Customs explains decentralisation of CG Strike Force - says monitoring will be more intense

The Nigeria Customs Service has explained the reason why it disbanded the Comptroller General of Customs’ Strike Force under Deputy Comptroller Abdullah Kirawa and replaced it with decentralized operations.

The National Public Relations Officer of the Service, Deputy Comptroller Joseph Attah in an exclusive interview with Nigeriamaritime360.com in Abuja, said that the Strike Force against popular belief was not disbanded but decentralized for effective and efficient performance.

Attah maintained, “It is a routine thing aimed at getting a better result.

“It is the responsibility of the management of the Nigerian Customs Service to from time to time review our strategies and fine tune them and take decisions considered appropriate at any given time.

“At this point in time, the management of the Nigeria Customs Service feels that it will be best for our anti- smuggling strategy to decentralize the task force. Before now, it has been one man that is in charge of the activities of the strike force nationwide and coordinating the activities.

“This is a herculean task and sometimes his attention might be needed in Sokoto and he might be in Lagos at that time and may be on his way to Sokoto, he will be needed in Port Harcourt or Owerri and all that.

“So, it is in the wisdom of the Service that having tried his best and performed creditable well, there is also need to bring other people on board and this time, with a smaller area of coverage such that will enable effective, intense and sustained implementation of the anti -smuggling strategies” Attah explained.

Speaking on multiplicity of layers of checks in cargo clearance process by Customs , he averted the the low level of compliance of Nigerian importers and clearing agents is responsible for the initiative.

He admitted that the intervention of the enforcement officers at different points slows down the cargo clearing process.

“How I wish the compliance level in Nigeria is 100 percent, there would have been no need for all the layers of intervening operatives in cargo clearing process.” he declared