By Seun Ibiyemi
The Senate Public Accounts Committee (SPAC) has exonerated the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) of allegations that it failed to remit N62.2 billion to the Federation Account, as contained in the 2019 audit report of the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.
The clearance followed an investigative session held on June 16, 2026, during which the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, presented explanations that convinced lawmakers the alleged shortfall resulted from a misclassification of revenue by auditors.
The query, read by a representative of the Auditor-General under the direction of SPAC Chairman, Ibrahim Dankwambo, alleged that out of N691.242 billion generated by Customs in 2017, only N629.23 billion was remitted to the Federation Account, leaving an outstanding balance of N62.2 billion.
In his defence, Adeniyi maintained that the purported deficit did not exist, explaining that the figure was arrived at through an incorrect classification of certain levies collected by the Service.
According to him, while some levies are required to be remitted into the Federation Account, others are designated for specific purposes and do not form part of federation revenue.
“The under-remittance of N62.2 billion levelled against Customs in the 2019 audit report was wrongly arrived at through misclassification of levies collected,” Adeniyi said.
He explained that levies on local production of products such as wheat, textiles and wines were among revenues that are not meant for remittance into the Federation Account, and their inclusion by auditors created the impression of a shortfall.
Following the clarification and explanations on the first three major audit queries, members of the committee expressed satisfaction with the Customs Service’s submissions.
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A committee member, Babangida Hussaini, questioned why the issues had not been resolved at an earlier stage, noting that such technical matters should ordinarily have been addressed during the preliminary audit process rather than escalating to a full Senate investigation.
The committee subsequently accepted the explanations provided by the Customs Service and cleared the agency of any wrongdoing regarding the alleged under-remittance.
The development is seen as a significant endorsement of the financial accountability processes of the Nigeria Customs Service and its handling of statutory revenue collections.
