[dropcap]C[/dropcap]omptroller Mohammed Garba,the former Controller of Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone A, Ikeja, of the Nigeria Customs  Service, who by any matrix, can be called an anti-smuggling czar.He took battle to the Smugglers den immediately he assumed office as the controller of Federal Operation Unit, Zone “A” because he vowed to stop smugglers from operating in entire south west zone during his tenure as FOU, Zone”A” boss because he knows that smugglers as economic saboteurs who are bent on circumventing the law.

He has always held on to the philosophy that you can never succeed as an anti-smuggling officer by mere saying smuggling is bad and smugglers are dangerous to our national economic growth. You must try to show example by fighting it head-on and putting your life on the line to show that you can die for this course. This anti-smuggling czar whose antecedents are record breaking at Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone A, Ikeja when it comes to customs operations wondered aloud that while a good number of well meaning Nigerians are appreciative of government efforts to rid the nation of corruption in all its ramifications, some smugglers are repentantly bent on circumventing the lofty mission for their selfish interest. A believer in optimum delivery wherever he serves. Compt. Mohammed Garba, enumerated the obvious consequences of smuggling to the nation’s economy and her citizenry especially when it has brought unspeakable grief and sorrows to those caught and members of their families.

For years rice and vehicle smugglers in the southwest geo-political region were always smiling to the bank while the
economy suffers. The smuggling situation may have forced Muhammed Uba Garba, Comptroller, Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone A, Ikeja, and his men to go back to the drawing board on how to cage the smugglers by acting on credible intelligence.

The effort of Mohammed and his men may have worked out as the Command impounded 127,000, of ”50” bags of foreign parboiled rice in 2017 alone. The rice smugglers may have realised that there was no hiding place for them in the illegal business as they were forced to scale down their operations , thus giving the Command patrol teams combing the bush paths and waterways in the region little or no job to do.

Mohammed confirmed that there had been a significant drop in the smuggling of foreign parboiled rice and Vehicles
across the land border Areas in the region in the recent months because of the measures put on ground and the activities of the patrol officers.This is evident going by the quantity of rice and other seizures that were said to have been made by the Command between January and June 2018. The Magazine gathered that the Command made a seizure f about 34, 000 bags of ”50” foreign parboiled allegedly smuggled into the country through illegal routes. The Customs boss , who is optimistic that the drop would persist because of the Customs anti-smuggling personnel who are all over the region said there was no gaing back. Take for instance, the Headquarter’s Strike Force personnel, who have virtually taken over the Iseyin and Sarki area in Oyo state as their branded vehicles are everywhere .

Given the loses incured between January and June 2018, rice smugglers may have devised new strategies to beat FOU , Zone A, personnel to it. But Mohammed Uba disclosed that every steps taken by them would continue to be punctured by acting on credible intelligence . He cited the Concealment of 330 ”50”kg bags of foreign parboiled with Charcoal in a Containerised truck . The truck was said to have been impounded at Idiroko land border, Ogun state.

The FOU, Zone A personnel, according to sources have every reason to be hard on foreign rice smugglers to save foreign  exchange for the government. This is because between 2015 and now, the Federal ministry of Finance and the Central Bank of Nigeria had not given Letter of Credit, LC, to any rice importer, meaning that the government had save about $60 million or N215 billion on rice imports. This is because rice is one of the 41 items banned by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, from accessing the foreign Exchange market.

With the ban on rice importers from accessing the forex market, the Asian country of Thailand rice farmers appears to be losing their Nigeria Customers. A CBN source told the Grassroots Publishers that the yearly rice import of 1.2 million metric tons had dropped to less than 700,000 metric tons with the implementation of the policy as many importers had gone into the rice farming business.

Already Mohammed has told those that care to listen that their obligation is to support the Federal government policy on rice imports to encourage local rice farmers and the millers in order to create employment opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths in the country. Given an insider view of the activities of the Command between June 13, 2018 and July 25, 2018, the Customs boss disclosed that 9,504”50”kg bags of Thailand rice, 426 ”25”kg jerry cans of vegetable oil, 333 cartons of poultry products, 287 bales of secondhand clothing and 196 pieces of used tyres were seized and kept in the warehouse awaiting Headquarters orders for evacuation to the Internally Displaced Peoples, IDP , Camps in Borno state .

Hameed Ali, a retired Colonel and Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, was said to have directed the
evacuation of 11,597 bags of ”50” bags of foreign parboiled rice by the Nigeria Army of Supply and Transport , NACST, IDP, Camp in Borno state to create space to warehouse other seized items. Other items on the evacuation list are 627 and 485 jerry cans of Vegetable Oil 25 liters and 5 liters each, 219 bales of used clothing and 33 sacks of used shoes.

