FG Plans Salary Increase for Customs Personnel

The federal government has disclosed that plans were underway to embark on increased pay package for the personnel of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

The proposed pay rise is in appreciation to the Service for their efforts in revenue generation and securing a safe business environment.

The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, who made the disclosure at the international customs day celebration in Abuja Friday, commended the Service for its remarkable success in the area of ensuring national security and revenue collection in the past one year and assured the NCS of continued support from her ministry to achieve their mandate.

The minister, who was represented by the Director of Home Finance, Mrs. Sinyabola Olubunmi , said that the theme of the 2018 celebration which is a secure business environment for economic development, was very apt because security of the trade environment is critical for business to prosper..

In his opening remarks, the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Col, Hammed Ibrahim Ali (rtd), said the theme of the event was not only strategic but also significant, adding that without a secure business environment, there could not be meaningful economic development.

“Customs administrations globally are expected to adopt WCO (World Customs Organisation) tools and instruments that offer opportunities to create secured business environment and transparent processes that will boost economic development.

“In line with this expectation, Nigeria Customs Service has continued to make steady progress in automation of its processes in addition to other reforms to ensure a secured business environment,” he said.

He added that the ongoing reform in the service was repositioning it through strategic deployment, training and automation of customs processes.

Ali added that easing of the clearance process through pre-arrival assessment report (PAAR), fast track facility for complaint traders and the post-clearance audit were all aimed at reducing clearance time, cost of clearance and boost economic growth.

He listed the NCS’ achievements last year in terms of revenue collection and seizure of offensive goods, including a revenue collection of N1,037,102,179,400.74 and various seizures of 4,492 with duty paid value of N12,777,321,405.74.

He noted that for it to happen at a time when the nation was experiencing a downturn on oil revenue meant that the Customs Service could be a revenue safety valve for the country which is looking for diversification in revenue sources.

In response to question about challenges faced by the NCS, he said smuggling was one of their biggest challenges, adding that the ministry had been very helpful with a lot of allocations to be able to acquire vehicles and other tools that were necessary in fighting smuggling.

He expressed the hope that when needed equipment were available, the NCS’ efforts would be doubled with reduction in smuggling to the barest minimum.

Ali urged all well-meaning individuals and organisations to support indigenous businesses by patronising made in Nigeria goods to encourage local production and boost our industrial base.

In his address, the Secretary General of WCO, Kunio Mikuriya represented by Deputy Comptroller General (DCG), Austin Chidi in his welcome address said that evidence-based research recognised internationally, clearly showed that customs could contribute to making the business environment more enabling, or more stable and predictable.

He said, “Customs must strive to build an environment that is fair and sustainable. The importation of illegal goods, such as goods that infringe intellectual property rights (IPR) or legal goods for example, are smuggled into a country to avoid the payment of duty or whose value has been misreported can do immense harm to country’s economy, governance and human security”.