The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has cleared the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) of allegations that it failed to remit ₦62.2 billion into the Federation Account, as highlighted in the 2019 Audit Report of the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.
The decision came during an investigative hearing on Tuesday with the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, regarding 77 audit queries raised against the agency in the 2019 and 2020 reports.
Representatives from the Auditor-General’s office told the committee that the NCS generated over ₦691 billion in revenue in 2017 but remitted only about ₦629 billion to the Federation Account, resulting in the ₦62.2 billion shortfall.
In response, CG Adeniyi clarified that the disputed amount consisted of levies collected on behalf of other government agencies, which were not intended for remittance into the Federation Account. He explained that the figure was misclassified in the audit report.
Adeniyi noted that while some levies collected by Customs go into the Federation Account, others—such as those on local production of wheat, textiles, and wines—are directed to separate designated accounts. He insisted the ₦62.2 billion fell into the latter category and should not be treated as unremitted revenue.
The committee found the Customs Service’s explanations for the first three audit queries satisfactory and dismissed the ₦62.2 billion query. However, it resolved to establish an ad hoc reconciliation panel to thoroughly review the remaining 76 audit queries and report back for further action.
Some senators questioned why the matters escalated to a full Senate investigation, suggesting they could have been resolved through routine reconciliation between Customs officials and auditors. Adeniyi attributed the progression partly to strained relations between the National Assembly and the Customs Service during the audit periods under review.
The new reconciliation committee will collaborate with Customs officials and auditors to resolve the remaining discrepancies before any additional legislative steps are taken.
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