BORDER CLOSURE: Pro-Buhari group celebrates Customs’ N1.5tr revenue generation as Nigerian govt’s major achievement

The Buhari Media Oganisation (BMO) claimed on Monday the N1.5trillion purportedly generated by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in 2020 was one of the major achievements recorded by the Federal Government during the 16-month closure of the country’s land borders.

The government ordered the closure of Nigeria’s land borders in August 2019 in a bid to protect the country’s interest.

However, the decision was met with criticism from Nigerians, the country’s neighbours and advocates of regional integration.

A former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, who spoke on the matter at a recent forum in Abuja, blasted the current administration for closing the borders in the first place.

She insisted that closure of the borders hugely impacted the activities of business owners in the country.

But in a statement signed by its Chairman, Niyi Akinsiju, and Secretary, Cassidy Madueke, the group expressed delight that the Customs generated more revenue last year despite misgivings by some Nigerians on the border closure.

The statement read:” Most of these cargoes used to be shipped to Benin Republic from where they were smuggled into the country before the borders were closed temporarily to put systems in place to check revenue leakages.

“That the agency exceeding the 2020 revenue target of N1.38 trillion by nearly N200billion to top N1.5 trillion despite the global coronavirus crisis as well as a resultant national lockdown is a confirmation that the partial border closure was a right move after all.

“We invite Nigerians to note that verified data from the NCS showed that before 20th August 2019 when the border closure began, the agency was raking in between N4billion and N5billion daily but generated between N5billion and N9billion daily after the borders were shut.

“In fact, it is on record that the highest ever daily receipt from Custom was recorded sometime in September last year when the agency collected N9.2billion in one day. This has never happened before and it showed that rather than create a shortfall in revenue, the border closure shored up Customs receipts in 2020.

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“So it would be foolhardy for anyone to dismiss President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to temporarily shut the borders as a poorly thought-out one based on NCS’ 2020 report card.”

The BMO commended the Comptroller General of Customs, Col Hameed Ali (retd), for keying into the government’s economic policy thrust of raising non-oil revenue and fighting corruption since his appointment in August 2015.

“Col. Ali’s appointment was one that didn’t go down well with many because he did not come from within the Customs Service and not a few Nigerians will forget in a hurry how the leadership of the 8th Senate frustrated his initiatives over his uncompromising stance on the correct interpretation of this administration’s fiscal policies.

“However, the year-on-year achievements of the agency, including that of the outgone year under his watch confirm that the president was right to think outside the box on his appointment,” it added.

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