Relief Customs of other roles, leave only revenue collection for efficiency—Yusuf
The Chief Executive Officer and Country Director of Accenture Nigeria, Mr. Niyi Yusuf has raised a salient issue, saying time has come to the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) to forgo some of its core and consolidate on revenue generation only.
In an interview, he argued that the four core duties of the agency, considering the size of the economy have become too much for the service.
Currently, the four major duties of Nigerian Customs include collection of revenue, anti-smuggling activities, border protection and trade facilitation.
In his further submission, Yusuf said “We talk about increasing the ease of doing business and it is quite commendable that government has set up a commission on that, so we pray things will eventually improve”.
He said “Look at the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS); it has four core functions including collection of revenue, anti-smuggling activities, border protection and trade facilitation,” pointing out that “In other countries like in the US, Customs focuses primarily on trade facilitation but in Nigeria they focus primarily on revenue generation and then secondarily on border protection and lastly trade facilitation”.
“These are some of the policy issues we need to review. Government set up the export expansion grant in 1999 to encourage non-oil exports but for the last three years, it has been suspended because of abuse.
Accenture Nigeria boss observed that he don’t support the abuse, adding that “you cannot throw away the baby with the bath water; you cannot because of abuse by some persons suspend an incentive programme that can deliver the country from its economic perils by increasing the level of non-oil export for the country”.
Corroborating Yusuf’s position, a maritime stakeholder and top clearing agent doing business at Apapa port told Business Hilights that “If Customs will be relieved of anti-smuggling operations, border protection and trade facilitation leaving only duties and revenue generation for it, it will do better”.
“I say this because it has become clear that these other three roles are weighing the agency down even though it doesn’t want to open up, some officers have been saying it before now.
Responding on the matter, a top Customs officer at FOU, Ikeja who pleaded anonymity said “If government can do that, I think, the service will be better because that will deliver us from anti-smuggling war because if you ask me, Customs has not gotten the smuggling fight any better”.
