By Stephen Ubanna
Between Late October and now, Timi Bomodi, an Assistant Comptroller General of Customs, Enforcement, Inspection and Investigation, E.&I, and his Organizing Committee members have been working tirelessly to see to the success of the 2024, Nigerian Customs Service, NCS Award.
The event, according to an insider ought to have been held shortly after the CG’s Conference at Hilton Hotel, Abuja, in Abuja, last October but was postponed in order to pay the last respect to late Taoreed Lagbaja, an Lt. General and former Chief of Army Staff, CoAS.
In his opening remarks, the Customs Comptroller General, had said that the Management chose to ampl recognition of exceptional service and celebrate excellence as a way to encourage the officers across the ranks to show more commitment in the discharge of their duties.
He noted that the implementation of the provisions of the NCS, Act, 2023, that had been signed into Law by former President Muhammadu Buhari over a year ago, had brought out the best on the officers as ‘’they have demonstrated remarkable adaptability and Professionalism’’.
He was emphatic that the officers have embraced new technologies which had variously enhanced trade facilitation processes at the nation’s seaports and Land border Areas and further strengthened the service enforcement capabilities.
The Comptroller General opening remarks was said to have been quickly followed by goodwill messages from Senator Isah Jibrin, Chairman Senate Committee on Customs and his Counterpart in the House of Representatives, Hon. Leke Abejide, including Wale Edun, minister of Finance and Coordinating minister of the Economy, who was said to have sent in a Representative and Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector General of Police, IGP.
Senator Jubril, Chairman senate Committee on Customs had alluded to the remarks of Nuhu Ribadu, an Assistant Inspector General of Police, retired, and one-time Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and now National Security Adviser, NSA, that the President is happy with the Customs Comptroller General over his performance in office in terms revenue generation, stating that the service had already exceed its N5.79 trillion revenue target for 2024.
The House Committee Chairman, on his part, may have shocked guests at the Customs gala and award night when he stated that in the last six years she had never attended any of such Customs events but could attend it now because there are changes in the service as one of them, in the person of Adeniyi, who had served as the service National Public Relations Officer, Area Controller, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Deputy Commandant, Nigerian Customs College, Gwagwalada and a- one-time acting Deputy Comptroller General of Customs has been appointed to occupy the exalted office when Hammed Ali, a retired Army Colonel and Buhari political ally was relieved of the office in June 2023by the incumbent President Tinubu. Been.
He had expressed happiness that the Customs Bill that was passed by the National Assembly was eventually signed by former President Buhari before he vacated office on May 29, 2024. He had said that that the former Nigerian President had refused to sign the bill on six different occasions but it was continuous represented until he finally agreed to sign it.
He was said to have repeatedly said ‘’I am happy that the Customs Act which was signed in April is currently being implement which had resulted in the appointment of a serving officer as the Comptroller General of Customs. He may have made a political statement when he said that in 2027, another serving senior officer will be appointed by the next Nigerian President to succeed the incumbent in office, meaning that Adeniyi, the current Comptroller General, may have, the incoming President will replace him with another serving senior officer in 2027. How that could be achieved remain to be seen.
He noted that there had been inflow of foreign exchange into government different Accounts because of the good works of the service, and technical know-how, there was no basis for the government to continue to borrow money from the Paris Club, London Club, World Band /IMF, and other Multilateral Financial Institutions, insisting that the service has all the country needs to meet its financial needs.
Given the impressive revenue performance of the service in the last 10 months, may have informed why the supervising minister had promised to continue to provide it with all the necessary supports to succeed.
Egbetokun, IGP, was said to have praised the Customs to high havens stressing that he and the Customs Comptroller general have agreed to embark on a joint tour of the Lagos- Seme road because of the Complaints of stakeholders of the too many Customs and Police checkpoints on the road which is an impediment to trade Facilitation. He may have hit the nail on the head when he disclosed that that they have taken a stand that after the tour, they will jointly dismantle the illegal security checkpoints on the road. At the last count, there are over 30 checkpoints, mostly mounted by the police men on the road.
Bello Mohammed Jibo, a former Area Controller of Seme Command as Chairman of the Seme border =joint security Committee and the members were said to have severally dismantled the illegal checkpoints on the road but they quickly return after one or two weeks to continue their illegal activities on the road of tolls from vehicles plying the road on a daily basis.
