Customs Boss Reveals $300 Million Investment in E-Modernisation Project

The Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali, has defended the Nigeria Customs E-Modernisation project, saying that the promoters of the project have invested over $300 million (about N139 billion) since its commencement.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and a consortium, Trade Modernisation Project Limited, had signed a concession agreement worth $3.2 billion in May 2022 to digitise the operations of the border security and revenue collection agency, with an expected revenue of $176 billion.

The project was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in April 2023 despite a subsisting court order in a suit filed by some aggrieved companies against the federal government and its agents.

Col. Ali, who spoke for the first time in Lagos yesterday since the approval of the project, said he was surprised by the controversy surrounding the project.

He said the project was a public-private partnership (PPP) initiative that would not cost the government anything but would be funded from the customs collection.

He also said the project would enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the NCS and boost its revenue generation.

He spoke at the Customs Training College, Ikeja, where he mentored some trainee cadets on what to expect when deployed to the field.

“We embarked on the process to ensure it comes to reality and today, it’s a reality. It’s on the ground and will start functioning very soon.

“There are so many stories about court cases, about wasting $3.62 billion. It is a public-private partnership (PPP) project. These guys will earn their money from what we collect and not that government will take anything out of its pocket; it will come from customs collection,” he said.

He added that the project would also create employment opportunities for Nigerians and improve trade facilitation and compliance.

He urged the trainee cadets to be diligent and patriotic in their service to the nation and to uphold the integrity and professionalism of the NCS.

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