Senate Clears Customs of N62.2 Billion Audit Infraction

Nigeria's Senate Public Accounts Committee has cleared the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) of wrongdoing concerning an alleged N62.2 billion under-remittance. The panel concluded that the funds in question were statutory levies collected on behalf of other government agencies and were therefore not intended for remittance into the Federation Account. This decision follows an extensive investigative hearing where the Comptroller-General of Customs, Dr. Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, presented the service's case. Adeniyi explained that the Auditor-General's report had misclassified these collected levies, leading to the erroneous allegation. He clarified that while some levies are remitted to the Federation Account, others, such as those on wheat, textiles, and wines, are designated for specific agencies. The committee, chaired by Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo, also resolved to establish a reconciliation committee. This panel, comprising representatives from the Senate, the Auditor-General’s Office, and the Customs Service, will review the remaining 76 audit queries before further legislative action. The move aims to resolve outstanding issues and ensure clarity in the service's financial reporting.

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The under-remittance of N62.2 billion levelled against Customs in the 2019 audit report was wrongly arrived at through misclassification of levies collected.