We Will Expose Any Leakage In Customs-Senate Committee On Customs

The Nigeria Senate on Thursday said they will expose any leakages if found in the Customs Services.

Speaking through the Senate Committee Chairman on Customs, Senator Francis Alemhekina , they said “if any form of thievery in Custom is found, even though they have not seen leakages the Senate will not hesitate to expose, especially at this time that  the Government needs money to run the system.

As far as I am concern, the  Customs are doing very well.  We gave them a target last year in the budget and they exceeded it. And, this year I believe they will meet up like last year. There is no angel in this world. Those who accuse customs of seizing goods arbitrarily, don’t even know what they are saying, because they don’t go beyond their bounds. It is only those who are trying to dodge their duties that the customs seize their goods.

“If you import goods to this country and you pay the genuine customs duty, no custom will seize your goods. It is only when you are trying to play the Federal government that the custom will seize your goods. When they import goods that are prohibited they will say it is household in order to pay less custom duty.

And, if you discover these goods they are importing into the country are supposed to attract higher custom duties and you say you are declaring home appliance duty, where you will pay less duty, then they seize your goods.

So, we are doing oversight to customs to make sure that all the loopholes are blocked. We do not want to go outside the country. We have the resources within the country that we can earn to generate that money, so as we are doing the oversight other agencies are also doing their own. We hope that we will get the money to finance our budget without even going out to borrow. ”

What the committee is doing, is to do their oversight functions properly. And, to encourage them to do what they are supposed to do so as to block the loopholes. The committee will not go outside their mandate to say custom go oversea and bring in things for us. The committee will encourage the custom to do their job. And, that is why we pass their budget on time and oversight what they are doing.

“‘When they bring in their budget, like those things you are talking about we make sure that we approved the money for them to purchase all those equipment to fight this smugglers. So, that is what the committee could do to approve their budget for them to enable them buy all the necessary equipment they need to enhance their job. And, which we are doing.

On Benin/Auchi, Auchi/ Okpella-/Okene road that have turned dead traps,  Alemhekina said they budgeted money for it this year, and, last year money was also budgeted for it, but the problem on that road is finance.

” We have even approached the Minister of Finance. And, in the last budget we highlight that road. And, he told us, it is now Okenne Auchi-Epkoma road that is being sponsored by Suko funds. And, that they are on it. That they have even budgeted with what they have. You know they have about 164 federal roads. And, this 164 roads require lots of money and, what they have prepared for them this year is not even up to that amount.

So, if you have such an enormous job to do and you have lean resources, how do you share  it? That is what is happening. We hope that the road will be done. I mentioned it to the Minister. Even the roads from Auchi, Jattu, Agenedode the same thing. Even the gulley in Jattu now is almost collapsing. And, if care is not taken,  it will cut off and nobody can use the road again. But, the problem is finance.

We are law makers, we are not Executives. We can only propose to them and that is what we have. Only the Executive own the power of the purse can tell you this is what we have.”