By Chisaa Okoye
The Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Hameed Ali, has called for establishment of petroleum retail outlets in neighbouring countries to curtail smuggling of fuel across Nigeria’s land borders.
He spoke on Monday at an interactive session with members of the House of Representatives Committee on Finance on the 2022-2024 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and the Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP).
Ali’s suggestion was in response to concerns raised by a member of the committee, Abdulahi Saidu (APC, Niger) on the increasing daily consumption of PMS in Nigeria.
The Customs boss posited that the establishment of the retail outlets would curb the increasing smuggling of PMS across Nigeria’s borders.
According to him, since the price differential was responsible for the smuggling, the NNPC could sell at similar prices to Nigeria, including transport cost.
“We have also proposed to NNPC, if the price differential is the problem, we have our banks, Zenith Bank, GT Bank, operating in the West coast. What stops us?
“NNPC or DPR should establish petrol stations in our neighbouring countries, and move these products at the cost that we sell, and sell to these people. We will make money. We have the market and by doing so we will completely diminish the anxiety or the penchant for smuggling. Because if a Beninoise will get the fuel at the price we are getting and the cost of transportation, which is the minimum, there is no way he will wait for people to import to him at twice the price. We have made this proposal, we have made noise about it, no one seems to listen,” Ships and Ports quoted the Customs boss to have said.