By Stephen Ubanna
Between Tuesday, February 18, 2025 and Tuesday, February 25, 25, the Customs Authorities had conducted Leadership training Programme for the newly promoted Customs Comptrollers at the Customs and Staff Training College, Gwagwalada, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
The one -week retreat, which was said to have had the backing of Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, the Customs Comptroller General and his Management Team, was said to have been packaged by the Department of Human Resources and Development and the Training and Doctrine Command, TRADOC.
As a prelude to properly equipping the new Customs Comptrollers with’’ the necessary skills for effective service delivery’’, different resource persons, both within and outside the service, were said to have been engaged to give lectures on Leadership, decision making and other issues that has to do with Customs operations, ranging from trade facilitation, revenue generation to border security to prevent smuggling activities.
Some of the senior Customs officers who were said presented papers at the news Comptrollers retreat include Greg Itohtoh, a Deputy Comptroller General, DCG, overseeing the service Department of Human Resources and Development, Isah Umar, an Assistant Comptroller General, ACG, Customs Headquarters, Comptrollers Babatunde Olomu, Area Controller, Apapa Command, Na’fiu Isyaku, Haniel Hadison, , in charge of Special Duties , Customs Headquarters and one Prof. Hamid Suleiman, who was said to delivered a position paper on policy Management and Leadership challenges.
Aliyu Abdullahi Maiwada, an Assistant Comptroller and the service National Public Relations Officer, NPRO, who was said to have presented a paper at the retreat, in playing his role as’’ image maker’’ had issued a statement issued had about the all-important event. The Customs spokesperson had said that DCG. Itotoh,lecture centered Team Building while ACG Umar, Customs Headquarters talked on integrity and transparency in Leadership.
The Customs spokesperson had said that Compt. Isyaku had presented lecture on imports and export process and procedure, to the new Customs Comptrollers who were said to have listened with rapt attention, to ensure that as Comptroller, who may be assigned to a Command, he or she, will operate within the guidelines of the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, Act, 2023, to enhance trade facilitation and maximize revenue collection for the government.
Compt. Olomu, was said to have delivered another engaging lecture to the new Comptrollers. The Apapa Command Area Controller , described in Customs circles as a good Teacher, in Customs , may have taken advantage of his exposure at Seme border Community as a one-time Chief Public Relations Officer , CPRO, of Seme and Command, overseeing the busiest International border route in the African Continent, Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone A, Ikeja, Lagos, the nation’s Commercial nerve centre , and Cross river/Akwa Ibom stateCommand, which gave him idea about border security and how to combat smuggling activities between Nigeria and the neighbouring countries, to present paper on ‘’Border crisis and National Security: An appraisal’’, believed to be very revealing.
The Customs Comptroller, was said to have exhaustively examined the complexities of border security, trade facilitation and the role of Customs in strengthening Nigeria’s economic and security framework, that the paper is in high demand at the interventionist Commands, to guide the patrol team officers in doing their job.
Compt. Hadison, who is in charge of Special Duties at the Customs Headquarters, was said to have delivered the lecture on ‘’Regimentation on the NCS. He was said to have urged his Colleagues ‘’to set a standard that junior officers would look up to’’ , while warning them against ‘’engaging in political activities’’.
AC. Maiwada, the Customs spokesperson, who was one of the resource persons at the newly promoted Customs Comptrollers’ retreat may have used the opportunity provided for him at the event to talk on ‘’stakeholder Management, Media Relations and Employee Management’’.
The Customs spokesperson, was said ‘’to have explained the importance of effective communication in fostering strong relationship s with external and internal stakeholders’, which includes importers with their Agents, Terminal Operators, shipping Companies and other relevant stakeholders, including the Department of State Services, DSC, personnel at the port and Land border stations.
He was said to have urged the new Customs Comptrollers, ‘’to cultivate a proactive approach’’ in dealing with the media and the public, ensuring that ‘’information about Customs operations is communicated clearly and accurately’’. He was said to have also emphasized the need for the Comptrollers to maintain positive working relationship with employees, as ‘’effective Leadership depends on thrusts, motivation and collaboration’’.
Prof. Suleiman, who was said to have delivered the key lecture to the newly promoted Customs Comptroller on ‘’Public Policy Management and Leadership Challenges’’, may have given them a cause to reflect on their new position in order to deliver on their mandate in managing their various Customs Commands.
There is no gain saying the fact that Adeniyi, the Customs Comptroller General, may have set the tone for discussions at the Customs Comptrollers’ Leadership retreat with his words of admonitions
He was said to have further made the newly promoted Comptrollers to understand their new position and their new role in the service as Management staff involved in decision making at the Command level: you are pivotal in promoting trade facilitation, revenue generation and the country’s economic growth, he had said.
