Senate Panel Clears Customs of N62.2bn Under-Remittance

The Senate Public Accounts Committee has cleared the Nigeria Customs Service of a N62.2 billion under-remittance issue highlighted in the 2019 audit report by the Office of the Auditor General. The committee, led by Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo, held an investigative session with the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, regarding 77 financial infractions raised against the Customs in the 2019 and 2020 audit reports.

During the session, Adeniyi clarified that the N62.2 billion was misclassified and not intended for remittance to the federal account. He stated that the total revenue collected by Customs in 2017 was N691.242 billion, with N629.23 billion remitted, leaving a balance of N62.2 billion.

Senator Babangida Hussaini questioned why the issue escalated to a formal investigation. The committee resolved to set up a sub-committee to reconcile the remaining 74 queries raised against the Customs.