FG approves N970.2m Barracks For Customs

Abiola Seun |

Respite has come to the officers and men of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) as the Federal Government approved N970.2 million for the provision of barracks for the Service

The Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents after the FEC meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The meeting lasted late into the night.

Ahmed said that the accommodation was important because the NCS, being a para-military organisation, was trying to ensure that its members of staff were kept in barracks.

“The Nigeria Customs got approval today for acquisition of residential accommodation for the staff of the service.

“What the Customs is acquiring is an estate that has a total of 42 flats and the total cost is N152 million per block of six units.

“The approval that we got today is in the total sum of N970.2 million inclusive of VAT.”

She said that the NCS, in its desire to upgrade its services to international best practice in information and communication, also got an approval to procure modern communication gadgets.

She listed some of the gadgets as HF radios, BHF radios, walkie talkies, cable towers and accessories.

The minister said that the gadgets were necessary for the Nigeria Customs to enhance its end to end encryption of messages delivery to avoid tapping by unscrupulous elements, smugglers and their cohorts.

“The need has become necessary because of increased onslaught by the service on smuggling and other illegal economic activities.

“The contract that was approved is in the total sum of N247.907 million inclusive of five per cent VAT and the equipment will be delivered within a period of eight weeks.’’

Ahmed said that the third paper that was approved for the ministry was an automation project that it had been working on for a very long time.

According to her, the Project Lighthouse is an initiative of the Ministry of Finance—a data warehousing system that is integrating different tax related data for the purpose of accurate and effective revenue assessment.

She said the project would also serve in the determination of assets and income status for both corporate and individual taxpayers.

“It will help us improve on our tax revenue collection efforts both at the federal and states level.

“The total project cost is in the sum of N710 million,’’ she said.