Assembly members are respected representatives of the people and they give us advice on how to get our job done better but we look forward to robust relationship that will translate to better environment to do our job”.