The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adeniyi, revealed on Monday that Import Duty Exemption Certificate (IDEC) approvals granted by the Federal Government for selected imported goods and equipment surged to N34 trillion in 2025.
He cautioned that such fiscal incentives have significantly diminished the Service’s capacity to generate revenue.
Adeniyi made this disclosure during an investigative hearing of the Senate Committee on Finance, which convened in Abuja with representatives from various revenue-generating agencies.
During the session, the committee also threatened to sanction the heads of several agencies—including the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Industrial Training Fund (ITF), and the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi—for failing to honor its invitation.
Addressing lawmakers, Adeniyi noted that government fiscal policies have a direct impact on Customs’ revenue performance, both positively and negatively. While the Nigeria Customs Service remains one of the country’s top revenue-generating agencies, he argued that collections could have been higher if not for government-approved duty waivers and other policy interventions.
He identified the IDEC policy, introduced in March 2020, as a major factor affecting Customs revenue. “IDEC approvals reached about N34 trillion in 2025, 60 percent of which was granted for the procurement of military hardware, which attracted duty exemptions due to Nigeria’s security challenges,” Adeniyi said.
He added that other government-backed waivers covered the importation of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), electric and hybrid vehicles, healthcare equipment and medical supplies, industrial machinery and manufacturing inputs, and food import intervention programmes.
However, Adeniyi stressed that fiscal policy should not be judged solely by revenue generation, as duty waivers fulfill broader economic and social objectives. He urged the Federal Government to strengthen monitoring mechanisms to ensure that beneficiaries deliver on expected outcomes, such as lower prices, increased industrial production, and improved access to healthcare.