In giving the awards to 31 individual and Corporate Organisations, the Customs helms had alluded to the fact offices who had gained the recognition of the service to be given awards clearly shows that they have ‘’displayed a willingness ‘’ to align with the mission and vision of the service’’, noting that each recipient has carved a path of excellence in pursuing ‘’the Customs mandate of revenue generation , trade facilitation and national security’’.
Operator in, Best Excise Trader, Best Bonded Warehouse, Off Dock Operator in terms of compliance /Volume, Best Terminal Operator, ports and Best Customs Licensed Agency. Other categories of awards that was said to have been initiated by the service this 2024, Fiscal year includes, Best Duty Collecting Bank in Volume and Remittances, Best Land border Command in Trade Facilitation Best and Command in Trade Facilitation, imports.
Some of the recipients were said to have been nominated for two or three awards and more. Take for instance, the likes of Compts. Babatunde Olomu, and his Command, Apapa, who was said to have stolen the show, Nnadi and his Tin can Island Command including Ben Nkem Oramalugo, Oyo/Osun Command Area Controller, were said to have appeared in more than one nomination.
Among the awards that were said to have been listed by the Committee included exporter with the highest volume of exports, exporter with highest value export, importers with the highest duty paid, importers with highest import volume, shipping lines with the highest cargo throughput, expot, airlines with the highest cargo throughput, imports and Best Command in Revenue Generation and Best Free Trade Zone award. Special recognitions were said to have extended to some individual s and Corporate Organizations including Customs Commands who had excelled.
Recall that Bashir Adewale Aeniyi, MFR, Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, had taken advantage of the Commissioning of the renovated and remodeled office complex of Tin can Island Command to drum into the mind of the officers and invited who may have shown up at the Tin can Island event to see him that Customs award which had earlier been postponed will now take place on Friday, November 30, 2024.He may have gladdened the heart of Compt. Dera Nnadi, Area Controller, Tin can Island Command, when he declared that the multi-million renovated and remodeled office complex of the Tin can Island Command is’’ an award- wining project’’., an indications that the Customs will be given special recognition for the bold initiative.
True to his words, on November 29, 2024, Compt. Nnadi, in a Customs event held at Chida Event Centre, Abuja, FCT, attended by Lekan Jubril, Chairman Senate Committee on Customs, and his Counterpart in the House of Representatives, Wale Edun, minister of Finance and Co-ordinating minister of the Economy, who was said to have sent the Director of Finance in the ministry as his Representative , Kayode Egbetokun, PH.d, Inspector General of Police, IGP, and other top government officials and well-meaning Nigerians to give Comptrollers. Nnandi , Babatunde Olomu, Area Controller, Apapa, who may see as have stolen the show as he was said to have clinched the prestigious wards because of his impressive performance in office in in the areas of revenue generation and Trade Facilitation at the ports.
As at November 19, 2024, the pa Command, which stakeholders had said handles over 60% of the cargo imports into the Nigeria, according Abdullahi Usman, a Chief Superintendent of Customs and the Command spokesperson had collected and paid into the Federation account N2 trillion out of the N2.2 trillion target set for the Command this 2024, an indication that it will surpass the target ahead of December 31, 2024, making Compt. A revenue mobilizer. An insider conformed that as at the Nov.19, 2024, the revenue that was said to have been collected and paid into the Federation account was about 40% of the Customs N5.o7 trillion revenue target set for the service by the Federal Government.
The Customs lala night and as award night may have looked very colourful as all the awardees were made to wear the native Yoruba Adire Brocade, irrespective of tribe. The highlight of the event was the special recognition of the Apapa Command Area Controller, who was said to have stormed the vent with some members of the Command Management Team, including DC. Nura Ibrahim Turaki, in-charge of APM, terminal, described as the biggest private terminal in the West African sub-region as the ‘’Customs Area Controller of the year’’. The Customs Comptroller General was said to have sounded it loud and clear that’’ such recognitions and awards comes with greater responsibility’’, meaning that Compt. Olomu and his officers have to work harder to prove that the special recognition given to him by the Comptroller General that he truly deserves it.
Many had expected the Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone A, Ikeja, Lagos, superintended by Compt. Kola Oladeji, FOU, Zone B, Kaduna, under the close watch of Bello Ahmadou Shuaibu, FOU, or Zone C, Owerri, to be given special recgnition as the service Best Command in anti-smuggling activities going by their numerous the Contraband seizures the anti-smuggling Units have continued to make since the beginning of the year but the out to PortHarcourt, Area II, Command, Onne.
