- . Pledges to invest in capacity building, training for Customs Officers
By Steve Agbota
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Thursday gave absence of data-driven as an insight why previous administrations have failed to grow the economy of the nation optimally.
The President explained that lack of data has not only hindered Nigeria but the entire continent’s growth trajectory for too long.
The President who was represented at the event by Vice President Kashim Shettima said data is key to the economic growth of any country.
The President, Bola Tinubu, made this assertion while speaking at the 2023 Comptroller General of Customs Conference held in Lagos. This is even as the President prioritised investing in the training and capacity building of Customs Officers to stand shoulder to shoulder, terabyte by terabyte, to build the infrastructure that will provide the best minds in the world.
Speaking at the event with the themed: “Leveraging data analytics for secure and efficient trade facilitation in customs operations,” said the inadequacy has impeded the government’s ability to make informed decisions.
“For long the absence of comprehensive data has been a technological affliction that has hindered not just Nigeria but the entire continent’s growth trajectory. For too long this inadequacy has impeded our ability to make informed decisions perpetuating a cycle of missed opportunities and some optimal outcomes. For long we have been hindered by these inadequacies,” Shettima added.
He explained that in a bid to address these challenges, the government has made strategic placement of tax-saving Nigerians in critical positions.
“These appointments ensure not only strategic planning but also the cultivation of Nigeria as a hub of refined minds in the global knowledge economy. Even before we were given this mandate, we knew that every facet of our lives is woven with data,” he said.
The president vowed that his administration would not only commit in deploying data to make decisions within the government, “But to address the historical inadequacies of Nigerian policymaking, often impeded by a lack of comprehensive data,” he said.
“Our current governance landscape demands a transformative intervention, and the solution is what has brought us here together today. There is no doubt that the timing of this clock of modernity is inviting us to take action, Tinubu reiterated.
He said that the country is on track to create new world for people. The president added that the administration is committed to establishing a robust public service system that upholds data integrity at its core.
Also speaking the Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, said: “As we navigate through the agenda of today, we will hope that the synergy of Lagos and the customs inspire us to enhance operations and contribute significantly to the economic prosperity of Nigeria.”
He added that the service has evolved into a vital catalyst for economic growth and development in this era.