Story by Dili Utomi.
The critical session of the 2023 Comptroller General of Customs’ Conference with the theme, Leveraging Data Analytics for Secure and Efficient Trade Facilitation in Customs Operations taking place at the Intercontinental hotel Victoria Island, Lagos happened Thursday with the president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu being represented by his vice, Senator Kashim Shettima.
The vice president, Senator Kashim Shettima arriving the venue of the event.
The Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi made a welcome speech where he highlighted the great importance of hosting the event in Lagos, a State that houses about 40% of the total number of Customs Command in the Country. The Customs boss who noted that over 70% of the total monthly revenue comes from Lagos alone added that “Lagos is not just a location, it is the cornerstone for the Nigeria Customs Service symbolising the integral role in the economic narrative of our great nation and as we navigate through the agenda of today, we will hope that the synergy of Lagos and the Customs inspire us to enhance operations and contribute significantly to the economic prosperity of Nigeria. Welcome to the pulsating heartbeat of trade and commerce. Let me invite you to embark on tours of historical expedition as we delve into the origins of Customs, an institution tracing its roots back to its esteemed establishment over a century ago. Since its inception, Customs has been to us a formidable diagram of our nation’s economic interest, adapting to the ever evolving landscape of global trade. Beyond its traditional role of safeguarding borders, Customs has evolved into a vital catalyst for economic growth and development in this era, characterised by relentless change, Customs emerges as a paragon of resilience and adaptability, eagerly embracing technology and global best practices to remain at the forefront of its mission and standing at a crossroad of innovation, and tradition”.
His Imperial Majesty, Ooni of Ile-Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwunsi, Ojoja II was a special guest at the event and he took time out to say his goodwill message. The Ooni enjoined the officers and men of the Service to give service to the nation proudly and also to continue to give their best at all times. He is of the opinion that Lagos should enjoy a special status because of her economic and strategic importance to the nation.
The CG clearly looking to take the Customs from its present struggles through to a period of an efficient entity added that ” As we navigate the complex intersection of tradition and progress, our (Customs’) dedication resonates in shaping our economic landscape and not merely as an organisation, (but) maintaining the highest standards as a dynamic force propelling us into the future where innovation seamlessly harmonises with our established values”.
The secretary general of the World Customs Organisation, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya made a pre-recorded goodwill remark, he stated that the Nigeria Customs Service is a vital part of the modernisation of Customs operation and very integral in the general operations of the World Customs Organisation.
Standing from the left are CG Adeniyi, VC Shettima and Governor Sanwo-Olu.
CG Adeniyi in his words added “Nigeria customs service is also constantly striving for performance in all our engagements. Our commitment to using meticulous data management to improve security and trade and to positively engage our stakeholders is actively on and running and just like Lagos that would never sleep, Nigeria Customs Service will remain sleepless until we meet our goal of integrating and streamlining our operations to international standards. May the dynamic energy of Lagos inspire discussions and forge pathways towards economic prosperity”.
The Lagos State governor, Babajide Olushola Sanwo-Olu in his goodwill message praised the qualities of the Customs CG which he noted has evidently rubbed off on his men. He further delved into the importance of investing more in Lagos in order to reap more beneficial rewards. The governor said that for the Customs to be able to perform its statutory duties, make things more efficient with greater results within the increasing complexities of their operation, the desire to match with global standards and the determination to improve significantly on current level of bilateral and multilateral trades, this conference is all the more imperative and the conversations more important. His words “we believe that leveraging on technology to build capacity in all officers in order to analyse data accurately and to have the ability to form a well thought-out decision making analysis is critical and totally germane.
The governor also thinks that Lagos as a litoral State has more to offer with the recent opening of the Lekki deep sea Port and the Badagry Port in the pipeline.
The vice president who represented the president in his remark said that before they were given the mandate, that they know that the integration of data is of vital importance and that the determination of the proper security of a nation sometimes depend on the generation of data. He added that the training of officers to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the best anywhere in the world is of paramount importance to the government.
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