The Nigeria Customs Service has urged the National Assembly to conduct a comprehensive legislative review of the country's import waiver and concession regime. Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, questioned whether these tax incentives continue to justify their fiscal cost and support Nigeria's broader economic goals.
Speaking at a two-day retreat for the Senate Committee on Customs in Abuja, Adeniyi stressed that a significant volume of trade enters the country under government-approved concessions. He argued that determining whether these policies still serve their intended purposes is a legislative responsibility.
Evaluating the N34 Trillion Waiver Regime
The call for a policy review follows disclosures that Import Duty Exemption Certificate approvals granted by the Federal Government reached N34 trillion in 2025. Adeniyi previously revealed that 60 percent of these exemptions were allocated for military hardware procurement to address national security challenges.
The agency is also implementing other targeted concession frameworks. In March 2025, the service commenced a two-year import duty and Value Added Tax waiver on essential pharmaceutical raw materials and healthcare products.
Refining the Customs Act of 2023
Adeniyi also proposed a post-implementation review of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023. He noted that three years of active implementation have provided enough practical evidence to identify which legal provisions require refinement to match the evolving trade environment.
According to the Customs chief, modernization efforts must focus on replacing human discretion with automated systems. The agency is currently deploying its indigenous B’Odogwu customs platform alongside the Trade Modernisation Project to establish electronic records and automated risk rules.
The service previously announced plans to simplify its payment framework by replacing multiple import-related levies with a unified 4 percent Free On Board charge.
Revenue Performance and 2026 Targets
Addressing financial metrics, Adeniyi reported that the service generated N7.277 trillion in 2025, representing a 110.53 percent performance against its N6.5 trillion approved target. Between January and May 2026, revenue collections reached N3.35 trillion.
However, Adeniyi cautioned lawmakers against evaluating the agency solely on nominal revenue growth. He explained that exchange-rate fluctuations can artificially inflate collection figures without reflecting actual operational improvements.
The Senate recently approved the 2026 budget proposal for the service, endorsing a revenue target of N11.074 trillion and a total expenditure of N1.295 trillion for the fiscal year. Senator Jibrin Isah, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Customs, commended the revenue growth and pledged legislative support to resolve operational bottlenecks.
