3 YEARS ON: HOW THE CG HAS EQUIPPED CUSTOMS TO FIGHT SMUGGLING; WE’VE LEANED AWAY FROM REACTIVE TO PREDICTIVE ENFORCEMENT—COMPT ALIYU
By Timothy Paul Okorocha
Controller of the flagship Federal Operations Unit (FOU) zone A, Comptroller Gambo Aliyu has said that the Customs Comptroller General , Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, PhD, MFR, has demonstrated in no small measure, the capacity to fight smuggling and bring perpetrators to book in real time.
In a chat in Lagos, he stated that the Customs boss has demonstrated extreme passion to stem the tide through programmes and policies he has put in place in the last three years aimed at nipping smuggling attempts in the bud.
The Controller marshaled out the deployment of requisite tools and techniques that position the anti-smuggling drive to lean away from reactive to predictive enforcement as a huge pointer to the strong will by the Comptroller General to stamp out the ugly economic sabotage from the system.
Aliyu revealed that this measure has seen the Service deploying Geospatial technology which seeks to improve interdiction success rates, better and timely reporting, improved situational awareness and better resource management, through the use of spatial analytics to elicit Geoint outcomes.
‘Previously, we had depended solely on Humint and Osint, which are prone to vulnerability in our area of responsibility’, Aliyu deposed.
The recent introduction of Competency based Human Resource Management as a key component of the Administration is yielding the desired results . This coupled with a proper reward and sanction based system has therefore motivated officers to put in their best in the interdiction of smuggling acts. This also has reaffirmed the zero tolerance stance of the CGC against acts inimical to public trust. He has issued marching orders to sanction all acts among the rank and file, that are not consonant with their commission.
Institutionalising weekly / monthly monitoring and evaluation – This is a critical component of the CGC’s strategy aimed at analysing patterns, trends & sequences in their areas of responsibility. With the increase in trade volumes, and complexities in the dynamics, the CGC has made it a Service culture to periodically monitor these variables, as this ensures officers adapt continuously to the typologies of incidences at their various areas, he deposed
Other incentives are increased remunerations,which includes upscaling of benefits for retiring officers, which has served as a motivation in the fight against the menace of smuggling.
FOU A RECENT DRUG SEIZURES
Our recent drug seizures are as a result of a deliberate, concerted effort by the unit, to fulfil one of our important mandates,
THE PROTECTION OF THE NIGERIAN SOCIETY. According to him, they embarked on a targeted approach and this led to the successful interdictions that we have recorded in recent times.
“Our view is that the youth population is continuously being ravaged by the effects of drugs and in a modest way, the Service in fulfilment of her mandate, has targeted the supply chain.”
They have achieved tremendous success in conjunction with other agencies in this regard, notably the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, their dependable partner in the fight against the illicit trade.”
He said that their believe is that there is a connection between drug smuggling & the increased incidence of societal vices, crime & criminality, so they would leave no stone unturned in their resolve to fight the scourge.”