By Godwin Oritse
CUSTOMS Area Comptroller of the Port Terminal Multi-Purpose Services Limited (PTML) Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Eporwei Edike has said that it is the desire of the management of the Command to make it a model for other Customs Commands to emulate.

Speaking to Vanguard in Lagos recently, Edike said that the process of cargo clearance at the terminal has been developed to a such a level that it is difficult for an officer to keep a Single Goods Declaration (SGD) form for more than ten minutes.

He explained that if an SGD form stays with an officer for more than ten minutes, then it must referred to a superior officer.

He noted that if the agents and importers are happy with the type services being rendered , they will keep coming back adding that their continuous patronage will translate to more revenue for the Command.

It will be recalled that before seasoned Customs officer took over the Command,. when the Command was characterised by cases of corruption, protest, and revenue fraud that saw the deployment of three Customs Comptrollers in less that six months

On how he was able ti stabilize the once volatile Command, Edike stated that every officer has been able to come to the level of ecery stakeholder that requires the service of the Command.

His words “If agents are happy, importers are happy, they will keep bringing in more cargoes through the PTML terminal and this will mean more revenue for us

“We were able to stabilize the Command we saw everyone as equal and important to the business we do.
“We are public servants and PTML is an agent and importer friendly Command this we have been able to achieve”.

He also said that the good welfare package initiated by the current Comptroller General of the Customs service has to a large extent boosted the morale of officers who are working round the clock to ensure that the Command revenue target for year is met.

Edike who recently decorated some newly promoted officers in his Command commended the the Comotrller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko for considering these category of officers for promotion

He enjoined the officers to see their promotion as a call to duty, reminding that to whom much is given,nuch is equally expected.

He also reinteated the Comptroller-General’s focus on increased revenue generation and supression of suggling.

The Command’s Customs boss urged officers who benefitted from the exercise not use their new ranks to undermined the service.

Besides the promotion exercise, the management of the NCS has also gotten approval to increase their pay by 100%.

It will be recalled that the NCS late last year embarked on a massive recruitment exercise to replace its aging and retiring force.

The Service about eights ago recruited and trained about 5,000 young Nigerians into its system, while a[pproval has also been given the NCS to another 5,000 in another two years.
The NCS currently has 16,000 in its workforce as against 7,000 retirees