…Even as it targets N1.68tr revenue in 2020
As the yet to be lifted ban on discharging petroleum products in any filling station within a 20km radius to the border lasts, strong indications reveal that several telecoms installations within the range may have started running out of fuel ahead of total network blackout within border range.
In case the order is not lifted as soon as possible, Customs border Commands and even banks near the borders may begin to experiencing network failures as some Base transceiver stations (BTS) and telecom masts go off due to lack of fuel.
A senior Customs official confided in our correspondent at one of the borders (name with held) that “Without telecom network, their work at the border is crippled because all their systems including payment systems by genuine importers on land borders and even security signals will collapse immediately networks go down within the border range”.
Already, checks around Jiba border area of Katsina State near Buhari’s Daura hometown have started suffering acute fuel scarcity as sited filling stations within the said 20km have closed up.
Additional checks in Katsina showed that Buhari’s hometown is even less than 14km to the border which means that his kinsmen are already suffering the heat of fuel scarcity.
Besides, analysts say if the ban is not lifted, the planned target of N1.68tr revenue in 2020 by the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) may be a total failure as Customs duties documentation and payment server is powered by network services provided by the telecom firms.
Recall that the Comptroller-General of Customs, Hameed Ali had on Tuesday disclosed that the 2020 revenue target set for the Service by federal government stands at N1.679 trillion as encapsulated in the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework approved by the National Assembly. Ali made the revelation in Abuja at the 2020 budget presentation to House of Representatives Committee on Customs. According to him, the figure consists of N1.5 trillion for federation revenue, while non-federation stands at N178.62 billion. When compared to the 2019 revenue target, the 2020 figure is higher by N741.43 billion (44.17%).
The Customs boss said the 2020 budget leverages on Information Communication Technology (ICT) tools as a major driver in achieving the target, which he said was totally captured by the e-Customs project in line with the dictates of the World Customs Organization (WCO).
The CG averred that “The Services strategy is anchored on computerization and other ICT tools for effective and efficient service delivery that guarantees robust revenue inflows to government coffers.
He noted further that “The e-Customs project is a modernized electronic business system which enables the NCS to perform its statutory duty and security functions by efficient interconnection of all relevant trade ecosystem partners, agencies, regulators for effective trade facilitation and revenue generation.”
