From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (retd), has said that the Service is to re-excise companies and industries in Nigeria.
He said re-excising these companies and industries would improve the Federal Government, earnings as it provides an authentic list of existing companies and industries in Nigeria as well as enable government to come up with effective policies that would assist the businesses perform better.
The Comptroller General of the Service was speaking, recently in Kano, during a stakeholders meeting hosted at the headquarters of the Command in the state.
“It is very important for the government to know exactly what industries are coming up, what type of products they produce and what type of assistance that could be extended to them to help their businesses,” he stated. “I want to bring to your notice that we are undertaking a process where we want to seek approval from the Federal Government to re-excise so many companies in Nigeria,” he declared.
He regretted that, “as it is today, I don’t think anybody can give you an authentic list of industries in Nigeria and where they are and what they are producing and their capacities in terms of production.”
He recalled that the record of these industries and companies in Nigeria was lost years ago, following a government policy during the administration of Chief Ernest Shonekan, which discharged Customs of this responsibility.
“By that singular act, we lost completely the record of industries. When the excise was being collected, we had our own men in those industries. They were not only collecting duties but they were raising statistics for the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) with regards to industries.”
He said that the NCS was gradually moving from revenue collection alone to include emphasis on trade facilitation, saying that for them, trade facilitation implies that, “whatever you do in the course of doing your business is done quickly and with all sincerity.”
He recalled that in developed nations, revenue generation is no longer part of their main agenda given that as industrialised nations, they produce more at home and import less.
He assured the stakeholders that the Customs Service has put in place a robust excise department, which will ensure access to information needed by all.
He therefore charged the stakeholders in Kano and Jigawa states to take advantage of the improved access to information to enhance the ease at which they do their businesses.