Communities demands opening of border, filling stations
Nigeria – The Ag. Comptroller General of Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR has pledged to improve Customs Community Relations in Border Areas to facilitate the discharge of its mandates.
According to him, the role of the border community is vital to help security agencies in the discharge of their duties as regards national security.
CG Adeniyi made this known on Sunday, the 6th of August, 2023, when he visited the Royal palaces of Oba Kehinde Adeboye Gbadewole Olugbenle MFR, Olu of Ilaro and Paramount Ruler of Yewaland, Oba John Olakunle Ojo, the Oniko of Iko, Idiroko Kingdom and Oba Yisa Adeniyi Adelakun Olaniyan,Oba Yisa Adeniyi Adelakun Olaniyan, the Onikpokia of Ikpokia Kingdom.
Stating the purpose of his visit, the Ag. CGC, solicited the support of border communities and their leaders, as it is paramount to the success of the service operations.
He said, “Members of this community, like all other border communities in Nigeria, have a significant role in helping our Security Agencies in the discharge of their role as regards national security.
“Idiroko is very strategic to our operations; all borders around Idiroko represent a strategic gateway to not just trade and economic development of Nigeria but also for National security management”.
The community leaders appreciated the Ag. CGC for his visit while raising concerns on issues affecting their livelihood.
The Customs Boss, in response, charged them to channel their reactions appropriately to the government as the new administration would grant a listening ear while also soliciting their support.
“I will request you, as a community, to continue to support the government. “We have a new administration that has shown that it will listen to people, a new administration that has demonstrated that when policies are not working, we are ready to review it”, he noted.
“Because of that commitment, I want to charge members of this community to channel your reactions appropriately to government, and as a responsible government, I believe that they will listen to you and make amendments where necessary”, he added.
The Customs Boss also noted that recruitment policies will be revisited to ensure that more people from the border communities get slots into Nigeria Customs Service.
“One fair commitment will like to give to you is that we will do better in recruitment with people in border communities in the Nigeria Customs Service because we believe that they are stakeholders, and customs community relationship is stronger when you know that you have your sons and daughters in the Nigeria Customs Service”, he revealed.
“We are also not unmindful of the fact that where we have this kind of critical operations, we should also be talking about the kind of corporate social responsibility programs that we are going to be doing in places like this”, he added.
The CGC was earlier received by the Area Controller, Comptroller Bamidele Makinde, representatives of Sister Agencies and the Republic of Benin Customs Administration as well as stakeholders.
He reiterated the need for all Agencies to remain focused and committed towards the ideal of national and regional security.
“For us in Customs and indeed all other members of the Security Agencies, our task in this part of the country is critical. We have a collective mandate to ensure and enhance national security”, he said.
“We see every criminal as an enemy of the state first and foremost before you begin to talk about our mandate of smuggling, human and drug trafficking, and all of that”, he emphasized.
Earlier at the palace of Oba Olakunle Ojo, Oniko of Ikolaje, Idiroko, the member, Ogun State House of Assembly representing Ipokia/Idiroko State Constituency, Hon. (Otunba) Bisi Oyedele appealed to the CGC, to reopen Idiroko border and lift the restrictions on the supply of petroleum products to the borde communities.
The CGC visit is in continuation of his familiarization tour to Area Commands and Units in Zone ‘A’
