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The House of
Representatives Committee on Customs and Excise has recommended the
revocation, within six months, of the sale of some houses belonging to
the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) which were illegally sold by the
Federal Capital Territory Administration. It also asked the federal
government to provide a special grants of ₦100 billion to the Nigeria
Customs Service (NSC) to strengthen its operations.

These are some of the recommendations made by the committee in a report presented to the House in plenary yesterday.

The House had, in
September 2008, mandated the committee chaired by Yakubu Dogara (PDP,
Bauchi) to conduct investigations into the Nigeria Customs Service
(NSC) for poor performance. The resolution was sequel to a motion
brought by Muhammed Sani Abdu (PDP, Bauchi) and 18 others, calling for
an investigation into the collapse of the Marine Unit of the NCS, which
they claimed had led to poor performance of its statutory duties and
functions.

The committee noted
in the report that our government was short-changed to the tune of
₦233.48 million in the process of selling the houses located in Maitama
and Wuse Districts of the Federal Capital Territory because they were
grossly undervalued by the committee that sold them to satisfy vested
interests.

It also noted that
“the houses were not strictu-sensu government properties, having been
acquired with bonuses earned by the services which was supposed to be
paid directly to officers and men of the service”. According to the
committee, neither the FCTA not its committee on sale of government
houses proved its legal or equitable title to the houses that it
purportedly sold, adding, “Failure of the FCTA and its committee to
establish any form of title over the houses meant that neither could
have lawfully disposed of the said houses.

“The sale of NCS
houses be revoked and NCS management repossessed within six months of
the adoption of this report,” the committee concluded.

Increase their funding

The committee noted
that, as the highest revenue agency in the country, the ₦100 billion
grant would go a long way in improving the condition of service of the
NCS so that its staff could be more effective in revenue generation and
other operations.

It recalled that,
like the Nigerian Police Force which got ₦300 billion, the money would
enable the NCS to complete all abandoned projects in several parts of
the country, as well as border posts across our nation.

The grant, the
committee added, would also enable the NCS to provide modern offices
and conducive working environments for its staff, procure modern combat
tools, including sea-going vessels, and aircraft which are no existent
at present, but are absolutely necessary for its operations.

Committee recommendations

It also recommended
five per cent for the Free On Board (FOB), as against the current seven
per cent cost of collection which the NCS enjoys, and the five per cent
FOB be expended by the service directly after appropriation by the
National Assembly.

The committee also
recommended that the government should review the welfare package of
NCS staff in line with those of the NNPC, which is similar to the NCS
in its duty of collecting revenue for our nation.

It also said that
in order for the NCS to attract and keep some of the best brains in its
employ who would help build the institution from within to a world
class status, there should be a consolidated salary structure to bring
it at par with other institutions.

The committee
recommended that the government should improve the criteria for future
appointments of Comptroller-General of NCS by incorporating broad-based
stakeholders consultations, and that such officers should come from
within the service, having not less than five years to retirement.

It said that non-staff of the NCS, no matter their experiences and requisite qualification, be excluded from the process.