Business
Customs 4% FOB will Worsen Economic Conditions – Saraki
Saraki noted that with Nigeria’s annual imports estimated at N71 trillion, the new 4 percent customs administration charge on FOB value will come to N2.84 trillion

Bukola Saraki, Nigeria’s former senate president has called on the federal government to reconsider plans to implement the 4 percent free-on-board (FOB) levy initiated by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
Saraki, in a post on X Saturday criticised the development, stressing that it would add to the burden of many Nigerians who are already reeling from a cost-of-living crisis.
The former senate leader also knocked the NCS for its rising operational costs which he estimated at “over $1.5 billion annually” in a country where 129 million are living below the poverty line amid harsh economic conditions. “Importers will inevitably pass these costs on to consumers, further straining the budgets of millions of struggling households,” Saraki said.
“This new fee of 4% is not even restricted to luxury goods but across all imports, so even for industries that import their raw materials whose duties are only 5%, the customs agency will now charge importers an extra 80% of the duty amount as administrative fees,” he added.
Saraki noted that with Nigeria’s annual imports estimated at N71 trillion, the new 4 percent customs administration charge on FOB value will come to N2.84 trillion.
Business
FIRS Orders Banks to Close All Unauthorised Tax Collection Accounts

The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has directed banks to immediately identify and close any FIRS tax and levy collection accounts not authorized under the TaxPro Max system.
The FIRS Chairman, Zacch Adedeji, in the entitled Directive to Close Unauthorised FIRS Tax Collection Accounts,’ said “effectively immediately, all tax and levy collections on behalf of FIRS must be processed exclusively under an assessment raised on the TaxPro Max platform.
The TaxPro Max is a homegrown tax administration platform that facilitates tax-related activities, including registration, filing, payment, and issuance of tax clearance certificates, among others .
The decision was part of the ongoing efforts to boost efficiency and transparency in tax collection as well as ensure uniformity and seamless reconciliation of tax payments.
It said : ” All banks participating in the FIRS Collection, Remittance and Reconciliation Scheme are hereby advised to comply with this directive within the stipulated period.
“We count on your cooperation to ensure a smooth transition to this centralised system, thereby contributing to a more transparent and efficient tax collection process.”
FIRS urged taxpayers and other stakeholders to reach out to the Revenue Accounting and Refund Department (RAAD) in FIRS for any clarifications or support regarding the directive.”
Business
FG Plans Additional 175 CNG Refilling Stations
Oluwagbemi expressed satisfaction that the nation has moved from 11 CNG stations last year to 65 in 2025..

The Federal Government, through the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative, has said about 175 new Compressed Natural Gas refilling stations will be ready in the next 12 to 18 months.The PCNGI Programme Coordinator, Michael Oluwagbemi, disclosed this in a video shared on the PCNGI’s X handle on Sunday.
He said that the 175 stations will reduce the stress faced by Nigerians in accessing CNG.
Oluwagbemi expressed satisfaction that the nation has moved from 11 CNG stations last year to 65 in 2025.
There’s no doubt in my mind that we are in a much better place than we were when we kicked off this programme this time last year. When we started in January of last year, there were fewer than 11 functional CNG stations in Nigeria.
Most of them lacked customers because people did not know about CNG as a potential fuel for transportation. Today, we’re in a much different place,” he said.
Business
Dangote Cement Posts N311.974bn in Q1 2025
The company’s production capacity remained at 52 million metric tons, though production volume declined by 7.41 per cent to 6.547 million tons,

Dangote Cement Plc has released its unaudited financial results, reporting a profit before tax of N311.974 billion for the first quarter (Q1) ended March 31, 2025.
The figure represents an 87.48 per cent growth compared to N166.404 billion recorded in Q1 2024.
The company also posted a profit after tax of N209.245 billion, up 85.71 per cent, from N112.674 billion reported in the same period last year.
The performance also saw a revenue of N994.659 billion, marking a 21.69 per cent increase from the prior year.
The company’s production capacity remained at 52 million metric tons, though production volume declined by 7.41 per cent to 6.547 million tons, while sales volume fell by 6.72per cent to 6.569 million tons.
Revenue from the Nigerian segment rose significantly to N696.042 billion, increasing its contribution to group revenue from 55.41per cent in Q1 2024 to 69.98 per cent in Q1 2025.
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