The Senate on Tuesday approved the sum of N238 billion as budget for the Nigerian Customs Service for the 2020 fiscal year.
Out of the approved sum, N98 billion was voted for personnel cost, and N15 billion as overhead while N123 billion was approved for capital costs respectively.
The budget approval followed presentation of report on the custom’s budget by the Chairman, committee on customs, excise and tariffs, Senator Francis Alimikhena.
This is coming just as the Senate has querried ministries, department and agencies (MDAs) for not submitting their audit reports.
Consequently, the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan has issued that henceforth, the Senate will take decisive action against any MDA that fail to submit its audit report.
By implication, it means that any MDA that does not submit its audit report, the Senate will not approve their budgets.
The Senate has further directed that with the revert of budget from January to December cycle, it has become mandatory that all MDAs must present their audit reports, before the end of every year.
Lawan said: “We expect MDAs to present their audited accounts before the end of the year, especially towards the end of December or at least the first quarter of next year, that is if, we include all the calendar months,” he said.
“If any agency refuses or fails without any cogent reason; we have reason to take a drastic action when it comes to appropriation because it is to give account of what you have been given in the previous year.
“So, I’m advising the MDAs, especially those that are not up to date with their audited accounts to do so. We could decide as a national assembly to take measures against agencies of government that are not up to date with their audited accounts,” Lawan stated.
However, before the customs budget was finally passed by the Senate, some Senators kicked against it, said the report was vague and that details of the budget of the agency were very scanty.
The Senators who opposed the budget were Senators Gabriel Suswam (Venue North East) James Manager (Delta South) and Bala Ibn Na’Allah (Kebbi south).
Solomon Ayado, Abuja
