The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adeniyi, says the Federal Government approved import duty waivers worth ₦34 trillion in 2025, warning that the exemptions significantly reduced Customs’ revenue-generating capacity despite serving key national economic and security objectives.
Adeniyi disclosed this during an investigative hearing of the Senate Committee on Finance in Abuja. He explained that government fiscal policies often have a direct impact on Customs revenue, noting that while the agency remains one of Nigeria’s highest revenue earners, collections would have been much higher without the approved waivers.
According to him, the Import Duty Exemption Certificate (IDEC) approvals reached about ₦34 trillion in 2025, with about 60 per cent granted for military hardware procurement due to the country’s security challenges. Other exemptions covered compressed natural gas, electric and hybrid vehicles, healthcare equipment, industrial machinery and food import intervention programmes.
The Customs boss stressed that import duty waivers should not be viewed only as revenue losses because they are designed to support broader economic and social goals. However, he urged the Federal Government to strengthen monitoring systems to ensure beneficiaries deliver expected outcomes such as lower prices, increased industrial production and improved healthcare access.
Adeniyi also told lawmakers that the Nigeria Customs Service generated ₦4.5 trillion as of June 30, 2026, against its ₦11.04 trillion revenue target for the year, leaving about ₦7 trillion to be realised before the end of the fiscal year.
The hearing also revealed disputes over the remittance of operating surpluses by government agencies. The Fiscal Responsibility Commission alleged that Customs owed ₦8.9 billion in unremitted operating surplus dating back to 2019, a claim Customs officials rejected. The commission also claimed that the Corporate Affairs Commission owed ₦13.9 billion covering the period between 2023 and 2025.
Following the presentations, the Senate Committee on Finance directed the Corporate Affairs Commission, the Fiscal Responsibility Commission and the committee’s secretariat to reconcile their records within two weeks. The committee also warned several agencies, including the NCAA, SMEDAN, ITF and FMC Jabi, to honour future invitations or face sanctions under Senate rules.
