CG. Adeniyi, Refocuses customs Operations,From Work, Work, Work; Gives Room For End Of Year Party For Officers To Interact, Share Ideas

By Stephen Ubanna

The era of Customs Operatives only thinking of implementing the service core functions of revenue generation, trade facilitation and enforcement from year to year, is over. This is because Bashir Addewale Adeniyi, MFR, who had worked with some of the former Comptroller Generals of the service, including Hameed Ali, a retired Army Colonel, and the incumbent Customs Comptroller General may have come to the conclusion that there is need for the officers and the Chairperson of the Customs officers Wives Association at both the national and Command level to take time out to have get together, where new ideas could be initiated.

The Customs Comptroller General who had followed logically the implementation of his strategic plans for the service: consolidation, collaboration and innovation, may have capped it with the end of year party, which had been applauded in several Customs quarters as very encouraging

Given that all the Customs Area Controllers both the seaports and land border stations thinkings revolve round revenue generation, trade facilitation and enforcement may have informed why the officers at the Commands pay little or no attention to knowing themselves.

 This is why officers and men of the Nigerian Customs Service have to be very grateful to Adeniyi, the incumbent Customs helms for changing the focus of the service operations to be in line with what obtains in other parts of the world Customs Administrations where officers interact at the end of the year and to review their operations for the outgoing year and plan their operation for the coming year.

.  Comptrollers Babatunde Olomu, the Area Controller Apapa Command, and who had been crowned as the Comptroller General of Customs, 2024, officer of the year  at the November 29, 2024, Customs Gala and Award Night in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, whose Command was said to have also been recognized by  the Comptroller General at the Gala and Award Night as the Best  in Revenue Generation Co and Trade  Facilitation who had described the end of year  part for officers to interact   as many things rolled  up in one’’ which is centered on  management and partnership,  was said to have cashed  in on the CG’s  support for end of  the year  get together to take the lead for other Commands  to follow.

Compt. Olomu: Area Controller, Apapa Command

The Apapa Command end of year party may have been planned by the Command Organising Committee in a big way because of the invitation of the Comptroller to be at the party. The officers may have seen the one day get together  as an opportunity to say’’ Thank You’’  to Compt. Olomu, for taking the Command to a new level, where it had been recognized at the Customs Headquarters and Government circles, both at the national and state level as a performing Area Controller, meaning that any Customs Comptroller that will be  deployed to the Command in future may have work hard to beat the incumbent Apapa Command revenue and enforcement records.

 The Comptroller General’s official engagement outside the country may have forestalled him from being at the Apapa Command party but he was said to have detailed Caroline Niagwan, a Deputy Comptroller General of Customs, DCG, overseeing Trade and Tariff, TT, to represent him. The Customs DCG, may have spoken the mind of the Comptroller General at the Apapa Command get together amidst cheers when he said that ‘’compliant traders to the Federal Government Fiscal Policies have no cause to worry, assuring that such complaint traders with continue to enjoy speedy clearance and exit of their cargoes from the nation’s seaports and land border areas.

The Customs DCG, who was said to have given a good account of herself was said to have taken advantage of being at the Apapa Command party, to emphasize the service’s commitment ‘’to providing necessary training, technical assistance and partnership to empower stakeholders, particular, importers with agents with knowledge and tools to take delivery of their cargoes at the ports and land border stations   aligned with global trade practices.

She may have won the heart of the Freight Forwarders when she stated that the goal of the present Customs Management Team under the Leadership of Adeniyi, described as a workaholic in Customs circles  is ‘’to ensure  that every  stakeholder  remains competitive , innovative  and aligns with global best standards.

She noted that by working together, they will be able to unlock   greater opportunities in the nation’s maritime sector. She would want the country’s Freight Forwarders, described as a go between the Customs Operatives and the importers, not to see themselves as only contributing to national revenue generation but also involved driving the country’s economic development, attract foreign investment and help to advance the nation’s position in international trade.

Appealing to the importers with their agents to sustain the continuous effort in building a trade system that rewards integrity, supports capacity development, instead of contravening the government fiscal system through under declaration, under payment and concealment, stressing that it is the only way to foster mutual success between the parties.

Compt. Suaibu: Area, FOU, Zone B, Kaduna, partners with COWA, FOU, Zone B, Chapter to Organise end of year party for Customs nursery and primary schools, Renawa, pupils, amidst tears of Joy

The Customs Comptroller General may not have sent a Representative to Federal Operations Unit, FOU, but Compt. Bello Ahmadou, Shuaibu, may have partnered with the leadership of the Customs officers Wives Association to give an end of year party for the pupils of the service school.  The Customs COWAs Chairperson, Hajia Shuaibu, was said to have given kudos to the Customs Comptroller General for supporting the end of year get together for officers in their respective Commands.

A resident of Kaduna, who had described Comptroller Shuaibu, had said that the Customs nursery and primary scool in Kaduna had been renovated, which was said to have given the pupils a sense of belonging as they were very happy with the Customs Area Controller for making their school to be very conducive for learning unlike what obtained in it in the past.

 This is evident as the standard of the school, according to an insider changed in keeping with Comptroller General’s matching order that all Customs schools, nursery, primary and secondary schools should be given a facelift nationwide.

The Customs Comptroller may have taken advantage of the COWAs organized party for pupils in the Customs primary and Nursery school in Renawa, Kaduna, in the north western state of Kaduna state to open up : We have to give the children befitting education as they had displayed their  talents to show that they are  really making good use of the learning facilities that had been provided for them  by the Customs helmsman.

 The FOU, Zone B, Area Controller, who was said to have been   accosted by Journalists to know how he had been able to prosecute anti-smuggling war in the north western states of Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi and the north central states of Benue, Plateau, Kogi, Nsarawa, Niger and Kwara including Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. This is because of the activities of the Bandits Group and Lakurawa  fighters  as well  the  Herdsmen turned smugglers, who are posing as a threat to the Command Patrol team officers.

As an officer, who likes challenges, and who had dealt with the decisively with smugglers in south western state of Ogun, where there are over 90 illegal routes that are used by the unrepentant smugglers to carry out their nefarious activities in the state, may have emboldened him to see the smugglers operation in the north western and north central geopolitical regions including the FCT, axis as not being different from those operating between Nigeria and Benin Republic.

Hear him: the Command operatives are everywhere, stressing that the Command had deployed both ‘’emotional intelligence, and local intelligence’’, to deal with the unrepentant smugglers giving tat anti-smuggling operations all over the world is’’ Knowledge driven’’.   The Customs Area Comptroller had said that the Command balances enforcement, to trade facilitation, CSR and to protect the nation’s security.

With the support of the Customs Comptroller General who is determined to contain the activities of the smugglers operating in different parts of the country may have emboldened Compt. Shuaibu. And his officers to go all out to deal with the Criminal elements as many of them were said to have returned back to Niger and Benin Republic, as Nigeria has become too hot for them to operate.

A senior Customs officer toldThe online Magazine that Compt. Shuaibu, may not be directly involved in leading any patrol team in the Command, but he makes an input to virtually all the Command patrol teams in the 13 states and FCT, operation, superintended by it, which may have resulted in the teams making Contraband and drug seizures. Vintage Shuaibu.       

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