By Nathaniel Zaccheaus Abuja
The Senate Committee on Customs has directed the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to raise its projected revenue target for 2025 from N6.584trn to N10trn, citing the agency’s commendable revenue performance in 2024.
Chairman of the Committee, Senator Isah Jibrin (Kogi East), gave the directive during a budget defence session in Abuja, following a presentation by a delegation from the NCS led by Deputy Comptroller General Jibo Bello, who represented the Comptroller General.
According to Bello, the Service surpassed its 2024 revenue target of N5.079trn by over a trillion naira.
This performance earned the NCS praise from the Senate panel, which subsequently approved the proposed 2025 budget estimate of N6.584trn in revenue and N1.132trn in expenditure.
However, Senator Jibrin urged the agency to scale up its ambition, tasking it with a new target of N10trn for the 2025 fiscal year.
The approved budget will now be presented before the Senate during plenary, which resumes on Tuesday (today), following a brief recess for the Eid-el-Kabir celebration.
*Tasks agency against smuggling, illicit drug trade
In his concluding remarks, Senator Jibrin also charged the NCS to intensify its surveillance efforts to curb smuggling and the influx of illicit drugs into the country, which he noted contributes significantly to the rising wave of insecurity.
“There is so much illicit drug movement across the country, and this is fueling criminality, especially banditry. Many of these perpetrators are under the influence of drugs,” he said.
He further emphasised the importance of reducing the volume of smuggled goods entering Nigeria, reiterating President Bola Tinubu’s advocacy for local consumption and production.
Jibrin said, “We must reduce importation to only the essentials. Many of the items being smuggled into the country can be produced locally, even if in their raw form.
“If we consume what we produce, we’ll conserve foreign exchange, promote local industries, and create employment opportunities.”
He called on the Customs Service to align its operations with national economic goals, noting that efficient border control and revenue generation are critical components of Nigeria’s development strategy.
