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Charges Service to Set World Class Standards
- Safiu Kehinde
The Federal Government has charged the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to set world class standards in its operation as it eyes reduction in hours of cargo clearance by the service.
Taiwo Oyedele, the Minister of Finance, gave the charge during his first visit to the customs’ headquarters last week.
Recounting his visit to the headquarters in a statement issued on his X handle on Saturday, Oyedele recalled demanding port efficiency that eliminates bottlenecks and end-to-end transparency across all operations.
The minister, who chaired the service’s board meeting during his visit, further demanded accelerated cargo clearance timelines and uncompromising integrity in revenue collection.
“One of the things we discussed today is we gave a charge that they should measure the progress they are making.
“We want to see your key performance indicators. We want you to set standards that is world class.
“We have the African Continental Free Trade Area. We want to be the leader by setting the example, not just claiming to be the giant based on population.
“One of the things we also asked them to do is that we even want to see the data to know how long it is taking us to clear goods. How can we cut down those number of hours to be one of the shortest in the world without compromising the standards so that everybody will know not because we say it but because the experienced it on the ground that doing business in Nigeria and with Nigerians is a delight.
“That is what will take us to the next level of our one trillion dollar economy where we can really spread prosperity to our people.” He said.
Oyedele also disclosed commending the customs for the progress they have made on revenue generation and trade facilitation.
“One of the important roles of Nigeria Customs service is trade facilitation.
“One of the things we discussed at the board meeting was the ranking of the Nigeria Customs Service by PEBE as one of the top agencies for which we commended the board. Maybe not just the board but the leadership, the management, and officers of the Nigeria Customs Service.
“Everything we do to make doing business easier is the opportunity to create more jobs.
“It is the opportunity to lift more people out of poverty and to sure that we deliver people out of poverty which is the whole essence of government.
“And for those of us who have the opportunity to serve, we must constantly keep this in mind.
“We congratulate the Nigeria Customs Service for the progress they have made.” He said.
Oyedele however noted that progress should not lead to complacency, stressing that results are precisely what should propel them to do more.
“Like we said to them at the board meeting, we are going to be asking them to do more because we believe that when we work together and remain focused, we are unstoppable.
“There is tendency for us as human beings to become complacent sometimes because we are showing results. Once you get to that point, you are losing it already.” He added.