The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has come under fire from civil society groups and anti-corruption advocates following the revelation of its proposed ₦14.39 billion expenditure on luxury vehicles for senior officers in its 2025 budget.
The controversial allocation is part of a larger ₦35.27 billion provision for the procurement of 579 official vehicles, with a significant share earmarked for officers at the highest ranks, including Comptrollers, Assistant Comptroller-Generals (ACGs), and Deputy Comptroller-Generals (DCGs).
According to the proposed budget document obtained by our correspondent on Wednesday, unit costs for these top-tier vehicles range between ₦44 million and ₦75 million, sparking widespread criticism amid the country’s worsening economic conditions.
Among the most expensive items in the proposal are:
20 CHANGAN CS95 SUVs for ACGs at ₦68 million each – totaling ₦1.36 billion
15 MAXUS D90 SUVs for DCGs at ₦70 million each – totaling ₦1.05 billion
20 QIN BYD Hybrid sedans for ACGs at ₦65 million each – totaling ₦1.3 billion
15 HAN BYD Hybrid sedans for DCGs at ₦75 million each – totaling ₦1.125 billion
180 sedans for Comptrollers, including NORD C3, MIKANO CHAGGAN EADO, and NISSAN MG5 models, at ₦44.625 million each – totaling ₦9.55 billion
Other vehicles proposed include 50 NORD TUSK trucks, 50 NISSAN NAVARA trucks, 100 JIM 4WD trucks, and 10 30-seater buses for administrative and operational logistics.
The list features high-end brands such as BYD hybrids, CHANGAN, MAXUS, MIKANO, and NORD—many of which are considered luxury-class in the Nigerian auto market.
“Obscene Opulence” Amid National Hardship
The proposal has sparked a storm of criticism from watchdog groups who slammed it as “wasteful”, “insensitive”, and “immoral,” especially at a time when millions of Nigerians are battling inflation, food insecurity, and rising poverty.
Debo Adediran, Executive Director of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL), described the spending as “obscene opulence” and accused the Customs of lacking empathy.
“It is not at a time like this that one should engage in frivolity. They are too ostentatious for the economic reality of Nigeria. This is a time when the government should empathise with the people, not rob them and flaunt it,” Adediran said.
He added that many of the vehicles currently in use by Customs officials are still functional and should not be replaced unnecessarily.
“That’s what they do in government: keep buying vehicles, even when existing ones are still serviceable. The funds could have been channelled to health, education, or economic relief for the poor.”
Anti-Corruption Groups Suggest Alternative
Transparency and Accountability Group (TAG), another civil society organisation, questioned why the Customs could not refurbish seized vehicles for official use instead of importing new ones.
“Customs claim to be generating revenue for the country, yet they waste the same funds through extravagant vehicle purchases,” a TAG representative said.
“If the Service has seized thousands of vehicles for violations such as duty evasion, why not use some of those for official purposes? Repairing a few impounded vehicles would cost far less than buying brand new luxury cars.”
In 2024 alone, the Nigeria Customs Service seized 397 vehicles with a duty-paid value of ₦5.64 billion, while 3,491 vehicles were seized in 2023, valued at over ₦2 billion. Critics argue that these seized assets could be rehabilitated and utilised, rather than auctioned or left idle, while the Service spends billions importing new ones.
The Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, had earlier boasted about the Service’s aggressive stance against smuggling and import violations, but activists say such achievements are undermined by financial recklessness within the agency.
The proposed vehicle procurement adds to growing concerns about the Nigerian government’s recurrent pattern of high-profile spending on official luxuries, even as citizens struggle with rising unemployment, a weakened naira, and an overstretched healthcare and education system.
Many analysts view the Customs budget as a symbol of misplaced priorities in public governance.
“This kind of reckless spending is a slap in the face to ordinary Nigerians,” said a political economist, who requested anonymity. “At a time when the government is preaching austerity and subsidy removal, senior officials are budgeting billions for SUVs.”
As the National Assembly begins deliberation on the 2025 budget proposals, civil society groups are calling for a downward review of the vehicle procurement allocation and a policy shift towards more frugal, transparent, and responsible public spending.
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