Ali tasks promoted Customs officers on trade compliance for increased revenue

Abiola Seun     |    

The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Hameed Ali,  has urged the newly promoted officers of the service to ensure trade compliance and integrity at all levels to increase government revenue.

Speaking at the decoration of newly promoted officers of Zone A , Lagos yesterday,  Ali called on the newly promoted officers of the zone to work diligently to justify their promotions.

Ali who was represented by the Zone A Coordinator of the service, Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, (ACG), Kathleen Ekekezie said the promotion had given the officers high responsibilities to deliver by carrying out their work diligently, as their positions have changed.

The CGC  added that it is the thought of Customs management to make officers happy and the recent promotion is part of it.

“This is not the first time some of the promoted officers are making attempt to get to this rank. I’m going to convey your gratitude to the Comptroller General,  Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) to tell him how happy you are.

“I’m very sure that with this new rank, you are going to do things better than you used to do it when you are deputy comptroller. You are going to do things beautifully well now.

“I want to remind us that here in Zone A, our trade is absolute compliance at all levels and in everything. Compliance is not just meant for traders alone, it is also for Customs officers.

“So, maintain compliance at all levels so that the Customs CG won’t regret allowing such promotion happened.”, the Zonal Coordinator admonished.

The CGC, speaking through Mrs  Ekekezie, urged the new Controllers to instill compliance at all levels and coupled with the level of the traders they meet everyday and with the officers that are going to serve under them.

He further urged them to maintain compliance and show integrity and do things diligently.

“We are telling you today that you just have to be compliant and instill compliance at all levels and you must show integrity, that is the decree for this zone. You are going to find out that some of you will soon become Area Controllers and when you find yourself in that position, remember that everybody under you, just look at them as babies, people who must be coached, mentored and then you sit back and wait for the feedback.

“When you mentor and coach, you will get the best in the officers that are going to be placed under you and in doing that you must remember something, you must remember procedures.

“Procedure is another decree that governs everything we are doing at Nigeria Customs Service. The moment you step out of the procedure, you are on your own. If you maintain the procedure, you can never go wrong. There is procedure for everything that we do,” she stated.

He said the moment they stick with the procedure, they can never go wrong but once they step out of the procedure, there will be all manners of issues. She also stated that there is need to always maintain procedure and guides everything they do, which is the law that Customs follow.

He however reminded the newly promoted officers, especially those on the Comptroller ranks, about Customs primary responsibility, which is revenue generation; saying that they have all it takes to track Customs revenue in wherever is hiding.

The CGC said with COVID-19 or not, with their team playing spirit and carrying their officers along, whatever they miss, the next officers will not miss it.