The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is facing mounting public criticism over its proposed plan to spend ₦14.39 billion on new luxury vehicles for senior officers in 2025, despite maintaining a stockpile of seized vehicles valued at over ₦5.6 billion.
Details of the agency’s 2025 appropriation bill showed that the expenditure forms part of a larger ₦35.27 billion allocation for the procurement of 579 official vehicles.
Senior officers at the ranks of Comptroller, Assistant Comptroller-General (ACG), and Deputy Comptroller-General (DCG) will receive the bulk of these high-end units, which carry price tags ranging between ₦44 million and ₦75 million each.
Among the vehicle brands listed for procurement are BYD hybrid sedans, CHANGAN CS95 SUVs, MAXUS D90 SUVs, NISSAN MG5 sedans, MIKANO models, and NORD vehicles.
The breakdown indicates 20 CHANGAN CS95 units for ACGs at ₦68 million each, 15 MAXUS D90 SUVs for DCGs at ₦70 million per unit, and 20 QIN BYD Hybrid sedans for ACGs at ₦65 million each.
The NCS budget also includes 15 HAN BYD Hybrid sedans for DCGs at ₦75 million apiece, alongside 180 sedans for Comptrollers valued at ₦44.625 million per unit.
Additional allocations cover 50 NORD TUSK trucks, 50 NISSAN NAVARA trucks, 100 JIM 4WD trucks, and 10 thirty-seater buses intended for administrative and operational purposes.
The plan has been met with sharp criticism from civil society groups, who describe it as extravagant and insensitive given Nigeria’s prevailing economic challenges. Transparency and Accountability Group (TAG) and the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) have accused the Customs Service of financial waste and policy hypocrisy.
Speaking to the press, TAG Convener Ayo Ologun noted that the NCS frequently seizes vehicles worth billions of naira but fails to redeploy them for operational use.
In 2024 alone, the agency seized 397 vehicles valued at ₦5.64 billion, while 2023 saw a record seizure of 3,491 vehicles with a Duty Paid Value exceeding ₦2 billion.
Ologun questioned the justification for fresh purchases when seized units could be refurbished for official use.
“Customs claims to be protecting national revenue but ends up squandering it on new luxury vehicles for its top officers. Why not repair impounded vehicles instead of spending billions on fresh imports?” he asked.
Debo Adediran, Executive Director of CACOL, described the plan as “obscene opulence,” arguing that government agencies must demonstrate empathy towards citizens struggling with economic hardship.
“At a time when Nigerians face severe financial strain, spending over ₦14 billion on luxury vehicles is unjustifiable. Such funds should be redirected to critical sectors like health and education,” Adediran stated.
In his earlier remarks, Comptroller-General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi highlighted the service’s revenue-generating mandate and commitment to curbing smuggling.
However, anti-corruption groups argue that such expenditure undermines the agency’s credibility and sends the wrong message to taxpayers.
Despite the backlash, the NCS has yet to issue an official response addressing the concerns raised by civil society organisations. Stakeholders have called on the National Assembly to review the budget proposal and redirect funds towards more pressing public needs.
The controversy underscores persistent calls for greater fiscal discipline, accountability, and prioritisation of essential services amid Nigeria’s challenging economic climate.
