BY CHIJIOKE ASOGWA
The Senate Public Accounts Committee (SPAC) on Tuesday cleared the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) of a N62.2 billion under-remittance allegation raised by the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation in the 2019 audit report, following explanations and submissions by the agency.
The committee which had an investigative session on the entire 77 queries on financial infractions raised against Customs in the 2019 and 2020 audit reports , with the Comptroller General of Customs , Bashir Adewale Adeniyi , also resolved to set up a small committee for reconciliation of the remaining 76 queries.
Customs smooth sail at the investigative session , followed convincing responses made to queries one , two and three read to him by representative of the Auditor General of the federation .
Representative of Auditor General as directed by Chairman of the committee , Senator Ibrahim Dankwabo ( Gombe North ) , read to the Customs CG that in 2017 , while N691.242billion was the total revenue collection by Customs , N629.23bilion was remitted, leaving balance of N62.2billion unremitted into the Federation Account .
In his response to the query , the Customs CG said the N62.2billion classified as unremited or underremittance in the 2019 audit report , was the total sum of levies collected by Customs on behalf of other agencies which are not for remittance into federation account.
” The under remittance of N62.2billion leveled against Customs in the 2019 audit report , was wrongly arrived at through misclassification of levies collected .
” While most of the levies are to be collected and remited into federation account , others like the ones on local production of wheat , textiles and wines etc , do not go into federation account , totality of which accounted for the alleged unremited N62.2billion “, he said .
Similar explanations were offered by the Customs CG on queries two and three , which made a member of the committee , Senator Babangida Hussaini ( Jigawa North West ) , to wonder why Customs allowed the queries to get to the level of committee’s investigation .
” I was in the civil service just like the Chairman of the Committee , Senator Ibrahim Dankwabo ( Gombe North ) , before venturing into politics . Queries one, two and three that you have responded to , supposed to have been trashed out at reconciliation level with the auditors and not allowed to get to this stage “, he said
The Customs boss however reminded the committee members that the years under review , were period when the Senate and Customs had frosty relationship .
The committee on the strength of his explanation , resolved to set up a small committee to meet with customs for reconciliation of issues raised in the remaining 74 queries .
