The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (CGC) Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko, said on Thursday that the service was not allowed to auction medicaments and foodstuff imported into the country.
He stated this while addressing State House correspondents in Abuja.
Dikko spoke as against the backdrop of the allegation that the service had auctioned medical equipment donated to rural communities by individuals and groups without recourse to the interest of the communities.
“Basically, it is not that we auction it anyhow. Moreso, auction is not done by the Customs for your information.
“It is a combination of various security agencies which are almost 17. We sit down to look at the nature and them we know why we are selling it.
“I don’t think we can auction medicaments,” he said.
Dikko also said that customs is not allowed to auction consumables, adding that seized foodstuff were donated to disaster victims.
“Consumables are not auctioned.
“We are the largest donor of food items and some other commodities to the National Emergency Management Agency.
“We donated almost 100 trailer-load of rice to the North East,” he said.
The customs boss said that the service had planned to raise the revenue of the country by blocking all revenue leakages.
He said that in spite of the dwindling oil revenue, the service would continue to shore up the nation’s revenue by effective policing of the import routes.
He said the countries in the West and Central Africa coast of the World Customs organisation would collaborate to ensure that goods were escorted to countries of destination to avoid revenue losses to them.
Also addressing journalists, the Secretary General of World Customs Organisation (WCO), Kunio Mikuriya, said the 23-member nations of the organisation had met in Nigeria to promote economic competiveness.
Mikuriya said that the group came to thank the president for supporting the fight against terrorism, illicit trade, and promoting customs administration in West and Central Africa for the prosperity of the regions.
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