ABUJA- The Senate has said it may consider stripping President Goodluck Jonathan of the powers to grant duty exemption to certain categories of organisations.

Also to be affected if the new laws scale through is the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who will no longer have the authority to appoint members to the board of Nigeria Customs.

There was a sharp disagreement between the Presidency, the Customs Service and the Senate over the amendment, even as the Executive stressed that the amendment process must be jettisoned against the backdrop that the Customs Service cannot be saddled with these powers that are presently being carried out by the President.

The Senate also revealed that the Customs this year lost a total of N58.7 billion to waivers granted by the executive.

This is coming as the Comptroller- General of Nigeria Customs Service, Abdullahi Dikko Inde yesterday faulted the exiting laws the body operates with, stressing that activities presently being carried out by the body were not provided for or codified in any law.

Represented by Deputy Comptroller of Customs in charge of Corporate Support Services, John Atteh, Dikko Inde said, ‘’a cursory look at the current law reveals a number of deficiencies arising from the fact that many actions currently being undertaken by the NCS are not provided for or codified in any law and therefore do not have a proper legal basis.

Many such actions are typically based on pronouncements from government, raising the questions of where the powers to enact such policies came from except as provided by the powers of the Executive President of Nigeria to enact policies. This then makes the pronouncements just policies and subject to judicial manoeuvres especially if such policies contradict existing legislations. Furthermore, changes conducted in this fashion cloud the spirit of transparency and consultation.‘’

manny4life: Hmm, how is that possible? Does the Legislative have the authority to strip powers from the executive?

Somebody please explain to me how "separation of powers" work"? Me think that they're doing too much.

pappy2000:
It is possible through legislation

The Senate also revealed that the Customs this year lost a total of N58.7 billion to waivers granted by the executive.

pappy2000: In the us the congress runs the country and the congress is powerful in Nigeria the president is more of a mini God,beyond import wavier we need to trim the power of the president.

onojiwizard@gmail.com:
you also have forgotten that the president has veto power, what ever they pass if he does not asent to it, it is not law so there are just barking they cant bite, they both need to sit and find a middle ground were they both agree, the beauty of democracy

pappy2000:
If the president does not assent to it,that does not mean it can't still become law all thry have ti do it take it back to the NA and if two third of the legislators says yes,it authomatically becomes the law

ayee001: Oversight functions

Imanuelle: I carry 1st?

Murphy T: This reps members dnt even no why they r where de are, d think it just to sit and shout ayyees and nayyss, de wont just sit and formulate policies dat a lower class citizen in the suburb will benefit frm. Once a particular policy affects thier biz, transaction or incoming egunje, de suddenly plan to thwart it..it so bad, all the care abt is just dem selves, and their welfare...now becos okonjo has locked most of their 'chopping' and egunje loopholes, d r agitating to strip her of som powers (since na only them suppose get power), *hiissssss*,rubbish...d forget de fact dat most of this waivers is a way de President ensures that prices of commodites, and production isnt to enormous, and doesnt hit de masses so hard, cos de importers spend little or nothing to import their commodities unlike b4 de spend hundreds of thousand, and inturn escalate the market price or services rendered...Nig house of reps is just full of sycophant, and criminals who r so self centered, God help us.