My Candid Advice to Customs CG, Adeniyi, by NAGAFF Founder
DR. BONIFACE ANIEBONAM
By Francis Ugwoke
For more critical information, intelligence gathering that will help him in his transformation agenda, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Wale Adeniyi, needs to relate more than ever before with industry stakeholders, the Founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders(NAGAFF), Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, has said.
Aniebonam who acknowledged that the CG has been holding meetings with leaders of Associations said he will not get the much desired results from such meetings in view of their formal settings.
According to the NAGAFF founder, the Customs boss should create time and visit some of the associations in their different offices where he will get intelligence gathering that will help him in his job.
The NAGAFF founder recalled that this was what the two immediate past CGCs, late Abdullahi Dikko and Col Hammed Ali (rtd) did on assuming office.
In an exclusive chat with SHIPPING DAY, Aniebonam said it is not enough to call leaders of Associations to a meeting in Hotels and limit those who will be in attendance, adding that he will not get critical information from such setting.
He said, “What the CGC needs to do is to take the battle to the home front, and don’t be in a hurry. The CGC should find time, Hammed Ali was in NAGAFF, Dikko was in ANLCA and NAGAFF. The best is not in calling us to meet him in Hotels and directing that one or two, may be the President should come. Go and meet those people in their colonies and don’t be in a hurry, sit down and listen to them. It will help you to make your policy. Go to NAGAFF, ANLCA Headquarters , at least these two, don’t be in a hurry, sit down with them, they are the people that are your critical partners in the ports by virtue of their roles in revenue generation. Sit down and listen, there are people who don’t have access to you, they will have opportunity to tell you, CG, this is it. This level of people you call to meet you in hotels are people you cannot guarantee what they are telling you. Because they don’t know what they will tell you and you will get angry. And to some extent, their operations will be in jeopardy. Nobody will tell you what you are supposed to know. Even though as a groomed officer, you have an idea, but it is good you hear it. That is leadership. With such meeting, those boys in the ports will tell you what they are seeing. And you take note and go back. If you think if you go to hotels, you can get useful information from the leaders of the associations, what are they going to tell you? They will tell you what you want to hear. And when you visit, don’t tell them you will take one, two questions, sit down, you are there to serve them, when they exhaust what they want to say, you go, you come out smoking, that is when you make popular policy”.
Aniebonam was however full of commendation for the customs boss, adding that he has done well so far.
The NAGAFF founder said he never had doubt about Adeniyi’s capacity to perform considering his background as a seasoned customs officer.
He said that even if he has anything against the Customs management, he will never come out to criticize the Service, explaining that this was because he was also an ex-customs officer.
He said, “ We engage customs internally and I think that is more responsible in handling matters. Is not about going to the main road and be shouting. That will be taken to be a blackmail, especially when we have access to the customs. Our association is in responsible partnership with the Customs. We are corporate body known to law duly recognized by government of Nigeria and Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN). We are standing on our own. If you go to politics, you talk about opposition, opposition which means a check. But today in Nigerian scene politically, you discover that the kind of opposition we have here is to the extent that there is nothing that government does that is right. That is a wrong approach to opposition. Even in NNPP where I hold sway, I have increasingly made them to understand that NNPP is not an opposition party to anybody – in the context of opposition being held in Nigeria. We are rather responsible partners to government. Election is over, let’s move on and see how we can get Nigeria right. So coming to NAGAFF, where I hold sway also, it is on record. I am not saying that customs does everything right, I cannot say that, neither all those who come to do business will claim that everything is right on our own side. So, we keep on balancing. So, it is all about leadership in every sector of the economy so that you can give direction on what will be the most appropriate approach to issues”.
For more critical information, intelligence gathering that will help him in his transformation agenda, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Wale Adeniyi, needs to relate more than ever before with industry stakeholders, the Founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders(NAGAFF), Dr. Boniface Aniebonam, has said.
Aniebonam who acknowledged that the CG has been holding meetings with leaders of Associations said he will not get the much desired results from such meetings in view of their formal settings.
According to the NAGAFF founder, the Customs boss should create time and visit some of the associations in their different offices where he will get intelligence gathering that will help him in his job.
The NAGAFF founder recalled that this was what the two immediate past CGCs, late Abdullahi Dikko and Col Hammed Ali (rtd) did on assuming office.
In an exclusive chat with SHIPPING DAY, Aniebonam said it is not enough to call leaders of Associations to a meeting in Hotels and limit those who will be in attendance, adding that he will not get critical information from such setting.
He said, “What the CGC needs to do is to take the battle to the home front, and don’t be in a hurry. The CGC should find time, Hammed Ali was in NAGAFF, Dikko was in ANLCA and NAGAFF. The best is not in calling us to meet him in Hotels and directing that one or two, may be the President should come. Go and meet those people in their colonies and don’t be in a hurry, sit down and listen to them. It will help you to make your policy. Go to NAGAFF, ANLCA Headquarters , at least these two, don’t be in a hurry, sit down with them, they are the people that are your critical partners in the ports by virtue of their roles in revenue generation. Sit down and listen, there are people who don’t have access to you, they will have opportunity to tell you, CG, this is it. This level of people you call to meet you in hotels are people you cannot guarantee what they are telling you. Because they don’t know what they will tell you and you will get angry. And to some extent, their operations will be in jeopardy. Nobody will tell you what you are supposed to know. Even though as a groomed officer, you have an idea, but it is good you hear it. That is leadership. With such meeting, those boys in the ports will tell you what they are seeing. And you take note and go back. If you think if you go to hotels, you can get useful information from the leaders of the associations, what are they going to tell you? They will tell you what you want to hear. And when you visit, don’t tell them you will take one, two questions, sit down, you are there to serve them, when they exhaust what they want to say, you go, you come out smoking, that is when you make popular policy”.
Aniebonam was however full of commendation for the customs boss, adding that he has done well so far.
The NAGAFF founder said he never had doubt about Adeniyi’s capacity to perform considering his background as a seasoned customs officer.
He said that even if he has anything against the Customs management, he will never come out to criticize the Service, explaining that this was because he was also an ex-customs officer.
He said, “ We engage customs internally and I think that is more responsible in handling matters. Is not about going to the main road and be shouting. That will be taken to be a blackmail, especially when we have access to the customs. Our association is in responsible partnership with the Customs. We are corporate body known to law duly recognized by government of Nigeria and Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN). We are standing on our own. If you go to politics, you talk about opposition, opposition which means a check. But today in Nigerian scene politically, you discover that the kind of opposition we have here is to the extent that there is nothing that government does that is right. That is a wrong approach to opposition. Even in NNPP where I hold sway, I have increasingly made them to understand that NNPP is not an opposition party to anybody – in the context of opposition being held in Nigeria. We are rather responsible partners to government. Election is over, let’s move on and see how we can get Nigeria right. So coming to NAGAFF, where I hold sway also, it is on record. I am not saying that customs does everything right, I cannot say that, neither all those who come to do business will claim that everything is right on our own side. So, we keep on balancing. So, it is all about leadership in every sector of the economy so that you can give direction on what will be the most appropriate approach to issues”.
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