Senate passes bill seeking to enable electronic payments in customs

The senate, on Wednesday, passed a bill to repeal and re-enact the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) 2004.

The CEMA is the principal legislation guiding the administration of customs and excise in Nigeria.

It makes provisions regulating the importation and exportation of goods in Nigeria.

The passage of the bill followed the consideration of a report by the committee on customs, excise and tariffs.

In his presentation, Francis Alimikhena, chairman of the committee, said the bill seeks to assist the administration of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in driving economic growth and trade facilitation.

He said the bill, when signed into law, would make the NCS a legal entity under the supervision of the federal ministry of finance, budget and national planning, with a board to serve Nigerians and facilitate international trade.

According to him, the bill which has 283 clauses, also seeks to bring the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) in line with modern-day global practice.

“It will also provide for the NCS a consolidated single legal reference document instead of multiple enactments,’’ Alimikhena said.

He said that the bill makes provisions for the use of electronic documents, electronic payments and other information technology.

The bill was passed by the chamber after a clause-by-clause consideration.