Customs gives revenue defaulters one week to pay their duties

By Clem Khena-Ogbena

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has given defaulters of revenue payment only one week to pay all the outstanding duties or risk their names being published in the national dailies.

The Nigeria Customs Service will henceforth publish the list of beneficiaries of duty payment concessions who default in honouring their obligations.

According to a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, by the NCS Public Relations Officer, Mr Wale Adeniyi, the Comptroller-General of Customs, Dikko Inde Abdullahi, gave the warning in

Abuja while reviewing the activities of the Revenue Recovery Team set up to address dwindling revenue.

The statement pointed out that defaulters included importers who were given various forms of deferred payment concessions to avoid accumulation of demurrage and facilitate trade, adding that others in this category had un-utilised Risks Assessment Reports (RARs), still hanging in the system long after the departure of the Service Providers, who issued them during their dispensation.

“We can no longer tolerate them abusing the privilege. We are reminding the Banks that their Bonds were provided to guarantee payment of Customs duty. We have given defaulters only one week to pay all outstanding duties, failure of which their names will be published in the national dailies” he declared.

The Comptroller-General also directed that the Bank bonds secured to cover the defaulting transactions be converted to duty payments at the expiration of the grace period.

Within the first month of Recovery Team’s activities, a total of N 2.5 billion have been recovered from unpaid assessments and un-utilized Risk Assessment Reports.

On Temporary Importation, a total of N 1.6 billion outstanding has been established against 3 beneficiaries who contravened the regulations. The defaulting beneficiaries applied for and enjoyed Temporary Importation concession while they had active Forms M and Risk Assessment Reports against their names.

The Team has over 2000 companies under investigation. Transactions of RARs and unpaid assessment of these Companies are undergoing a comprehensive audit to confirm evidence of RAR utilization and duty payments.