By Stephen banna
Compt. Ben Nkem Oramalugo, PH.D, appears to have taken advantage of his first Madia press briefing as the Area Controller of the Seme Command at the Economic Community of West African States , ECOWAS, Complex, Seme, located a joint border Community between Nigeria and the neighbouring Republic of Benin to Launch Operation ‘’ Compromise’’ , was said to have sounded it and clear that any officer caught in the act will be dealt with squarely.
The Customs Comptroller was said to have made the officers to understand that ‘’drug, arms and ammunition money are bad money and should not be collected. The Seme Command Area Controller who was said to have carved his teeth as an anti-smuggling Czar in Kebbi state which was a drug hub in the north western geo-political region to turn the Customs Command in the state to a revenue generating Command speaks volume.
He may have lost four officers to the Bandits’ Group in the Kebbi Command anti- smuggling operations to contain the activities of the criminal elements drug barons but that never deterred him and his men from sustaining the anti-smuggling war.
The nonsense Comptroller Oramalugo, was said to have applied the same strategy in dealing with the economic saboteurs including the fraudulent importers with their Agents and excise factory operators who were said to have refused to do the right thing in the north western region to shortchange the Federal Government in Oyo/ Osun states to make the difference as the Command never lost any officer under his Leadership.
The Anambra state born Customs Comptroller may have taken the last one month to peruse the hand over Notes by Compt. Kayode Kolade, his predecessor who had retired after 35 years of service. He was said to have also used the one month in office to do his findings why smuggling thrives around the Seme Jurisdictions. The interaction with the people and other security agencies operatives may have given an insight that smuggling in the area is a generational business: From father to son.
It was not surprising that since taking over as the Area Controller of Seme Command overseeing the busiest international border route in the West and Central African sub-regions, Dr. Oramalugo, who enjoys his academic Laurels including a Certificate on Leadership Management at the prestigious North American country of the United States,US, Havard University, has been decisive in in implementing plans.
A senior officer who spoke to The Value News on line Magazine confirmed that the Seme Command new Area Controller has implemented ‘’strategic measures to enhance revenue generation, trade facilitation and anti-smuggling operations through inter-agency collaboration.
The Customs Chief may have alluded to these measures in his Madia briefing when he stated that ‘’these efforts align with the mandate of Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, the Customs Comptroller General, CGC, who was said to have repeatedly emphasized ‘’synergy among stakeholders to combat smuggling activities across the country and strengthen border security’’.
Giving an insider information of what he has done in office so far, he noted that recognizing the importance of the collaboration in achieving the service core objectives of revenue generation, trade facilitation and anti-smuggling operations, he has engaged key stakeholders, Traditional Rulers and even other security agencies personnel ‘’to foster strong relationships with them and further reinforcing security measures and taking other bold initiatives to promoting seamless trade facilitation in the south west geopolitical region’’.
According to him, these engagements with the stakeholders, Traditional Rulers and the sister agencies including the military personnel have somewhat ‘’facilitate improved intelligence -sharing and coordination, reinforcing the service commitment to national security, economic regulation and the fight against smuggling’’. He is right.
This is evident going by the Contraband seizures including Cannabis Sativa and Tramadol drugs that was said to have been intercepted and seized by the Command at various locations around the Seme Jurisdictions including bushes, watersides and creeks.
Given a breakdown of the Contraband seizures that was said to have been made by the Command from smugglers who knows much of the terrain than the officers, the Customs Comptroller was said to have commended the officers for a job well-done.
Going by his account, the Command had seized 444 parcels of Canabis Sativa, popular, Indian Hemp, farmed from the West African country of Ghana, and some parts of Nigeria, 181 packets of Tramadol, and 600 bottles of Codeine Syrup, 100ml each, smuggled into the country through illegal routes but intercepted by his men who are stationed in strategic locations in its areas of operation. The Seme Area Controller was said to have handed over the seized drugs to the Commandant of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, at the Seme Boarder Community for further investigations and destruction, in the spirit of inter-agency relationship.
Other Contraband items that were said to have been intercepted and seized by the Command Patrol Team and Surveillance at the various checks, Gbaji, Mowe, Elijah and around the Owode axis , among other include 1,809 bags of the Asian countries of Thailand and India Agricultural parboiled rice, 50kg each, described by ompt. Oramalugo, as the most smuggled food item in within the Seme, Badagry and Owode axis, 17 sacks of used shoes, 56 Bales of fairly used clothing and 2023 pieces of pneumatic tyres. This is in addition to the interception and seizure of 240 Kegs of 25 -30 litres each of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popular, Petrol. Valuation experts had put the total value of items seized by the Command under the Leadership of Compt. Oramalugo, within one month in office at N267,054,172.00, sending a message to the smugglers to turn a new leaf and embrace genuine trade or they will continue to be disposed of their smuggled goods as is officers are equal to the task and not ready to compromise on their job.
On the area of revenue generation and trade facilitation drive, the Seme Command, through the proper supervision of the Customs Comptroller appears to have lived up to expectation compared to his performance at Kebbi and Oyo/Osun Command where he was said to have performed excellently well in revenue generation for the government.
This may have informed why he CGC, gave him a Special Award For Service Excellence and also given award as a runner-up of the Customs Area Controller of the Year 2024, won by Compt. Babatunde Olomu, Area Controller Apapa Command at the last Customs Award Night in Abuja, THE Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
Aware that he has to meet the Command revenue mandate and going by his usual strategy of blocking areas of revenue Leakage, as he did at Kebbi, Oyo/Osun Command, the Seme Command was said to have collected and paid into the Federation account the sum of N743,728,652.16, in the month of February , 2025, meaning that the Command may hit the billion naira mark in this month of March , 2025 and beyond.
The Command was said to have also handled a total export produce of 28,395.293 metric tonnes , equivalent to 806 trucks for the month of February, 2025, with a Free On Board, FOB, value of the North American country of the US$4,995,572.78 , equivalent of N7,852,172,249.00, going by the current exchange rate of over N1,600.00 to the dollar with the unification of the both the official and parallel or Black markets exchange rates by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Many believe that the Seme Command could achieve that feat within one month of Compt. Oramalugo’s stay in office because of the restructuring which he was said to have embarked upon to put square pegs in round holes to avoid mediocrity.
He was emphatic on ‘’the Command’s operational efficiency and optimal performance’’ to be among the best Interventionist and revenue collection Commands in the country, that he was said to have taken the bold initiative to restructure the various units of the Command which was said to have ‘’to strategic deployment of officers for better vigilance and proactive border security operations and increased accountability and improved revenue collection over the last one month.
Maritime experts believes that he is working according to the mandate of the CGC, who believes that the service will overshoot its 205, revenue target as its has always done over the years. Call Compt. Oramalugo, a relentless workaholic.
