A maritime expert, Prince Olusegun Ologbese has hailed the immediate past Zonal Coordinator, Zone ‘A’, Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Assistant Controller General (ACG), Aminu Dahiru for the strides he made while he was in office.
Until a recent memo signed by the Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Colonel Ibrahim Hameed Ali (retired) which authorised the deployment of the top echelon of the Customs High Command, Dahiru was the helmsman of Zone ‘A’ which remains the zone that comprises the most prime Customs formations in the country.
Following the memo, the Customs Chief was transferred to the NCS Headquarters, Abuja where he has since resumed duty.
In an exclusive interview with Maritime Bits in Lagos, the maritime expert lauded ACG Dahiru for the achievements he recorded during his tenure as the NCS Zonal Co-ordinator, Zone A.
Ologbese who is also the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ogbese Marine Services Limited said ACG Dahiru brought what he caked “palpable sanity” into the operations of the NCS while he was in the saddle.
According to the maritime expert, ACG Aminu Dahi also brought harmonious relationships between the various commands of the NCS in Zone ‘A’ and other stakeholders in the maritime industry, especially licensed customs agents and terminal operators. This move helped in no small way to ensure trade facilitation which remains one of the core functions of the service.
Continuing, Ologbese who is also the life patron of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ondo/Ekiti Chapter stated that ACG Dahiru also used his position to call for the total compliance of port users.
“ACG Dahiru made it very clear at the various stakeholders meetings that his doors are open for genuine and serious complaints at any time any port user feel aggrieved. In fact, he always re-assure port stakeholderss that they have nothing to fear as long as they do the right thing in their documentations”, he said.
The maritime expert stated that the era of ACG Dahiru as the ACG Zone ‘A’ also brought good business relations in the maritime sector of the economy as areas of possible conflict were addressed by the Customs Chief as a matter of priority.
Ologbese said sanity was brought to the operations of the NCS as ACG Dahiru took time to embark on an official tour of the Customs formations under his watch to ensure that they do the right thing at all times.
According to him, the Customs Chief also embarked on inspection visit to the bonded terminals under his supervision besides putting an eye on all the Customs Area Comptrollers (CACs) under his supervision.
While wishing him well in his new duty post at NCS Headquarters, Abuja, the maritime expert popularly called “Alaye” enjoined him not to relent in his determination to make Customs the pride of the nation.
He also drummed support for the service, pointing out that the NCS would not be in a position to actualise its statutory roles and responsibilities without the support and co-operation of stakeholders.
He argued that if the stakeholders in the maritime industry do not give NCS the needed support and co-operation, the service will achieve little or nothing.
He also hailed the Customs Chief on the achievements he made in the area of revenue generation and anti-smuggling.
The maritime expert also solicited for the total compliance of port users, especially importers and licensed customs agents.
Besides, Tin Can Island Port, KLT, PMT, Lily Pond, ACG Dahiru also has Apapa Area Command which is home to Nigeria’s busiest port, Apapa Quay under his watch while he was in the saddle.
