Reps okay repeal of 63-year old Customs Act

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja

House of Representatives has considered and approved the report on a bill seeking to repeal and re-enact the Customs and Exercise Management Act, which was enacted 63 years ago.

The proposed Customs and Exercise Management law, seeks to prohibit the appointment of the Comptroller General of Customs from outside the Service.

The chairman, House Committee on Customs and Excise, Leke Abejide, while presenting the synopsis of the bill, at the Committee of the Whole, on Tuesday, said the extant Act has outlived its usefulness.

Abejide, who is also the sponsor of the bill, said the proposed legislation will reposition the NCS, improve revenue generation and expose illegal dealings.

According to him, “the passage of this Bill is a step in the right direction, especially in view of the fact that the Bill is the first major reform in the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Legal Framework in 63 years. The old Act has become obsolete in today’s competitive global world and also, in effective operations of the

NCS.

“A review of the Act seeks to reposition the NCS for improved efficiency and service delivery. Full automation of the NCS with modern reality will facilitate trade, improve revenue generation and more importantly expose illegal importation of arms and ammunition into the country. All these would be made possible when this Bill becomes an Act.”

Besides, the lawmaker argued that the bill if passed into law, will ensure the “collation of all Customs and Excise legislations into a single compendium of Customs & Excise Act to facilitate easy reference and easy knowledge driven Customs and Excise policies.

“This Bill when it becomes an Act will position Nigeria Customs Service to be financially stable and this will enable NCS to recruit the required number of Officers they need to man our porous border stations. The Nigeria Customs Service currently have 15,349 Officers

instead of 30,000 Officers needed for the Service to function optimally.

“The current 7% cost of collection from the Duties payment is not enough to pay salaries of officers, not to talk of improving the infrastructures. For this reason, this Bill provides for funding system based on 4% FOB, according to international best practice, to address funding problems and to reposition the service for improved efficiency and service delivery, as such 7% cost of collection shall cease to exist the moment this Bill becomes Law.

“Making the Act more readable to the understanding of the principal

stakeholders thereby deviating from hitherto strict legal drafting of the

aged.”