Senator Albert Speaks On Nigerian Customs Service 2020 Budget
.... Calls For Effective Monitoring Of Revenue, Expenditure
Deliberations on the Nigerian Customs Service 2020 Budget was held at the Nigerian Senate on Tuesday, February 4, 2020.
Speaking while contributing to the debate on the Report of the Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariffs, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources, Upstream, Senator Bassey Albert Akpan commended them for a job well done.
Senator Akpan, representing Akwa Ibom North East Senatorial District said, “Mr. President, let me commend the chairman and members of the committee for doing a good job.
“I wish to state that the 7 per cent cost of collection was only an incentive to encourage Customs to collect more revenues because if you look at the report as submitted, the cost of collection is completely eroded by the personnel cost and overhead cost.
“The difference between the personnel cost and overhead cost is about N120 billion and the cost of collection is only about N112 billion.
“In my days as Federation Account Committee member, Mr. President, Customs always draw from the Federation Account, and like Senator Aliero has said, I believe that we have confidence in your committee and we equally have confidence in our colleagues, and we believe that they have done an extensive job
“This submission, Mr. President is still a proposal and a projection on the basis that it will guide their expenditure for the whole year.
“And you have stressed extensively on the need for committees to ensure effective and aggressive oversight.
“Mr. President, I think the onus should be on committee to ensure that the report as submitted in line with the budget item are strictly adhered to and the revenue and the expenditure are effectively monitored.
“And at the end of the day like chairman, Finance said, by September this year, we would have established a comprehensive trend of event on both the revenue and expenditure side. I believe that based on the confidence we have on our committee, the Senate should be at liberty to pass the report.”
