…… The command to wear new look before end of 2024
After 15years, In the spirit of complete fulfillment of oath taken while been sworn into the office and also being a well grounded grassroots officer , the acting Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, CGC Adewale Bashir Adeniyi has taken his ongoing tour to Oyo/Osun Command.
The CGC and his management team was received by the Area Controler, Oyo-Osun Customs Command, Ibadan, Babajide Jaiyeoba, on Monday 14th August 2023 in Ibadan , Oyo State.
Comptroller Jaiyeoba during his welcome address revealed that the Command has not being visited in the past 15 years but appreciate the new management team of CGC Adeniyi for the honor and in the same vein presented the commands half year report to the team .
The CAC said that the Command has generated forty three billion, five hundred and fifty nine million, six hundred and sixty-six thousand, four hundred and thirty two naira, seventy right Kobo (43,559,666,432.78) in its half year report as at the end of June, 2023.
According to the Comptroller , the figures represents 18 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2022 also posed a 14 per cent short fall in the Command’s half year target for 2023.
The CAC said the decline was caused as a result of the harsh economic realities which significantly impacted the excise industries during the time under review as many industries experienced a significant drop in production during the cashless policy era.
He also noted that among other challenges of curbing anti smuggling and trade facilitation have been the increase in travel with smugglers hiding illicit goods under the guise of legitimate trade, inadequate operational vehicles and insufficient resources.
However, he noted that enforcement operations have been made smoothly through the existing cordial relationship which the command has enjoys with the traditional rulers of border communities.
He stressed that the relationship has being blossom and ever since yielding fruits , with donations of parcels of land made to the service to spread it’s operations through the Command’s jurisdiction to efficiently tackle the inherent challenges of smuggling.
He expressed appreciation to the CG for visiting the command to ascertain their welfare stating that no CG has visited the command in the last fifteen years which he said was a testament of the new CG’s avowed support for the Command and prayed the CG to give consideration to the challenges that they face.
His words: “The Command has collected three billion, five hundred and fifty nine million, six hundred and sixty-six thousand, four hundred and thirty two naira, seventy right Kobo (43,559,666,432.78 forty). The revenue collected signifies 18 per cent increase when compared to the same period in 2022. while it represents 14 per cent short of our 2023 target. As at the time we were given the target, the cashless policy of government impacted negatively on many of our clients. They are all here. Some of them couldn’t even produce during this time. We are happy to tell us that production is gradually picking up and we are sure of making our target.
“As we strive towards meeting our targets as a Command, your guidance as a guiding light, your wealth of knowledge, strategic insight as communicated by your prescence is already steering us towards achieving our set goals of improved service delivery through facilitation of legitimate trade without compromising national security.
“The Command enjoys cordial relationship with the border communities especially the traditional rulers who are partners in the fight against anti smuggling resulting in the donation of 4.338 acres of land along Saki, 2.429 hectres of land, 4 acres of land and another of 4274.2 square meters of land at several locations.
“We are currently working to secure documents for the land. Our challenges include the increase in volume of trade and travels. This has actually informed the way people do their businesses to the extent that you find it difficult to separate legitimate trade from illicit trade because they hide under legitimate trade, inadequate operational vehicles, insufficient manpower and inadequate resources.”
In his response, the acting CG commended excise traders for their continued support for the Service and the nation and implored officers to support their activities by encouraging practices which would make for a more cordial relationship between excise traders and the Service.
The Customs Boss assured the officers of the Command that the Command would be given a lift on or before the end of 2024 and also advised men of the Service on the need to exercise caution in the use of arms as the government of the states have given their support to the Service in the fight against smuggling.
He said: “Excise development is very critical to our economy. Excise companies employ so many Nigerians. They create jobs, pay rent and some of us are aware that they pay huge excise duty to government. So more or less these companies are the livewire of our economy”.
“They provide oxygen for our economy to breathe. That is why they are very important. It is good for us to maintain very good and cordial relationship with. We should make life easy for them so that they would be able to pay more excise duties to us.
“I have received a number of reports on your challenges, the state government has assured us that they will not tolerate smuggling activities.
“This calls for a very good understanding of how we are going to set up our enforcement strategies, our patrol base and our checkpoints.
“Most importantly, it calls for extra restraint in the use of weapons at our disposal. As we speak, an AdHoc Committee of the Senate has started moving an anti-force system. Members of the community would also be allowed to have their say on the way we conduct our operations, he concluded.
