By Stephen Ubanna
If it was possible for Officers and Men of the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, Apapa Command under the close watch of Compts. Babatunde Oomu, Tin can Island, Dera Nnadi and Oyo/Osun Command which has Compt. Ben Nken oramalugo, to take one day off to celebrate their Area Controllers who had won the recognition of Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, the Customs Comptroller General, and his Management Team they would have done It. But the elated officers who are happy with their respective Command Area Controllers may not go to the level of declaring a work free day to celebrate their bosses to avoid incurring the wrath of the Customs Comptroller General who might see it as sabotaging his efforts to improve the service revenue generation.
Recall that Nuhu Rubadu, an Assistant Inspector General AIG, of Police and former Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Administration and now National Security Adviser, NSA to, incumbent President Bola Ahemed Tinubu who had represented the Nigerian President at , the 2024, Customs Comptroller General Conference in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory , FCT, had categorically stated that the President likes the Customs boss because of his impressive monthly revenue collection, described as outstanding.
The Customs Comptroller General may have taken advantage of the Nigerian President unification of the Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market, AFEM, and the Parallel Foreign Exchange Market, popular, Black Market Exhange rate to demonstrate initiative in identifying opportunities within their mandates that was said to have served and advanced the country’s aspirations.
That the Apapa, Tincan , Federal Operations Units, FOU, Zone A, Ikeja, Lagos, Fou, Zone B, Kaduna and Oyo/Osun Command, have continued to distinguish themselves in the Area of revenue generation and enforcement even though not all the Area Controllers may be recognized at the same time as delivering on their mandates speaks volume.
At the Apapa , Tin can and Oyo /Osun Commands, all in the south western geopolitical region, NCS, Lagos, Zonal office, the officers and men of the tree Customs Formation were said to have stopped short of beating the drums and rolling the red carpet on Monday, December 2, 2024, to welcome their bosses who had put their respective Command in Guiness book of records.
Not may were surprised that Apapa, Command had been ranked the best in Trade Facilitation, ports, since Compt. Olomu, mounted the saddle as the Area Controller with the retirement of Compt. Babajide Jayeioba, had reached the mandatory 60 years, after putting in 35 years in the years.
Initially the Customs Comptroller had felt that his predecessor had left a big shoe for him to wear, coming from the Auction Seat at the Customs Headquarters. His only source of encouragement was that that as an Assistant Comptroller, he had served as an acting Comptroller of Cross river and Akwa Ibom, Command, where he made smugglers operating between the Border Communities between the South-South states and the central African country of Cameroun to run for cover.
He may have been emboldened that he can deliver on the service core initiatives, of improved revenue generation, trade facilitation and anti-smuggling operations, at Edo/ Delta Command, with limited staff strength, that could not be compared to Kebbi, Ogun I, Katsina, Sokoto/Zamfara or Seme and Oyo/Osun, he can do far much better in Apapa Command which has all that it takes including officers with the technical expertise to do the job. H e may have known that for him to sustain the
revenue generation drive of his predecessor, he has no option by to keep intact the structure inherited from his predecessor.
This may have informed why he had allowed all the former members of the Command Management team inherited from Comt. Jayeioba,rtd, his predecessor to continue in their respective offices. Among them were DCs. Wale Adenuga, Revenue, Aina, Valuation, Nura Ibrahim Turaki, APM Terminal, described as the biggest private terminal in the West African Subregion, Nwanze, who is overseeing the Command Enforcement unit and Frank Oyeaka, the officer in charge of the Command exit gate, who was said to have made things extremely difficult for the Fraudulent importers with their agents.
With the support from the Customs Comptroller General and the no nonsense Apapa Command Area Controller who was said to have given him the free hand to do hi job, which may have informed why he has tightened up security at the exit gate just as the Compliance team had blocked areas of revenue Leakage.
While the Compliance team, have continued to make discoveries of underpayments that runs into billions of naira and the exit Officer in-charge continue to issue Demand Notice, DN, in collaboration with the Valuation, which the guilty importers through their agents are ever willing to pay with a Letter of apology to turn a new leaf , may have informed why the revenue generation which handles over 60% of the country’s cargo imports have continued to be on the rise.
Although the trio of Compt. Olomu , Nnadi and Oramalugo, had shined as other officers including Area Controllers struggle to take pictures with them, at the 2024, Comptroller General’s Gala and Award night Chida Event Centre, FCT, the Customs helmsman would want those and Command which could not win any award to sit up 2025 to do better than those being celebrated on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024.
Compt. Olomu, of Apapa Command, who was said to have stolen the show was said to have performed exceeding well in the aeas of revenue generation and enforcement at the port, that his selection as the Customs man of the year, 2024, could not be contested. Also penciled down by the Comptroller General to have also qualified to merit the title of Best Area Controller of the year both not for Compt. Olomu, who had been unanimously endorsed as the best in all ramifications of Customs Operation: Operations, Enforcement and Trade Facilitation would have been the dual of Comptrollers Oramalugo and Mohammed Babandede, of Port Harcourt Area II, Command, Onne, Rivers state.
