Customs boss tasks promoted officers on revenue generation, anti-smuggling

The Assistant Comptroller General of Customs and Zonal Coordinator in charge of Zone A, Mohammed Bello Jibo, has charged the newly promoted and decorated senior officers in the Zone to increase their dedication to service delivery and focus on realising the goals of the Nigeria Customs Service (NC) in revenue generation and anti-smuggling operations.

Jibo, who gave the charge at the decoration ceremony for the 185 senior officers within the zone, held at the Customs Training College, Ikeja, Lagos, said the new ranks come with increased dedication to service and tasking responsibilities to achieve the mandate of the service.

The promoted officers include 33 comptrollers, 37 deputy comptrollers and 115 assistant comptrollers. The Customs boss said the promotion should be seen as a conferment of trust, which should motivate them to work harder to curb smuggling and achieve the N5 trillion revenue target.

According to him, the promotions, which come with additional responsibilities, should propel all the beneficiaries to focus better on realising the goals of the NCS under its present management team.

Welcoming the newly promoted senior officers, the Customs Area Controller of Tin Can Island Command, Dera Nnadi, advised them to apply due diligence while mentoring those coming behind.

He said the mantle bestowed on the promoted officers is for service to the people and not power, while urging them to work diligently with stakeholders to achieve better trade facilitation in the country.

The newly promoted Assistant Controller of Customs at PTML Command, Bolaji Adigun, assured that his command would ensure the service achieves the revenue target as well as curb smuggling in and out of the country. He urged the trading community to be compliant, noting that a lot of people are ignorant of the policies for trade.

Adigun also urged the trading public to read the news more and be abreast of the fiscal policies, adding that the Customs are only enforcers of government’s fiscal policies.

The Founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, who was represented by the Deputy National President, Simon Nwonu, said the promotion is a call for more hard work while urging the officers to be civilised in their approach to freight forwarders and strengthen their synergy.