The House of Representatives Committee on Finance has directed the Nigeria Customs Service to provide a detailed breakdown of the estimated ₦34 trillion in import duty waivers granted in 2025, including the beneficiaries, legal basis and purpose of the concessions.
Chairman of the committee, James Faleke, gave the directive on Wednesday during an ongoing National Assembly revenue oversight session. He said while duty waivers remained a legitimate economic tool, lawmakers had a constitutional responsibility to ensure they were granted transparently and delivered their intended benefits.
“We are not against waivers, but we want to know who benefited from this ₦34 trillion waiver and the purpose for which it was granted,” Faleke said. The committee also faulted the NCS over inconsistencies in its revenue records, demanding a month-by-month breakdown to explain how collections exceeded approved targets and reconcile apparent discrepancies in its financial reports.
Deputy Chairman Saidu Mohammed Abdullahi argued that Customs’ consistent overperformance showed its revenue targets should be increased, noting the agency generated ₦6.1 trillion against a ₦5 trillion target in 2024 and ₦7.2 trillion against about ₦6 trillion in 2025.
Responding, Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of Finance, Administration and Technical Services, Kikelomo Adeola, said the NCS does not approve import duty waivers, explaining that approvals are issued by the Federal Ministry of Finance while Customs only implements them.