Compt. Oramalugo, was said to be the first runner -up for the 2024 Customs Area Controller of the year by turning the Command into a revenue generating Customs Formation and making Spectacular Contraband including Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popular, petrol while Compt. Babandede, emerged as the third best runner of Customs best Controller of the year.
Not that fraudulen importers with their agents had tried to turn the port into haven for drugs, arms and ammunition barons. The Customs Comptroller General may have known that if nothing urgent is not done to address the situation it may get out of hand that he had declared an emergency at the Onne port to enable Compt. Babandede and his men search every Container thoroughly before release. Tis had Pid off as the Command has continued to make contraband seizures, Fake pharmaceutical products, arms and ammunitions, which had placed Cont. Bandede in the class of Compt. Olomu, Nnadi and others who had distinguished themselves in their areas of jurisdictions but may not have won any award.
Another major award that was said to have been clinched by Compt. Olomu, in the Comptroller General of Customs Gala and Award night was, which drew thunderous applause was the Best Command in Trade Facilitation. Funny enough, Port Harcourt Area II, Command, which had continued to make appreciable impact since the declaration of an emergency at the people was nominated as the first best runner up while Kano/ Jigawa Command under the leadership of Compt. Chana, emerged as the second- best runner up.
One of the awards that was said to have been criticized by officers, tough not to the hearing of the Comptroller General was the Best Command in anti-smuggling activities. There are basically about ten Interventionist Commands and two ad hoc teams. They are the Federal Operations Operations Units, across the country comprising of FOU, FOU, Zone A, Ikeja, Lagos, FOU, Zone B, Kaduna, FOU, Zone C, Owerri, Seme Command, Oyo/Osun Command, Sokoto/Zamfara, Kebbi, Katsina, Cross/Akwa bom, Bauchi/Gombe, Borno/Yobe.
Surprisisng , none of the Interventionist Command , which do their work of Contraband , arms and ammunition including Fake Pharmaceutical products and other dangerous drugs based on intelligence gathering and engagement of the services of informants for a fee never won the 2024, Comptroller of Customs Best Command in anti-smuggling Operations, let alone producing the best anti-smuggling officer.
The closest, FOU, Zone, former under the close watch of Hussain Kehinde Ejibuno, now over seeing the service, Operation Whirlwind, mandated to pursue petrol smugglers across the country, was to be the second runners -up while Compt. Nnadi, led Tin can Island, was adjudged as the first runner-up, meaning that that the Interventionist units have failed in their core assignment of anti-smuggling Operations to the Commands at the ports.
Compt. Bello Ahmadou Shuaibu, led FOU, Zone B, Kaduna, which oversees anti-smuggling Operations, in the north western states of Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Kano, Jigawa and the north central states of Benue, Plateau, Kwara, Niger, Kogi, Nasarawa, and the FCT, may have proved a hard nut to crack by the smugglers that the Bandits Group followers turned smugglers are no longer finding it funny to carry out their nefarious activities the two northern regions.
An insider told The Value News, that Compt. Shuaibu, described as a workaholic in Customs circles had told the Command Patrol team Leaders and their members to go all out to make Contraband seizures. This may have informed why the various Team leaders are doing everything within their powers to make seizures at all costs. The Command various Patrol teams at different locations in Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Katsina, Niger and Kwara, particular, Illela, described as haven for smugglers operating between Nigeria and Republic of Niger BY Vice President Kashim Shettima, Jibiya, in Katsina state, and Baruten , which is a Local Government Area in Kwara , sharing a long stretch of border with the Republic of Benin . The Lcal government, going by the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS, Map, begings from Babana, Kaizana, and ends in Chikanda, the border town. The situation is not different from Kotangora in in Niger state and other border Cmmunities , where the teams which are acting out the script of the Area Controller appears to be doing exceptionall well in their anti-smuggling operations: making Contraband seizures which are transferred to the Government Wre House , Kaduna , for proper documentatio
Given his advice to the officers of the FOU, Zone B, to work as a team, instead of competing among themselves to make seizures to win his hear, the Customs Comptroller was said to have sounded it loud and clear that they are paid to do what they are supposed to do and adhere strictly ‘’to the rules of engagement and discharge their duties in conformity with the NCS Act, 2023. Many believes that the Command under his Leadership may have been achieved much results in the recent time because of his open -door policy and strengthening existing relationships with the host Communities.
Guided by his decision ‘’to discharge his duties diligently and uphold the policy thrusts of the Comptroller Generation: ‘’Collaboration, Consultation and Innovation’’, may have informed why Compt. Shuaibu, appears to be doing well in FOU, Zone B, areas of Jurisdiction.