The Customs helmsman, who could not hide his feelings was said to highlighted ‘’the responsibilities that come with the new rank ‘’, stressing that as Comptrollers, they must see themselves as key decision makers responsible for driving policy implementation at their various Commands’’.
He may have thrown a big challenge to them to ensure to deliver on their given mandate when he told the new Customs Comptrollers: You have moved in service -mor or less, you are now operating at the Management level. He was said to have made the newly promoted Customs Comptrollers enjoying their one -week Leadership retreat at the Customs and Staff College to understand that ‘’this is the last promotable Frank, anyone of them can get in the service, meaning that getting to the next ran of ACG and DCG, may not be that easy because it is political.
The Customs Comptroller General, who could hide his feelings was said to have made the new Customs Comptrollers and participants in the Customs Headquarters, packaged Leadership retreat that as ‘’you interact with other members of the Nigerian society, you must know your roles at that level’’.
Adeniyi, the Customs Comptroller General, may have used the opportunity provided by the retreat to urge the new Comptrollers, ‘’to take a keen interest in the welfare of their subordinates’’, emphasizing that ‘’Leadership requires technical expertise and deep sense of responsibility towards their officers’’.
He was said to have further urged them ‘’to uphold the integrity of the service by protecting its interests and ensuring that their decisions at the Command level, align with the mandate give to the service by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The no nonsense, Customs Comptroller General, who was recently honoured with the ‘’ICONIC Maritime Personality of the year, 2024’’, award, by Maritime Journalists of Nigeria, MJN, in Lagos, to the admiration of stakeholders, was said to have urged the Customs Comptrollers, ‘’to be interested in the welfare of their officers, stressing also that they have a duty to protect the interest s and dignity of the serice’’.
The athletic-built Customs Comptroller General who would want the newly promoted Comptrollers ‘’to prioritize continuous training and capacity bulding programmes for officers and men under your Command’’. The duo of Compt. Frank Okechukwu Onyeka, Area Controller, Tincan Island Command and his Counterpart Mohammed Salisu Shuaibu, overseeing Ogun I, Command, in the home state of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, appears to be working along this line of action.
The Customs Chief had stated clearly that that if the Customs Comptrollers, who would have opportunity of heading Commands could take the training and capacity building of officers seriously, they may not have much difficulity inmeeting the core mandate of the service which had to do with trade facilitation, revenue generation and anti-smuggling operations.
Prior to mounting the stage to give the star lecture titled ‘’The strategic Environment and Effective Service Delivery, DCG. Suleiman Chiroma, Commandant, Training and Doctrine Command, TRADOC, who was said to have given a pep talk on the significance of the one-week retreat, had said that ‘’it was designed in shaping the Leadership qualities of the newly promoted Comptrollers’’. He had urged the new Customs Comptrollers ‘’to take training and capacity building seriously’’ as it will give them the necessary tools ‘’to effectively meet the service core Customs responsibilities.
An elated DCG, Chiroma, had expressed gratitude to the CGC, for facilitating the training program for the officers, describing it as ‘’strategic investment in the future of the service’’. The DCG, was said to have repeatedly said that the retreat ‘’ the retreat was designed to sharpen the new Comptrollers’ skills and enhance their ability to navigate the complexities of modern Customs Operations’’.
He may have gladdened their heart when he asserted that ‘’as Comptrollers, they are pivotal in promoting trade facilitation, revenue generation, and the country’s economic growth.
He had corroborated what the Customs Comptroller General had said, that if the Comptrollers could take officers training and capacity building seriously in their various Commands, which he had described as a veritable tolls to effectively meet their mandate.
While the new Customs Comptrollers are now ready to put into practice what they may have learnt from te one -week Leadership retreat at the Customs and Staff College, Gwagwalada, they are currently faced with the task of handling the issue of ‘’the canceled declarations made during the 4%, Free On Board, FOB, implementation’’ by the Customs Headquarters at their various Commands.
The Customs Headquarters was said to have directed stakeholders ‘’to recapture their entries following the cancellation of earlier declarations made during the implementation of the 4% duty on FOB, imports had said that it is the only way they can take delivery of their cargoes at the port.
AC. Maiwada. the Customs spokesperson, had said that the measure became necessary ‘’to ensure clarity, maintain consistency in Customs operations and prevent any disruptions in the clearance processes’’.
He was said to have assured importers with their Agents and other affected stakeholders that they have no cause to worry as Customs Commands nationwide have been given a matching order ‘’to provide necessary assistance and clarifications to those requiring support to facilitate the clearance of their FOB, imports.
He may have gladdened the heart of affected importers with their gents when he disclosed that ‘’the servce remains steadfast in its commitment to implementing government fiscal policies in alignment with the provisions of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023, through robust consultation and dialogue with all stakeholders.
Giving an insider information, he had said that the decision ‘’to cancel the previous declarations and give room for recapturing is part of the broader effort ‘’to be a public-centric organization that ensures efficient service delivery’’’.
