Nigeria’s National Security Adviser (NSA), Mal. Nuhu Ribadu, has stated that President Bola Tinubu’s removal of the fuel subsidy has significantly reduced smuggling, which had primarily benefited only a few Nigerians and subsidized fuel for neighboring countries.
Speaking on Wednesday at the Comptroller General of Customs (CGCs) conference in Abuja, Ribadu emphasized that the subsidy regime allowed for fuel smuggling across borders, providing subsidized fuel to countries like Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Benin Republic, and Ghana.
He remarked that military personnel were among those aiding smugglers, but the situation has now changed with new security personnel in place.
“I am from a border community and everyday I keep getting calls about how Customs are making life difficult for smugglers. Surprisingly, the people aiding them also include the military but now everything is in the past as all those generals and security forces enabling fuel smugglers have been taken away and replaced by a new team.
“Similarly, the subsidy that all of us are talking about that has brought NNPC to its knees was only serving neighbouring countries and not even Nigerians. We were subsidising Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Benin Republic, Ghana and the smart Nigerians who called themselves oil marketers,” he said.
Speaking further, the NSA Ribadu attributed the large number of oil marketers in the country to the subsidy regime, which they were benefiting from.
“Nigeria is the only country in the world where everyone is an oil marketer because of subsidies. You can count about 100 filling stations from Abuja to Kaduna alone. However, the welfare we have given them is over and the business of smuggling fuel across the border has also ended,” he added.
The NSA also credited the Nigeria Customs Service’s recent anti-smuggling initiatives, such as Operation Whirlwind, for yielding significant results in reducing fuel smuggling.
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In his remarks, the Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adeniyi, announced that the Service has reached its 2024 revenue generation target of NGN 5.07 trillion as of November 12, 2024.
Ribadu stated, “I am pleased to announce that yesterday, 12 November 2024, at exactly 13:10 hours, the Nigeria Customs Service hit its 2024 revenue target of NGN 5.07 trillion, collecting NGN 5,079,455,088,194.38, with more than a month remaining in the fiscal year.
“This exceptional performance projected to exceed our target by 10 percent validates our partnership-driven approach to revenue collection and trade facilitation.”
To support continued growth, Adeniyi revealed that the Customs Service has concluded plans to establish a Customs University to enhance capacity and training within the Service.
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