Newly deployed Comptroller to the Tincan Customs Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, Comptroller Dera Nnadi, has charged stakeholders to work together in providing solutions to individual and collective needs at the Command.
In his maiden address during his take over as Customs Area Controller of Tincan Island Command, Nnadi thanked the officers and men of the service for welcoming him back to Tincan Island Port Command as he assumed duties as the 20th Area Controller since the inception of the Command in 1977.
His words: “It is always a pleasure to be in your midst to continue the reforms of the maritime industry from both my personal perspective and that of the Nigeria Customs Service.
“The dynamism of the industry requires that we join forces as stakeholders to provide solutions to our individual and collective needs. The next phase of this assignment starts this morning as we all commit to leading from the front.
“For us as a Command, it is a daunting but surmountable task. As you are all aware, Nigeria Customs Service has three key performance indicators, which are revenue collection, anti-smuggling and service delivery, often referred to as facilitation of trade, which serves as a yardstick for measuring performance.”
He explained that these indicators will always remain relevant in all economic discourses until Nigeria attain full development as a nation, adding: “It is more so for Tincan Command, especially now.
“The Command revenue target of over N801 billion currently stands at 52 percent, with barely three months to the end of the year 2023 meaning that we must collect 48 percent of the remaining revenue target.
“Coming at a time the floating exchange rate is affecting importers and exporters, this is a big but achievable task. Similarly, our roles in securing the nation are vast, ranging from interventions against economic saboteurs who distort and take advantage of the nation’s trade policy. These also include those that import illicit goods that contribute to the insecurity in the country.”
Nnadi, who commended the outgoing Controller and officers of the Command for the recent seizure of two containers of Tramadol, assured that under his watch, the Command will sustain the fight against importation of illicit and unapproved drugs
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“Only recently the Customs Administrations of Nigeria and Benin Republic signed an agreement to develop frameworks for clearing of Nigeria-bound goods in Benin Ports and vice versa. This is a call for us to improve our business process and increase our efficiency in service delivery in order to be competitive with better ports in the sub-region.
“To this end, I will particularly request the cooperation of shipping companies, terminal operators and other government agencies in our efforts towards ensuring the actualisation of the rebranding of the Command.
“In line with this, I will essentially request that we respect our various mandates. Those concerned with regulatory functions should stay away from interference in revenue-related transactions except it is in their mandate to do so. Hopefully, this will improve service delivery in the Tincan Port,” he stated.
Speaking further, he cited the open door policy of the outgoing CAC, saying: “I will open my doors for seamless trade, but I will also close the door against unwholesome activities that will compromise the Service mandates.
“In my resolve to achieve the goals of the Command, we will not dwell on the usual blame of others for the various challenges bedevilling the maritime industry. No one person is responsible for the rot, but everyone should be ready to offer solutions.”
