The Senate Wednesday approved N257bn budget of the Nigeria Customs Service for the 2021 fiscal year.
This followed presentation of Nigerian Customs Service 2021 budget report by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariffs, Francis Alimikhena.
Out of the approved sum, N99.7bn was voted for personnel cost, N19.5bn for overhead and N137.9bn for capital cost.
In 2021 fiscal year, the Customs revenue target was pegged at N1.67trn, comprising N1.5trn for Federation Account and N178bn for Non-Federation Account.
Details of the budget showed that N2bn was set aside for retirement incentives for Customs operatives; N3bn for local travel and transport.
The Customs will spend N200m to maintain its aircraft and N100m to fuel it as well as N1.57bn on recruitment and appointments and N1.2bn for local training.
Before the budget was passed, some senators picked holes in the fiscal document especially regarding the expenditure.
Senator Sam Egwu (PDP, Ebonyi) queried why the agency was spending N2bn as welfare packages for retiring officers while they had retirement benefits.
Called to explain, the chairman of the committee, Alimikhena, said the money was not meant for one person but for all the officers of the Customs.
Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah, queried why the NCS wanted to spend N180m on cleaning and fumigation.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan berated the committee’s chairman for failing in his oversight function.
He said: “Chairman, I think you need to upscale your oversight on the Customs, because this narratives that they’ll keep money they’ll not do budget implementation is as a result of insufficient oversight.
“We need to know this kind of things in good time, that you report back to the Senate on what is happening and you also advise them on what is appropriate and legal as far as the implementation of the budget is concerned. We’re not supposed to be hearing this now, so increase your oversight.”
