By Stephen Ubanna
Compt. Babatunde Olomo, the Customs Area Controller of the year, who had taken the Apapa Command to the level of becoming the Comptroller General of Customs, CGC, 2024, Best Command in revenue Generation and Trae Facilitation, ports, appears to have set a standard for other Area Controllers to follow suit.
Until, Dera Nnadi, the former Imo state born Area Controller of Tin can Island Command was appointed acting Assistant Comptroller General, ACG, and deployed to the Customs Headquarters, Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, he did not give the fraudulent importers with their agents the opportunity to shortchange the Federal Government. He was said to have effectively blocked the various areas of revenue leakage at the port thus, turning the Command to be the best in the country.
This is evident going by the recognition accorded the Customs Formation under the then Compt. Nnadi leadership as he was said to have transformed the Command to be the first runner up as the best in Customs revenue generation and trade Facilitation, ports, that was said to have been clinched by the nation’s premier port, Apapa at the 2024 Customs Gala and Award Night at the last Customs Gala and Award Night at Abuja.
The former Customs Comptroller, who may have known from the onset that no matter how he tried to push the Tin can Island Command by the blocking all the areas of revenue leakage at the port, he cannot beat the Apapa Command record in revenue generation and trade facilitation drive may have encouraged him to embark on the multi-million naira of renovating and remodeling the Command office complex to make more conducive for officers and stakeholders to process their documents with ease.
He may have initiated project to leave a legacy in the Command that posterity will remember him for years to come. He may not have engaged the Customs Headquarters in the funding of the project as he was said to have devised strategies on how to engage the agencies, terminal operators, shipping companies and other stakeholders to contribute to the funding f the project.
This may have informed why he had approached the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, under the close watch of Abubakar Dantsoho, Nigerian Shippers Council, NSC, Standard Organisation of Nigeria, SON, Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration, NAAFDAC, and other critical stakeholders at the port, to raise funds to embark the renovation and remodeling of the Command- 40 year -old Complex project. He had his way. Many believe that he has thrown a big challenge to Compt.Oyeka to do much better in the Command that posterity will remember him.
Acting Compt. Oyeka, who, insiders believe had set a track record at the Apapa exit gate where he had tightened up security and devised other security measures to checkmate the activities of importers with their agents to ensure they do the correct thing may have known that he is wearing a big shoe and has to no reason to fail he Comptroller General and his Management who has given the opportunity to oversee the affairs of the Tin can Island Command.
The then Deputy Comptroller DC, in charge of the premier port exit gate who was said to have ensured that cargo declarations and duty payment by agents for their clients are commensurate to what is loaded in their Containers from the Asian country of China, Turkey and other parts of the world including the North American country of the United States of America, USA appears to gotten it right.
Given an account of his stewardship on Friday, Dec,19, 2024 being, his last day in office at the Tin can Island, before finally bowing out to allow his predecessor occupy his new office to direct the affairs of the Command, the former Tin can Island Area Controller could beat his chest that the Command under his leadership had collected 86.8% of its 2024, revenue target, leaving his successor, to do much better by ensuring that the Command beat the revenue target set for it.
Ngozi Okwara, a Superintendent of Customs and the Command the spokesperson, who was said to have issued a statement after the former Tin can Island Command Area Controller who had departed for Abuja, to assume to resume in his new office after a closed door meeting with his successor had given credit to the acting ACG Nnadi, the immediate past Area Controller of the Command for having worked ‘’relentlessly to collect and pay into the Federation account the sum of about N1.23 trillion , to be in the class of Apapa Command .
The Tin can Island Command spokesperson may have spoken the mind of the former Tin can Island Area Controller who had said that he is optimistic that that the Command revenue target of N1,413,460,064,851.62, will be met and even surpassed because of the expertise of his successor in Customs operations.
The Tin can Island new acting Area Controller, going by his track records was said ‘’to have consistently demonstrated remarkable intellect and exceptional courage every assignment whether in field operations at the office level’’.