Another major item intercepted by the Commmand within the period were 21 exotic vehicles. They are one Mercedes Benz, G500, 2016 model, six Toyota Hiace Bus, 2018 model, three Lexus Jeep GX460 and Lx570, 2017 model and one Toyota , Hilux, 2017 model. Others are Toyota Land Cruiser, (2016), Toyota Hilux bullet proof,(2014), Toyota Corolla,(2018), Honda Civic, 2016, Honda Accord, 2016 and Dodge Charger, 2016, one piece each. the FOU, Zone A, Customs boss, confirmed that the 21 exotic detained vehicles have a Duty Paid Value, DPV, of N484.46
million. The vehicles were said to have been detained because the owners could not produce relevant Customs documents. Just as rice smugglers in the south west have scaled down their operatons, the same was said to be applicable to vehicle importers. There are fears in both official and unofficial circles that these vehicles may be forfeited to the government. That much was confirmed by Muhammed Uba, who ” urged the owners of the detained vehicles to come forward with valid Customs documents to take delivery of it otherwise they will be liable to seizure and subsequent forfeiture to the government in line with the provisions of sections 147 of Customs and Excise Management Act, Cap 145, laws to search premise freely and 158, Cap 145, power to patrol freely, 2004.

Investigation by the Grassroots Publishers shows that most of smuggled vehicles found on the Lagos -Ibadam expressway which had fallen into the waiting hands of the FOU, Zone A, patrol team personnel or at the Checkpoint were smuggled through the north. This is because the tight security provided by Muhammed Uba and his men in the south west, particular, Idiroko, Seme, Iseyin and Sarki.

Perhaps, what may have gladdened the Comptroller, was the interception of an Iveco Truck with Registration No. LAM283 LG along the Ijebu Ode Ore Road carrying 498 cartons of CSP Codeine Cough Syrup,100 ml with each carton containing 200 bottles. It would be recalled that Emzor Pharmaceutical Company Ltd and two other Pharmaceutical Companies in Kwara state one production line each was shut for producing Cough syrup with Codeine allegedly manufactured in United Kingdom. The federal government had banned the importation of Cough Syrup that contains Codeine. The closure of the Pharmaceutical Companies Coup Syrup production lines may have opened the eye of FOU ,personnel in Zone A and Zone C , to put a close tab on Pharmaceutical products imported into the country. the question on the lips of most people was:How did the CSP Cough Syrup enter into the country, if Customs personnel at the Idiroko land border where the Truck was allegedly intercepted had not compromised with smugglers.

Mohammeed Uba has given his words that the items would be handed over the items to the National Agency For Food and Drug Administration, NAFDAC, for further investigation. Another major seizures that may have given the Customs Comptroller joy were two the Containers at the seaports because of their contents which contravenes the government fiscal policy measures. The Containers were said to have been intercepted by the Command operations and Lagos Roving team Headed by Riks Lura, a Chief Superintendent of Customs. The Container Nos. are PCIU922650/8 and PCIU871664/5 respectively. The Containers were seized at the instance of the
Mohammed Uba , the Area Comptroller for false declaration which contravenes the government fiscal policy measures. The first Container, was said to have been seized for carrying 525 bales of second hand clothing as against used motor cycles declared in the SGD Form while the second ”40”Container fell into the Customs hand for carrying 11 jumbo bales of jeans, 365 cartons of new slippers, 145 cartons of new bags as against ”adhesive dressing declared”. Insiders informed the Grassroots Publishers that the Command also impounded two Containers filled with unprocessed wood for export to China against the government policy on wood exports. one of the Containers was said to have been intercepted at Tin-can Island port while the second one came from Apapa. The seizure of the Containers have exposed the rot at the seaports.

The Grassroots Publishers gathered that some people have been arrested in connection with the seized Containers. As at Wednesday, July 25, 2018, the suspects were still in detention awaiting for their bail order to be confirmed.Despite working round the clock to sanitise the seaports, airport and Land border stations, the Command was said to have recovered N67.4 million for the government. This is revenue could have entered into private pockets but for the intervention of the Command. The FOU, Zone A,former Customs boss may have played into the hand of some powerful importers and agents who are well connected and before of his incessant seizure of Containers for contravention of government fiscal policy measures and may have resorted to blackmail him to put him in the bad book of the Management.
The recent redeployment of this anti-smuggling czar to Seme Border Command is welcome development as we all know that he will perform very well in terms of revenue generation, anti-smuggling drive, legitimate trade facilitation and the security of the nation through the effective manning of the border and he will soak the culture of transparency and professionalism while discharging his responsibilities.

[dropcap]C[/dropcap]omptroller Mohammed Uba has been redeployed as the new Area Controller of the Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Command, the Grassroots Publishers reports.
Grassroots Publisher reports that Mohammed Uba , who has assumed duty at Seme today, was prior to now the Controller of the Federal Operations Unit , Zone ‘A’Ikeja , Lagos.He told the officers and men of the command that his intention was to consolidate on the achievements of his predecessor.The controller said that he would intensify his efforts toward more revenue generation.