Compt. Kolade of Seme, may have sustained the tempo of Trade activities between Nigeria and Benin Republic and other West African Countries inherited from the then Compt. Bomodi, now an ACG. E,I&I, that won the Land Border in Trade Facilitation beating Soko/Zamfara and Kano/Jigawa Commands to it. Stakeholders who were at the Customs award night at the FCT, may have been shocked when First Bank, Nig. Plc, was nominated as the winner of best Duty Collecting Bank in Volume and Remittances to beat Access Bank and United Bank For Africa, UBA, plc, under the Chairmanship Of Tony Elumelu, a business, mogul to it.
Another major award that was said to drawn much of the attention of the guest that that Compt. Oramalugo, Area Controller of the Oyo/Osun Command , who spoke to the Value news on line had said that ever since the Customs Comptroller was deployed from Kebbi Command to the Command in September 19, 2023, he has taken it upon himself to embark on strategic engagement with the residents of the border Communities to explain the Government Fiscal policies to them and to seek their Collaboration.
He may have gotten right as the people were said to have given their to support the Command to combat smuggling activities in their respective areas. The Customs Comptroller General may have been impressed by such moves as he decided to honour him as a way to encourage other Interventionist Commands Area Controllers to reach out to residents of border Communities in their areas of jurisdiction to have a good working relationship with them.
An elated Compt. Oramalugo, who never expected to be given such Special recognition was said to promised to do more to contain the activities of smugglers in Oyo and Osun states with the Cooperation of the people.
Note tat other Organisations that were said to have left the Customs gala and award nights with medals were Metal Recycling Industries Limited , West African Soy Industry, PZ WILMAR ltd, , Friesland Campina Wamco, Marskline, and Turkish airline Note that National AGENCY FOR Food and Drug Administration, NAFDAC, Standard Organisation of Nigeria, SON, Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA , Nigerian Ports Authority , NPA and Nigerian Shippers Council, which had direct link with NCS, were said to have been given Special recognition.
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA, and the Inigerian Iland WaterWays , NIWA, may not have been given any Corporate mention during the award because they have not made their services relevant to the service to achieve its goal of revenue generation , trade Facilitation and Enforcement.
Other awardees include Lekki Free Trade Zone, Nigeria Breweries, PLC as the Best excise Trade, WACT, Onne, PortHarcourt, AA Logistics as the Best Customs Licensed Agency, The Customs Comptroller General may have also taken advantage of the gala and award night to give special recognition to a retired Comptroller of the Systems Audit Unit of the Customs Headquarters as the best officer in revenue generation. The message was clear that even if an officer of the NCS , had retired and he or she had performed exceeding well while still in the service , the officer will still be honoured by the service to encourage others to put in their bests and not to think that their contribution does not matter.
More interesting was the Special Recognition granted to Edun, minister of Finance and Coordinating minister of the Economy, Senator Jibrin , Chairman Senate Committee on Customs and Hon, Leke Abejide, Chairman, House Committee on Customs, for their support to the service.
The Customs Autoritie may not have left out any individual or Organization that had had contributed to the realization of its Core objectives of revenue generation, Trade Facilitation and Enforcement. This may have informed why the duo, Compt. Hussain Kehinde Ejibuno, Coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, who had made many VIP , Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popular, petrol smugglers, around borders across the country to run out of business, to be given the CGC’s Special Recognition just as the CGC , had given his gold star performance award to Compt. Adebakin, ,Deputy Commandant, Customs and Staff Coolege, Gwagwalada, DC. A. Abubakar, Customs Forensic Unit, DC. R.Z. Achi, CSC. Animasaun, CIU, CSC. B.O.Moniyi, , ICT, CSC. N.U Awa AEO, CSC A.Y, Musa, who incidentally is the Comptroller General’s Personal Secretary and one CSC Bala of the Customs Mechanical Central Workshop, described as a ‘’vehicle wizard’’ by the Comptroller General who had confirmed that he had successfully repaired over 90 Customs operational vehicles which could have been turned to scrabs. The Customs boss had said that any vehicle that could not be repaired by Musa, the vehicle wizard, should be discarded by the owner .
CSC. Maiwada, who, officers had described as a pillar of the Customs Public Relations Department because of his Coordinating ability may not have looked forward to be given any award or Special Recognition but was happy that one F.O.Adeogun, an unconfirmed Assistant Superintendent of Customs was honoured by the Customs Comptroller General as ‘’the most outstanding Public Relations Officer . There are other notable awards that were said to have been given by the Comptroller General of Customs to both the print and Electronic Media Organizations, for their supportive role to the service in achieving its goals.
