Since the appointment of Deputy Comptroller Oladapo Olukayode Afeni as the Acting Customs Area Controller (CAC), Ogun 1 Command, by the Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Dr. Adewale Bashir Adeniyi, he has not left anyone in doubt that he has what it takes to deliver on his mandate. The three core mandate of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) remains revenue generation, trade facilitation and anti-smuggling. It is on record that Ogun 1 Command which has its operational headquarters in Idiroko has not only up its game on revenue generation and trade facilitation but has also turned the heat on smugglers of items listed in the Import Prohibition List (IPL) and the Export Prohibition List (EPL). While the IPL comprises items that cannot be imported into Nigeria, on the other hand, the EPL contained goods that cannot be exported out of the country. As a command that operates in an area that shares borders with Nigeria’s neighbours in the West Africa Sub-region, keeping an eye on the ground to ensure that unpatriotic Nigerians do not violates the provisions of the IPL and EPL is germane. This is not unconnected with the fact that the violations of the laws of the land as its affects the economy will not be detrimental to Nigeria but also Nigerians. For instance, the smuggling of second hand clothes popularly called ‘okrika’ will kill the local industries with the shrinking of employment opportunities for the teeming youths presently roaming the streets for non-existent jobs.
Maritime Bits checks revealed that the IPL and EPL are drawn up in line with the fiscal policies of the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Finance and implemented by the Customs High Command. Since his appointment as the Acting CAC, Afeni has not rest on his oars on the delivery of the roles and responsibilities of the NCS.
On many occasions, Afeni has led officers and men of the command to intercept contrabands from suspected smugglers and other criminal elements operating along the Idiroko corridor. In the process, several seizures with duty paid value (DPV) worth several billions of naira were made. Not a few stakeholders in the maritime sector of the economy and beyond have opined that the command under Afeni’s watch has not allow suspected smugglers and other criminal elements to make the area a playground. Photographs do not lie. John Iwori captures some of the recent exploits of the command in these photographs:
