Tuesday, July 22, 2025 - The Federal Government, through the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), is considering reducing import duties by scrapping the seven percent surcharge currently imposed on all imports.
Speaking during a town hall meeting with stakeholders on the
Bodogwu clearance system, Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi,
disclosed that the proposal to eliminate the surcharge is already undergoing
legislative review.
According to Adeniyi, once the surcharge is removed, duties
on all Nigerian-bound cargo will be reduced, ultimately lowering the overall
cost of doing business at the ports.
“At the
beginning of this meeting, I mentioned that the Bodogwu system is aimed at
reducing operational costs at our ports,” he said. “We’ve seen that with the
right technology and stakeholder cooperation, we can achieve significant
improvements.”
The move is seen as a response to growing concerns from the
business community, especially the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN),
which had strongly protested the introduction of a 4% Free on Board (FOB) levy
by the NCS. The association argued that the levy would raise the cost of
importing raw materials and finished goods, leading to higher prices for
consumers and placing local industries at risk.
The Nigeria Customs Service had earlier introduced the levy
to replace the 1% Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS), citing the
need to fund modernization and improve operations. However, due to widespread
backlash, the implementation was suspended.
The proposed removal of the seven percent surcharge is
expected to encourage more businesses to use Nigerian ports and improve trade
competitiveness.
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