Customs Area Controller, Tin Can Island Command, Comptroller Dera Nnadi mni.

Area Controller of the Tin Can Island command of the Nigeria Customs Service, Comptroller Dera Nnadi mni has said that the service is responsible for over 80per cent of the activities that take place in the country’s economy, which underscores the strategic position of the service in the country.

The Comptroller, who spoke in relation to the performance of the current management of the service under the newly appointed acting Comptroller General of the service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR within the last 100 days in the office, argued that the core functions of the service is to suppress smuggling, collect revenue, facilitate trade and generally enforce Federal Government’s fiscal policies, all of which are being done and effectively too.

While noting that though 100 days is a very short period of time to assess performance, he however said that in the last 100 days, in addition to enforcing Nigeria’s fiscal policies, which cut across every sector and accounts for over 80per cent of economic activities, the new CGC has undertaken several strategic and foundational local and regional trade facilitation engagements that would impact Nigeria’s economy in a very short time.

These include but not limited to the border pact signed between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin, which would be a game changer for the country in promoting regional trade and other partnerships with government agencies that would discourage smuggling of vehicles and other products.

Comptroller Nnadi insists that the CGC should primarily be judged by what happens at the various commands of the service under his watch, noting that several milestone seizures across most commands, which if not checkmated would harm Nigeria’s economy, while revenue targets are being made and surpassed across the commands, which came as a result of measures and reforms put in place by the CGC.

He said: “I’ll be very surprised if someone says not much has been achieved in the last 100 days of office. Being a serious stakeholder himself, one of the first things that was achieved was engaging the stakeholders. I am surprised that people still think that Customs should work in silo; that’s very wrong. Customs is responsible for over 80 per cent of activities that happen in our national economy.

“Practically speaking, whereas the Ministries of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Trade and Investment, the Federal Executive Council etc. churn out policies on economic development, Customs implement those policies. The CG of Customs cannot sit in one place; no! So, we had to talk to our major stakeholders, who are also Nigerians and whom our activities impact positively or negatively, that is what we had to achieve first.

“Secondly, we had to restore the confidence of Customs officers, who have been under the leadership of a non-Customs officer, who to his credit, also did so much to develop our capacities and environment. So, there is a transition period; and people still expect that you just wake up one morning and we announce ‘boom’, our revenue is now 100per cent.

“Don’t also forget that Customs is being affected by other economic policies in the country. For instance, we’re being affected by the exchange rate, cargo throughput has drastically gone down and the same CG is managing it effectively. Our trade modernisation project is ongoing process, we have partners in the system to continue with the project, officers are being trained, just recently, some officers went for promotion interviews; so the system didn’t shut down in the last 100 days in office.

“The 100-day syndrome is a creation by Nigerians because in a dynamic environment like the port industry, you should not assess performance by 100 days, it should actually be every day. For me, as long as revenue is being collected, milestone seizures are being made across commands, the CGC has done very well.

“For instance, talking about my command; Tin Can, when I reported here on September 14, our revenue collection was at 58per cent, now it is at 62.8per cent as at yesterday, so there are lots of improvements. I was initially worried when I first addressed the media about how I could achieve maximum collection of my revenue target in three months, when I am supposed to collect 42per cent in three months. Now, we have brought it down to 37.4per cent to be collected in three months; that means we’re making progress.

“I want to believe that before the end of the year, we would be able to achieve the 37.4per cent and even surpass it. That’s an achievement and these are being replicated across commands all over. I Seme, we met our revenue target in August before I left for this place, that means we are making progress under the leadership of the CGC.”