By Our Reporter
With barely few months to his retirement as the Customs Area Controller of Seme Area Command, Compt. Ben Oramalugo PH.D, had received Charles Orbih, an Assistant Comptroller General, ACG, and the Zonal Coordinator of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Zone A Lagos.
The Customs Comptroller was honoured by the National Coordinator on Wednesday, 25th June 2025, while on a working visit to the Seme Command, located the Seme-Krake joint Border between Nigeria and neighbouring Republic of Benin. The ACG. visit which was aimed at ‘’assessing the Command’s operations, engaging with the officers and aligning with the strategic goals across the Zone was said to have further motivated the officers to sustain the tempo of anti-smuggling drive and revenue generation in the Command.
the Customs Area Controller of Seme Command, Compt. Oramalugo who had welcomed the Customs Zonal Coordinator and his entourage had expressed his deep appreciation for the visit, describing it as ‘’a morale booster and a reaffirmation of the ACG’s commitment to operational excellence and oversight’’.
Hear Him: Your presence today is a testament to your commitment to strengthen the operations of the Zone, ensuring that the Commands and Units deliver their mandates as enshrined in the extant laws.” He presented a detailed overview of the Command’s mandates and achievements in revenue generation, anti-smuggling operations, trade facilitation and border security.
The Customs Comptroller, who could not hide his feelings had told the ACG and his entourage that between January and May 2025, the Command had collected the sum of over ₦3.57 billion in revenue which was paid into the Federation Account.
He did not stop there. He had confirmed that the Command facilitated export consignments of 220,300 metric tonnes, of goods, valued at ₦47 billion Free on Board,FOB. He was said to have also highlighted the Command’s anti-smuggling efforts that had resulted in theseizure of Contraband worth ₦889 million, including the interception of expired pharmaceuticals, marijuana and corrosive mercury, which were handed over to the relevant security agencies for further investigation.
(4) The Seme Command Area Controller had given an insight to the several challenges facing the Command, such as ‘’a Seven- year power outage, poor road infrastructure, non-functional scanning equipment, and border porosity’’. He had emphasized that ‘’the ongoing advocacy for infrastructure upgrades, deployment of modern surveillance tools, and deeper collaboration’’ with sister security agencies and local communities to address these concerns is yielding results.
In apparent response, ACG. Orbih had lauded to the leadership of the Seme Seme Command for initiatives such as ‘’the renovation of the COWA building, upgrading of the sports complex, and the recent commissioning of the officers’ mess’’, describing ‘’the projects as symbolic of the Command’s alignment’’with the vision of Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, MFR, the Comptroller General of Customs, who over the last two years had anchored ‘’the Service’s transformation agenda on Consolidation, Collaboration, and Innovation’’.
The ACG had highlighted the Zone’s impressive contributions to the Service yearly revenue, noting that it accounted for 79.8% of the NCS’s ₦1.3 trillion revenue collection in the first quarter of 2025.He also reaffirmed the Service’s modernization journey through initiatives such as ‘’the Advance Ruling System, Authorized Economic Operators,AEO, programme, and B’Odogwu platform, an indigenous Customs Clearance system.
An elated ACG. Orbih, further noted that the Service’s operational strategy for 2025 is guided by Seven strategic focus areas, including ‘’trade modernization, enhanced risk management, operationalization of the NCS University, strengthening international partnerships under the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA framework, implementation of a robust Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, strategy and promotion of open governance through increased transparency framework and stakeholder engagement. According to him, these initiatives are already producing commendable outcomes.
Appealing to the Command officers ‘’to continue upholding professionalism, integrity, and innovation’’, he stressed that the bar has been raised for Zone A. He had remarked that ‘’as we move forward, the bar has been set higher for Zone ‘A, stating that the zone previous achievements’’, impressive as they may be should serve as a stepping stone rather than resting points. We must leverage on our strategic importance ‘’to push beyond these accomplishments, innovating and adapting to meet the evolving demands of our nation’s economy and security needs” as he expressed confidence in the ability of the Seme Command and its units under the Zone to not only sustain its anti-smuggling efforts but further surpass its current achievements in service delivery to the nation.
