Vincent Toritseju
Lagos — The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has said that the granting of waivers on some cargoes and foreign marine personnel is adversely affecting its revenue portfolio hinting that about N1trillion is lost to such waivers on an annual basis.
Speaking at the recently concluded, maritime stakeholders meeting on the cessation of Cabotage Waivers the Zonal Coordinator in charge of Zone ‘ A’ of the NCS, Mrs. Kaycee Ekekezie, said that because Nigeria is an import-dependent country, a lot of waivers are granted to all kinds of people and for all kinds of reasons.
Ekekezie also said that so much money is lost in the process of granting these waivers.
She suggested that other incentives for investors in the maritime sector as against waivers should be applied.
She stated: “All these waivers that are being granted here and there affect our revenue, we lost over a trillion Naira to waivers on a yearly basis.
“In Customs, we will be very glad if these waivers are stopped; there could be other incentives for investors, not outright waivers. Let us start thinking home; we will generate employment for our people through the stoppage of waivers
“Customs cannot stop waivers, we are an implementing agency, but we do and can advise the government on where such policies hurt the Customs and where it also hurt the economy.”