Salvaging E-Customs Project To Boost Revenue

Written By Abdullahi Muhammed, An Economic Analyst

There is no doubt that one of the cardinal points of any administration is to generate revenue to fund projects.

The administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not different as it is making various efforts to diversify its revenue base to other sectors including various agencies of the environment. One of the laudable initiatives is the E-Customs Project,

which represents global best practices in the systematic and automated exchange of customs information and processes between logistic businesses and customs authorities.

The project is a Digital platform that offers an all-encompassing automation system for the administration, payment, border management, import, export, and transit processing designed to migrate the Customs Service from paper to paperless systems of operation.

Although the idea of the project started with the APC government in 2015, the Modernization Project developed a qualification evaluation based on pass-fail criteria for bidding companies The evaluation summary covered financial capability, eligibility, the content of the presentation, and experience.

The use of scanners and other Information Communication Technology to improve the working tools of various agencies such as the Nigeria Customs Service to boost revenue generation is a step in the right direction.

There is no doubt when ICT is adopted, they will Equip Manufacturers to join the consortium to cover the Marine, Surveillance, Enforcement, and other Border Security Infrastructures to attain the status of service that obtains in ultramodern ports like Singapore, Shanghai, California, and Iraq.

It is also on record that the Federal government has witnessed a shortfall in revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With a deficit of almost N12 1 trillion in the 2023 budget, there is no gain saying the fact that the administration of President Bola Tinubu needs more revenue to fund projects that will promote the well-being of Nigerians.

This realization, no doubt has been the driving force behind the government’s efforts to streamline and reform the nation’s revenue generation agencies in the past, revenue generation was carried out using manual methods.

But the understanding of the grant administration in targeting effective revenue generation, led to the recent appointment of competent Chief Executives to man critical ministries and agencies which are already making the move to revamp their organizations for better service delivery and to plug loopholes where leakages were hindering effective revenue generation.

For instance, projects like the E-Customs Modernization Project should be reviewed to enhance accountability and revenue generation in the sector.

The Digital platform will no doubt offer an all-encompassing automation system for the administration, payment, border management, import, export, and transit processing designed to migrate the Customs Service from paper to paperless systems of operation.

It is worthy of note that President Tinubu has taken steps within the 100 days of his administration to assure investors that Nigeria is worthy of their investment and that things will be done differently than in the past.

It is worthy of note that the Finance Act that Introduced changes to tax administration, revenue generation, and businesses operating in various sectors of the economy are to boost revenue generation in Nigeria.

For this to be carried out well, there is also a compelling need for tax administrations to collaborate with digital business owners to integrate tax systems into their transactions.

In boosting internal revenue, there is also the need for the Government to harness a lot of ideas by boosting the morale of tax payment and to ensure remittances, the Government should pay attention to building trust in tax accountability, by ensuring that promises made to the citizens are delivered.

When implemented, the E-Customs Project will no doubt boost revenue generation in Nigeria and promote transparency and accountability in governance.