By Stephen Ubanna
Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service, is a happy man. Adeniyi’s source of happiness is the support which he has continued to enjoy from Wale Edun, minister of Finance and Coordinating minister of the Economy over every of his demands.
The minister, according to an insider source, appears to have made the Customs Comptroller General’s job much easier by ensuring the confirmation of the new Deputy Comptroller Generals, DCGs, and Assistant Comptroller Generals, ACGs as vacancies exists in the Management Team to ensure effective and efficient service delivery for optimum performance.
Indeed, following the retirement of some members of the Management Team who had spent the mandatory 35 years in the service as outlined in the Customs Management Act, 2023, the Customs Board was said to have confirmed two DCGs and five ACGs, on the advice of Adeniyi, the Customs Comptroller General.
The Value News online Magazine findings shows that one of the two DCGs, who was said to have been confirmed, was Ola Alajogun, immediate past ACG, Customs Headquarters, and KI Adeola. The duo and the five ACGs, comprising of IA Umar, now ACG , Customs Headquarters, a position, vacated by Alajogun, now overseeing enforcement, Inspection and Investigation, EI&I, BA Makinde, OA Salefu and Timi Bomodi, immediate Area Controller of Seme Command, who was said to have given smugglers a battle of their life, , may not have spent the mandatory six months’ probation, in acting capacity for the new office as required by the Customs Management Act, but were confirmed as substantive DCGs and ACGs at the 59 regular meeting of the Custom Board in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
Many believe that Adeniyi, the Customs helmsman may have won the heart of the minister of Finance and Coordinating minster of the Economy, who incidentally is the Chairman of the Nigeria Customs Board, because of their close working relationship over the last one year without any crack on the wall.
Back to the two newly confirmed DCGs,that include includes Alajogun, who now oversees the EI&I, a position that was said to have been vacated by Bello Mohammed Jibo, who has been redeployed to another Department: Finance, Administration and Technical Services, FACTS, described in Customs circles as the number II, position in the service, after the office of the Comptroller General and KI Adeola, who is to oversee the Information Communication Technology, ICT, and Modernization Department that had been established by the Customs Board as requested by the Customs Comptroller General.
Last May, the Customs Board had confirmed five DCGs and eight ACGs. Note Two of the DCGs and five of the ACGs, who were said to have retired that had paved the way for the appointments of the two new DCGs to fill the vacancies that have been created in the Management Team by the retirees, which the Customs Comptroller had said was based on’’ the principles of federal character, seniority and merit’’.
Giving an insider information, Abdullahi Maiwwada, a Chief Superintendent of Customs and the service spokesperson had said that DCG Adeola, the ICT and Modernization Department boss will be supported by one ACG and five Comptrollers, ‘’to ensure the successful implementation of the ICT initiatives aimed at enhancing the service ‘s operational efficiency and digital transformation’’.
The Customs Board may have been encouraged to move for the establishment of a full-fledged ICT and Modernization Department to fully Coordinate the North American country of the United States, US,$.2 billion deal, with a Consortium , Trade Modernization Project Limited , ‘’to digitalize the operations of the Land Border security and revenue collection of the service’’ .
Recall that in pushing for the establishment of the ICT, Modernization Department, Adeniyi, the Customs Comptroller General had visited the Headquarters of Huawei in Shenzhen , in the Asian country of China , as a way to bolster the service ICT and Modernization efforts and further explore collaboration opportunities for the service Trade Modernization project.
Hammed Ali, a retired Army Colonel and the immediate Customs Comptroller General, who was said to have signed the digitalization deal with African Finance Corporation, AFC , and Huawei Technologies Company Limited, a subsidiary of the Asian country of China based Huawei Technologies limited in May 2022, was said to have virtually automated Customs operations at the Land border areas across the country and the Customs Commands at Apapa, Tincan Island, Port- Multiservice Terminal Limited, PTML, KiriKirikiri Lighter Terminal, phases I and II, Port Harcourt Area I and PortHarcourt area II, Onne Commands, Edo/Delta Command and Cross river Command, Calabar.
Even Murtala Mohammed II, Command and MMIA, Command, operations were said also been automated, which may have informed why Ali and his Management Team had targeted to generate $176 billion from its operations on a yearly basis.
The incumbent Customs Comptroller General, who was said to have continued from where Ali, his predecessor has stopped had said that the ICT and Modernization project that had been embarked upon by the service will be ‘’a game- changer for Nigeria, improving trade facilitation and revenue generation’’.
Leveraging on the new technology, fostering innovation, he had said that it will nurture the next generation of Customs professionals, which may have informed why he has insisted that it was be upgraded to a Department to be headed by a substantive DCG.
Given the close working relationship between the NCS and the China-based Huawei Technology, may have encouraged the Nigerian President who was in China recently on the invitation of Xi Jinping, the Chinese President to visit the Company in Beijing, the country’s Capital, where the digital firm had announced the Launch of DigiTruck, a mobile ICT classroom aimed at enhancing digital literacy that would operate in 10 states of the Federation for training at least 3,000 students on a yearly basis.
Digital analysts believe that Huawei Technology decision to offer its ICT expertise to modernize the NCS operations at the nation’s Land border areas, seaports and airports, will go a long way to support the service in achieving the Presidential mandate of trade facilitation, improved revenue generation and enhanced ant-smuggling operations across the country, meaning that DCG Adeola and her Team would have more job to do at the Land Border stations , seaports and International airports across the country.
