The Senate Public Accounts Committee (SPAC) has officially vacated a ₦62.2 billion under-remittance query issued against the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) by the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation in its 2019 audit report.
The resolution was reached following an investigative session led by Committee Chairman Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe North), during which the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, successfully clarified the financial discrepancy.
Key Highlights of the Resolution:
The Clarification: The alleged ₦62.2 billion shortfall was identified as a misclassification of funds. The sum represents specialized levies collected on behalf of other government agencies such as local production levies on wheat, textiles, and wines which are not legally mandated for remittance into the Federation Account.
The Initial Query: The Auditor-General’s report had previously flagged the NCS for remitting ₦629.23 billion out of the ₦691.242 billion total revenue collected in 2017, leaving an apparent balance of ₦62.2 billion.
Next Steps: Following the resolution of the primary query and two related items, the Senate Committee has established a dedicated sub-committee to reconcile the remaining 74 financial infractions raised in the 2019 and 2020 audit reports.
The under-remittance of ₦62.2 billion levelled against Customs in the 2019 audit report was wrongly arrived at through the misclassification of levies collected. While most levies are to be collected and remitted into the Federation Account, others do not go into the Federation Account. The totality of these accounted for the alleged unremitted ₦62.2 billion.
Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi.
Addressing questions from committee member Senator Babangida Hussaini (Jigawa North-West) regarding why the matter escalated to a formal investigation, CG Adeniyi noted that the years under review coincided with a historically strained relationship between the Senate and the previous Customs administration.
The Customs Service emphasizes its ongoing commitment to financial transparency, rigorous accounting standards, and collaborative governance as it works alongside the newly formed Senate sub-committee to swiftly resolve all remaining audit queries.
