By Lucy Nyambi
In a bid to strengthen the working relationship between the Nigeria Customs Service and the Media, the Ag. Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, has met with Customs Area Controllers in Zone ‘A’ as well as the Guild of Editors at the Lagos Marriott hotel on Sunday, 16th July 2023.
The Ag. CGC was in the company of Deputy Comptroller General of Customs Hamza Gummi in charge of Tariff and Trade, DCG Mohammed Abba-Kura in charge of Enforcement, Investigation & Inspection, DCG Jack Ajoku, in charge of Excise, Free Trade Zone & Industrial Incentives, ACG Festus Okun, Zonal Coordinator, Zone ‘A’, among others.
In his remarks, the Ag. CGC noted that the Service has made remarkable progress in different areas over the years and will be soliciting the support, guidance and collaboration of the Media while at the helm of affairs of the Service.
According to him, “In over 10 years, Customs has made some progress, we have broken several grounds on ICT, human resource development, revenue generation and in the next few years, we will be building and consolidating on those grounds and hoping that there are some areas where we will deploy innovative solutions”.
“Collaboration is going to be very strong on the agenda of Customs and this is why we are starting this with our partners in the Media”, he added.
“We will be open to collaborating with our partners in bringing more comprehensive reports to let Nigerians know what our challenges are, what the gaps are, what we can do to bridge those gaps to improve border security and generally, Nigeria”, he emphasized.
In his speech, the President, of the Nigeria Guild of Editors, Eze Anaba congratulated the Customs Boss on his appointment and assured them of their support while also noting the importance of Communication.
“Your coming on board is a refreshing development and I am sure we will enjoy such interactions, on behalf of my colleagues. I assure you that if you continue this way, the Nigeria Customs Service will have it good in the media”, he said.
“Some people say they’re afraid of the Media but the truth is that, if there’s no communication, if there’s no interaction, there will be miscommunication”, he stressed.
In the same vein, the A.g CGC also had dinner with Public Relations Officers in Zone A’, as well as maritime journalists at Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja.
He assured them of an open-door policy and the need for corporation and partnership in steering the affairs of the Service.
“My intention is just to register our presence in Lagos. We know what Lagos means to Customs and in doing so, we solicit your support, guidance, corporation and partnership in steering the affairs of the Nigeria Customs Service”, he said.
“I will open my doors to you, it’s going to be an open governance system; you will have the opportunity to contribute, to check the directions in which the customs would go while I am in charge”. He concluded.