The Senate Public Account Committee has initiated an investigation into the alleged under-remittance of N62 billion in revenue by the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS).

The revelation came to light through the 2017 Auditor General Report, currently under review by the committee chaired by Senator Ahmed Wadada.

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According to the committee’s query, the 2017 NCS summary of monthly collections reported a total of N691 billion for the federation account.

However, the actual remittance into the Federation Account for the same year was documented as N629 billion, indicating an under-remittance of N62 billion.

The query highlighted a lack of additional information or communication from the management explaining the discrepancies and called attention to potential weaknesses in the internal control system at the Nigeria Customs Service Headquarters in Abuja.

Senator Wadada, the committee chairman, has requested the Customs to present their defense against the under-remittance allegation within a two-week period.

In a related development, the Senate has mandated the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to appear before it regarding the $852 million debt owed by operators.

Senator Wadada emphasized the committee’s commitment to addressing issues highlighted in the Auditor-General’s report, emphasizing that the goal is not to witch-hunt but to correct systemic shortcomings for the country’s development.

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Wadada noted that some of the NPA’s communications regarding queries raised by the Auditor General have been responded to, while others remain pending.

The committee has given the NPA 48 hours to appear and address outstanding issues related to indebtedness, estate rent, shipping dues, service boats, and the status of long outstanding debtors.