In a brief ceremony conducted at the Seme Customs conference room,the outgoing Comptroller Mohammed Aliyu formally handed over the Command with the signing of the Handing/Taking over notes by both comptrollers.
In his remarks, the outgoing Controller thanked the Comptroller General of Customs (Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali rtd) for the opportunity given to him to serve and contribute his quota in the development of the nation. He promised to continue putting in more efforts at his new place of assignment and equally prayed for the success of his successor.

Comptroller Mohammed Aliyu disclosed that his tenure witnessed an unprecedented increase in revenue and seizures despite the numerous challenges. He gave a breakdown of his achievements as follows: between the months of March 2017 and August 2018, he collected a total revenue of overEight billion Naira (N8,433,739,742.27) and also made 1060 seizures with Duty Paid Value (DPV) of over One billion Naira (N1,040,911,899.32)in the period under review. He also seized over 39950x50kg bags of rice which is equivalent to 66 trailer trucks.Furthermore,over 28,000 bags of rice were sent to IDP’s as per existing Federal Government policy.Inaddition to that, thirty seven (37) exotic vehicles were also confiscated. Also seized are various medicaments and other perishable items which were duly condemned and destroyed.

He also took some proactive steps to give the Seme border area an international outlook; critical amidst them is the reclaiming of the Seme border customs land that has over the years been encroached on illegally by unscrupulous individuals without due process and approval; by sanitizing the gate way corridor, he also reduced the miscreants and touts called “Kelegbes” who infiltrated the border and hinders trade facilitation. He also blocked an illegal passage by building a wall to the joint border post to ensure border security.
The new Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Mohammed Uba Garba expressed his gratitude and wishes him God’s guidance in his new place of work. He also reminded the Customs officers on the importance of discipline in the discharge of their duties. According to him, team work, commitment and dedication to duty is essential in achieving success towards moving the command to greater heights.
“All hands must be on deck in dealing with the challenges of manning a peculiar international border like Seme, which is characterised by heavy vehicular movement and human traffic.“All officers must follow the policy thrust of the Comptroller-General of Customs while discharging their statutory responsibilities.
“We must also perform well in terms of revenue generation, anti-smuggling drive, legitimate trade facilitation and the security of the nation through the effective manning of the border.”
Comptroller Mohammed Uba Garba urged all officers to imbibe the culture of transparency and professionalism while discharging their responsibilities.He warned that any act of negative conduct among officers would not be tolerated by him.

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms Hadiza Usman, has said that the 2km Apapa Wharf Road being reconstructed would be completed and opened to motorists by the end of next month. Usman made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Sunday.

The managing director said that the reconstruction which would cost N4.34 billion would enable the Federal Government to achieve its goals as regards the Ease of Doing Business. She said that NPA was working with the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing to rehabilitate all ports’ access roads in the country to ensure a level playing field and to also facilitate trade.

According to her, NPA and the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing will develop a mechanism for funding all reconstruction and rehabilitation of ports’ access roads. She said that government had also approved the commencement of reconstruction of Tin-Can Island Port access road to Mile that the contractor would start work any moment.

She also said that the Apapa Port had been illuminated for 24-hour port operations, noting that the authority was working toward an electronic gate system to stop touting within the port environment.

Usman said that NPA had put in place an aggressive monitoring mechanism, adding that the authority visited the site from time to time to check the progress and any bottleneck within the construction area.

NAN reports that the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, had on June 16, 2017, signed a N4.34 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dangote Group and other stakeholders for the reconstruction of Apapa Wharf Road.

The project is being funded by AG Dangote Construction Company Ltd., an arm of the Dangote Group, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Flour Mills of Nigeria.

Fashola had explained that the gridlock in Apapa became compounded and had reached an unbearable level as transporters ignored the old system of moving cargo through rail to trucks and containers.

He said that the choice of the transporters to use road instead of rail for haulage increased gridlock, caused degeneration as well as well hardship to residents of Apapa.

He commended the leadership role’ of the stakeholders in solving the complex problems in Apapa and its environs.

According to him, the situation has caused stress to residents, business owners and other stakeholders in the state.

“As a result of all these unsavoury practices, we have reached a point of near total gridlock. It is difficult to move cargo in or out; difficult for residents to get home and this must stop,’’ he said.

Fashola said that it took time to reach an agreement on the project because the stakeholders were putting up an effective design that would address the drainage problem because the area was water-logged.

The minister said that though the three parties (Dangote, Flour Mills and NPA) were funding the project, the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing would supervise it through all the stages to ensure quality and compliance to standards. NAN also reports that the construction commenced on July 17, 2017.