The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) plans to spend a substantial N14.39 billion on purchasing luxury vehicles for its senior officers in 2025, as part of a broader budget of N35.27 billion allocated for acquiring 579 official vehicles. This information was revealed in the service’s proposed appropriation bill, obtained by okay.ng on Wednesday.
The majority of these vehicles are earmarked for high-ranking officers, including Comptrollers, Assistant Comptroller-Generals (ACGs), and Deputy Comptroller-Generals (DCGs). The unit prices of these vehicles range from N44 million to N75 million, reflecting the premium nature of the acquisitions.
The brands slated for purchase include BYD hybrids, CHANGAN, MAXUS D90, NISSAN MG5, MIKANO, and NORD. Specifically, the breakdown includes 20 CHANGAN CS95 SUVs for ACGs at N68 million each, totaling N1.36 billion; 15 MAXUS D90 SUVs for DCGs at N70 million each, totaling N1.05 billion; and 20 QIN BYD Hybrid sedans for ACGs at N65 million each, totaling N1.3 billion.
Other allocations include 15 HAN BYD Hybrid sedans for DCGs at N75 million each, totaling N1.125 billion, and 180 sedans for Comptrollers, comprising NORD C3, MIKANO CHAGGAN EADO, and NISSAN MG5 models, each costing approximately N44.625 million, summing to N9.55 billion.
In addition to passenger vehicles, the budget provides for 50 NORD TUSK trucks, 50 NISSAN NAVARA trucks, 100 JIM 4WD trucks, and 10 30-seater buses for various administrative and operational functions.
This lavish vehicle procurement plan has drawn sharp criticism from civil society groups, who describe it as wasteful and insensitive given Nigeria’s challenging economic climate. The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, earlier disclosed that in 2024, the service seized 397 vehicles valued at N5.64 billion, alongside restricted goods such as rice, underscoring efforts to protect local industries and enforce import regulations.
In 2023, the service impounded 3,491 vehicles with a Duty Paid Value of N2 billion. Anti-corruption organizations like the Transparency and Accountability Group (TAG) and the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CAROL) argue that these seized vehicles could meet the service’s operational needs instead of purchasing new ones.
Speaking to Journalists, TAG convener Ayo Ologun stated, “Customs claim to be generating revenue for the country, yet they waste the same funds through extravagant vehicle purchases. If you are sincere, why not refurbish seized vehicles for use by senior officers instead of buying new luxury cars?”
Debo Adediran, Executive Director of CAROL, condemned the procurement as “obscene opulence,” urging government agencies to show empathy towards citizens struggling economically. He remarked, “This is not the time for frivolity. Leaders exhibiting unbridled affluence while many Nigerians live in poverty is unacceptable.”
Okay.ng reports that this development has intensified calls for greater fiscal responsibility within government agencies, especially amid economic hardships faced by the populace.
