Nigeria customs set to celebrate occasion

ben adhoc

January 22, 2016 12:54 PM

He said that the Service was 90 per cent prepared for 2016 Customs Day on Jan. 26, adding that the theme for this year is "Digital Customs, Progressive Engagement.’’

Officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (Photo used for illustrative purposes alone)

The Deputy Public Relations Officer (DPRO), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr Joseph Attah, says arrangements have been concluded to celebrate this year’s International Customs Day (ICD).

Attah made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.

Attah said that digitalisation had impacted positively on the relationship between the Service and its stakeholders worldwide, adding that progress had been made in the course of engaging stakeholders.

He added that "the NCS is set; I can say we are about 90 per cent prepared for Tuesday and the theme for this year is `Digital Customs, Progressive Engagement.’

"The Service is playing a leading role by providing electronic platform not only for customs operations but to the extent that it helps other critical government agencies to effectively discharge their mandate.

"NCS is well digitalised and most of our operations today are ICT-driven.’’

According to the DPRO, the difference between this year and other years is that the service will be celebrating the ICD with a new Comptroller General.

"The new customs boss is a man whose passion for transparency, integrity and honesty is well known to Nigerians.

"Digitalisation, as you know, can be deployed to help in the fight against corruption; so this day will bring to the front burner the importance of e-customs.

"E-customs has helped to boost our revenue collection; e-customs has wiped away many vices that are usually associated with the manual process.’’

According to him, the day is set aside to appreciate the sacrifices that customs officers make on daily basis for the economic and security wellbeing of Nigerians.

Attah said that the day was to remind officers of their core functions of ensuring economic and security wellbeing of the nation and also served to motivate the officers to do more.

NAN recalls that the theme for 2015 was "Coordinated Border Management’’ with emphasis on security and regulatory agencies coming together to secure the nation’s borders.

Attah emphasised that having a stop shop where agencies could interact made transactions easier for all stakeholders.

ben adhoc