By Anayo Akwitti
Nigeria’s import duty exemptions have climbed to ₦34 trillion in 2025, with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) attributing the surge largely to government-backed waivers on military hardware and strategic imports.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, disclosed this on Monday during an investigative session with the Senate Committee on Finance, explaining that while the waivers had reduced Customs’ revenue potential, they were introduced to achieve broader national economic and security objectives.
According to him, about 60 per cent of the approved Import Duty Exemption Certificates (IDECs) were granted for military equipment in response to Nigeria’s security challenges. Other exemptions covered compressed natural gas (CNG), electric and hybrid vehicles, healthcare equipment, industrial machinery, manufacturing inputs and food import intervention programmes.
Adeniyi noted that government policies have continued to shape Customs’ revenue performance, saying the agency would have generated significantly more revenue without the extensive duty waivers.
He, however, stressed that fiscal policy should not be judged solely by the revenue it generates but by its wider economic and social impact. He urged the government to strengthen monitoring mechanisms to ensure beneficiaries of duty waivers deliver expected outcomes such as lower consumer prices, increased local production and improved healthcare access.
The Customs boss also told lawmakers that the service had generated ₦4.5 trillion as of June 30 from its ₦11.04 trillion revenue target for 2026, leaving about ₦7 trillion to be realised before the end of the fiscal year.
Meanwhile, the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) alleged that the NCS still had an outstanding ₦8.9 billion operating surplus yet to be remitted to the Consolidated Revenue Fund since 2019, an allegation the Customs Service disputed.
The FRC also claimed that the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) owed ₦13.9 billion in unremitted operating surplus between 2023 and 2025. CAC Registrar-General Hussaini Ishaq Magaji acknowledged the liability but said the commission had begun settling the outstanding amount.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa, directed the CAC, FRC and the committee to reconcile the figures and submit a detailed report within two weeks.
The committee also warned the heads of agencies, including the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Jabi, to appear in person at its next sitting or face sanctions for failing to honour the Senate’s invitation.
