Customs boss vows to suppress smuggling; promises to renovate Customs Primary School, Barnawa, Kaduna
Customs boss vows to suppress smuggling; promises to renovate Customs Primary School, Barnawa, Kaduna
Segun Oladipupo
The Acting Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi has vowed that his administration will not rest until the menace of smuggling is significantly suppressed in Nigeria.
The CGC spoke on Thursday in Kaduna when he visited the Federal Operations Unit, Zone B and Kaduna Area Command.
He also pledged to address both the short, medium and long-term needs of the school to create a conducive atmosphere for teaching and learning.
During his visit, he paid a sightseeing visit to Customs Primary School, Barnawa, to assess the condition of the facility.
During his visit, the CGC pledged to renovate the primary school even as he assured stakeholders of better days to come.
Speaking to the School’s Assistant Headmaster, Adeshina Fatai, the CGC vowed to address both the short, medium and long-term needs of the school to create a conducive atmosphere for teaching and learning.
According to him, the Nigeria Customs Service, under his leadership, is viewing the problem at a superficial level and that “we’ll do the best we can to raise the spirit of this school to educate the wards of the residents properly. We have enough to chew to ensure that we renovate the school because we all love our children to have a better knowledge.”
Meanwhile, to deepen community understanding and appreciation of Customs operations and their impact on fortifying the country through curbing the menace of smuggling as well as revenue generation, the Acting Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, has met with representatives of business stakeholders on Thursday in Kaduna.
Addressing stakeholders at Kaduna Area Command, Ag. CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR stated, “The Nigeria Customs Service will continue to appreciate your harmonious alliance, which, in return, will redound to your partnership and compliance to Customs rules.”
“It is because we have a good relationship that you agreed to come and sit down with us here — whereas if the alliance is not good, you will just stay at the back of your fence and begin to talk down on us that there is no point to meet those people who don’t value us.” He said.
He, however, continued to applaud them over their honourable service to the operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service in Kaduna, “I want to appreciate you for the service that you have rendered in Kaduna and to the entire structure of the Nigeria Customs Service.”
He assured them that the Service would soon reward them, emphasizing that without stakeholders, the Nigeria Customs Service wouldn’t have existed, “We respect and take you all with high esteem as our partners.”
“I am therefore extending a new hand of collaboration with you to work together so that we will always address your challenges because we recognize you as contributors in transforming the country through strengthening its security.”
The Ag. CGC, however, seized the opportunity to congratulate the Zonal Coordinator in charge of Zone ‘B’, Obi Ekwealo, on the occasion of his 60th birthday, which coincides with his statutory retirement from active service, “I wish to, on behalf of all of us, congratulate you on your birthday and inform you that the whole Customs family are extremely proud of you.”
Corroborating to the CGC’s speech, the Zonal Coordinator for Zone ‘B’ Assistant Comptroller General, Obi Ekwaelo, congratulated the Ag. CGC on his ‘well-deserved appointment’ by President Ahmad Bola Tinubu, saying that “the appointment has come at a time the Service is poised to transforming itself into the leading organ of revenue generation, trade facilitation and suppression of economic subversive activities.”
The ACG said, “Zone B, Sir, as you are aware, covers the largest enforcement area of the country with a landmass of 214,395 square kilometres, a border of 1,495km with Niger Republic while its border with Benin Republic spans 809km.”
At the FOU Zone B, Adeniyi charged the officers to double their efforts in suppressing smuggling
His words,“I urge you to double your efforts in frustrating the businesses of unpatriotic citizens who venture into smuggling activities within the edges of Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘B’.” He said.
The Ag. CGC also commended the role of the officers and men of the Service at the Zone in maintaining their stand, assuring that “the Service will not turn blind eyes on any officer who exhibits courage in the cause of his work.”
“While I commend the officers who engineer good seizures in this Zone, I also wish to charge you all to be more steadfast in discharging your duties with the provisions of the law to suppress the smuggling of unlawful substances.”
Speaking, the Comptroller Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘B’, Comptroller Musa Ibrahim Jalo, briefed the Ag. CGC on the level of his Unit’s successes in generating revenue.
He told the CGC that the milestones attained by the Unit were possible due to his new tactics of engaging community members and stakeholders in the Unit, “and that has led us to seize foreign rice, petroleum products, marijuana amongst other items – through intelligence gathering.”
According to him, the Customs-Community relationship in the Unit is already paying good results, as they have recently recovered N2,500,636,150 in revenue, which he said was achieved due to the commitment of the officers at the Unit.
