keeping to his agenda, The transformation
Agenda President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is
leading the pack among his African
Counterparts in all Sectors, Segments and
frontiers of the Economy.
This drive for a new infrastructural upgrade
and economic transformation is in tandem
with the country s Vision to be among the
best 20th economy in the world by year 2020.
The Transformation Agenda arose out of the
need to correct the flows in the country s
drive for development where there is absence
of long terms perspective and lack of
continuity, consistency and commitment (3Cs)
to agreed policies. The culminating effect of
these has been growth and development of the
Nigerian economy.
Alhaji-Dikko-Abdulahi, C G, Customs
According to the information contained in the
enabling document, the transformation agenda
is based on and draws inspiration from the
vision 20: 20: 20 and the first National
Implementation Plan (NIP) and aims to deepen
the effects and provide a sense of direction.
There is no doubt Nigeria is gradually and
consistently transforming in all sectors,
including the human resources at the various
ministries, parastatals, Agencies as the engines
that drive the human capacity especially at the
federal level are all keying into the new order
of transformation. As such for the Nigeria
Customs Service (NCS) a transformed Customs
Service is a sin qua non.
For the Comptroller General of the Service,
Alhaji (Dr) Abdullahi Dikko Inde, CFR,
transformation, innovations and trade
facilitation are his watch words. In the past
two years of the Transformation Agenda, the
Nigeria Customs Service has stood on a
consistent march towards the new world order
of trade facilitation with the latest Information
Technology Communication (ICT) that bound
trades without hassles.
The service operates with its six point agenda
of ICT, Capacity building, Integrity, welfare, Co
– ordination and Collaboration with all
stakeholders.
The clarion call by President Jonathan for all
and Sundry to enlist as agents of
transformation agenda was heeded by well
meaning ministries, departments and agencies
of government NDAs) and Nigerians with an
uncommon zeal, and one of the MDAs under
the federal Ministry of Finance that embraced
and responded positively to the call is the
Nigeria Customer Service.
For the NCS, the question of embracing the
Transformation Agenda was not just to join the
crowd, or was it about political correctness,
but was to proof that the Service was indeed
set to contribute its quota to the well being of
the government and the people.
Fully reinventing herself from a bashed,
misunderstood, hated and abused agency, the
Service with the support of government, the
trading community and stakeholders has
successful embarked and implemented
strategic reforms that were anchored under
the six- point agenda of the Comptroller-
General of Customs, this has attracted
admiration from global organizations and the
trading and general public.
Prudently the customs management has kept
to this tanents of faith it professes. The
innovations, transforma-tions and trade
facilitation in the NCS stand out as the best in
recent times among customs organizations in
the world. This noble stride by the Dikko led
customs service has brought honour, pride and
recognitions to both the service and the
country.
It was on such benevolence that Nigeria
President, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was
invited to address the 119th / 120th Sessions
of the Customs Cooperation Council which also
mark the diamond Jubilee anniversary
celebrations of the World Customs
Organisation (WCO) in June, 2012.
Declaring the event open, President Jonathan
chronicled the Nigerian perspective on how
best customs administrations can positively
support and contribute to the realisation of the
economic growth and development objectives
of countries.
Jonathan said “The role of customs
administrations has undergone significant
transformation since early 1990s, gradually,
but steadily evolving from the trade
facilitation, protection of society and the
security of international trade supply chains on
the other. This, no doubt, is a reflection of not
only the changing environment in which
customs authorities operate, but also the
corresponding changes in the priorities of
government”. The
Nigerian president also point out that the
customs can make or mar economic growth if
the right policies are not put in place, he said
Given the role customs administrations play in
trade facilitation, they have always remained
critical in the ability of governments to
maximise the benefits from reforms, including
enhancing and deepening trade integration
between members of any regional trading
arrangement.
Under this circumstance, there is the
possibility that customs administrations may
constitute an obstacle to the success of trade
policy reforms, if there is resistance to the
necessary modernisation that should result
from changes in the policies and priorities of
governments”.
President Jonathan expressed the hope that
customs will in the twenty-first century play a
pivotal role in the economic chair as he says
“The expansion in the traditional role of
customs as an enforcement agency, has led to
the emergence of customs as a prominent
business partner to industry players. Customs
administrations must therefore see themselves
in the context of the twin roles of trade
facilitator and guardian of the community.
As a trade facilitator, they should be
committed to building strategic partnerships
with the business sector, including helping to
maintain the competitive edge of the local
industry, I do believe that the benefits of
greater efficiency, enhanced competitiveness
and higher productivity in the new global
economic environment would be better
achieved, if the customs service is responsive
to the needs of the industry in the areas of
simplification of procedures, efficient
processing of shipments and the transparent
use of rules and regulations’.
The Minister of Industry, Trade & Investment,
Dr Olusegun O Aganga said at the launch of the
portal that, the NTH was a veritable vehicle
needed to drive the Nigeria trade cycle to the
next level of development.
Adding that the Portal met the trade
facilitation framework for improved business
climate as articulated in the blue print of
vision 2020.
”The launch of the information phase of the
trade hub will facilitate the next phase which
allows for end-to-end transaction in a single
window environment”.
”An efficient application will help in creating a
competitive and enabling environment for
cross border trade in terms of reducing
processing time and cost: hence enhancing
regional economic integration”.
For ICT: the PAAR and the newly introduced
Nigerian Trade Hub (NTH) has come to stay.
For capacity building: training and retraining
of officer and men and other stakeholders in
maritime industry at both local and foreign
courses is continuous.
With the world class customs staff college, the
service is on top of knowledge based courses.
On welfare: the 100% increase in salaries and
allowances and regular payment of same is
paramount. Also the building of staff quarters
and barracks at all customs formations is a
boost to the service.
In co ordination, the service is excellently
coordinated to achieve its set goals and
targets, while collaboration and integrity of the
service is now at it highest level with other
government agencies, traders and the general
public. Looking back, at the customs, the
officers and men of the service, the world
Customs Organisation, the President, the
Ministers, traders, and indeed the general
public could see, feel, touch and notice the
remarkable achievements of the service inline
with the transformation agenda of the
government and in march towards 20:20:20.
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