Acting Compt. Oyeka, who many had described as a good student of the Customs Comptroller General in implementing his visions of Consolidation, Collaboration and Innovation, even at the Apapa exit gate, where he takes order from the Command Area Controller before he could do certain things is expected to make the difference as Area Controller as the bulk stops on his table.
Given his expertise in revenue collection, particular, in the issuance of Debit Note, DN, as he has the eagleeye of identifying Consignments that had contravened the government fiscal policy while filliping through such documents before appending his signature, meaning that the Tin can Island Command will collect much of its revenue from the issuance of DN, this time around more than ever before. The message is very clear, that he may not depart from the administrative style of Compt.Olomu, of the Apapa Command, in ensuring that fraudulent importers with their agents are given appropriate DN, as a deterrence to others for any of them that contravenes the government fiscal policy.
While ensuring alignment with the global best practices in Customs Administration may have emboldened officers and stakeholders who were said to have had a close contact with him at the Onne, Tin can Islan and Apapa exit gates to give their words that he has’’ the ability to uphold the high standards in Customs processes using his professional expertise and commitment to improving operations and other Commands he had served a field officer.
The Tin can Island spokesperson, who would want Nigerians to change their attitude towards the Customs Operatives as being corrupt which was the mindset of former President Muhammadu Buhari but forced to change that impression by Hameed Ali, a retired Army Colonel and immediate past Comptroller General of the service .
She may have alluded to the former Area Controller’s remarks that the revenue collected by the Command between January and December 19, 2024, was much higher than what was collected within the same period in 2023, which was N716,478,454.00.
Recall that the Tin can Island for Customs Area Controller had repeatedly said at various fora that the Command under his Leadership could not have achieved the feat without the Collaboration of the critical stakeholders’’ to ensure strict adherence to trade facilitation’’, stressing that Duty Paid Value, DPV, paid by importers had increased from NN1,051,617,767.00 in 2023 to N4,505,995,975,.00, this 2024 fiscal year.
The former Tin can Island Area Controller who had said that his office at the Customs Headquarters would be open to importers with their agents and other stakeholders who may need his advice on matters that would move the Command forward may have informed why acting Compt. Oyeka, who believes that he is wearing a big shoe to have said that he will not hesitate to consult him.
Indeed, another major area where the Tin can Island Command under the Leadership of the then Compt.Nnadi, now an acting ACG, at the Customs Headquarters was in the area of enforcement.
The Tin can Island port, which had been described by industry stakeholders as a haven for smugglers of Contrabands, particular, dangerous drugs like Tramadol, Analgen, and weapons, from Turkey may have reached a dead end as the then Customs Comptroller did not give them room to operate.
He was said to have taken advantage of his position as a former Deputy Comptroller over-seeing the Command Enforcement unit some years ago where arms and ammunition were seized at different times.The seizures of the weapons may have opened then then Comptroller ‘s eye and to develop contacts both within and outside the country who gives information on deadly cargoes been shipped to the country through the Tin can Island port and to keep his officers on the red alert.
It was not surprising why as Area Controller of the Tin can Island Command, importers Tramadol, Analgen, arms and ammunition, and other Contraband into the country with their agents who could not stand the intensified the anti-smuggling drive at the Lagos port relocated to the Onne port, where Adeniyi, the Customs Comptroller General had declared a state of emergency to forestall the activities of the fraudulent traders and agents. The Tin can Island new Area Controller has vowed to continue from where his predecessor had stopped to maintain its position as one of the Customs best in anti-smuggling operations.
For now, the Customs Authorities had recognized the foursome of Onne, Federal Operation Unit, FOU, Zone, Ikeja, Lagos, Tin can Island and Apapa Commands have been recognized by the Customs Management as the best in anti-smuggling activities which had been widely criticized in several Customs headquarters.
This is because there was no basis for comparison of the anti-smuggling operations at the Interventionist units, which are basically based on intelligence and engaging the services of informants at heavy costs and the such operations at the seaports, in which smuggled goods are usually uncovered during physical examination. This is where acting Compt. Oyeka may excel.
