Follow Us on Google
By Steve Agbota
Comptroller Joe Anani, the new Customs Area Controller for Ports Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) Command, has resumed duties with a firm pledge to maintain the lofty records of the command through trade facilitation and a smuggling crackdown.
At a brief ceremony where he took over from the immediate past Controller, Tenny Daniyan, an Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, the new CAC commended the successes recorded by his predecessor.
He described the command and stakeholders as very well organised and promised to build on the various pioneering feats ACG Daniyan achieved.
He listed the successful rollout and subsequent revenue collection and trade facilitation achievements associated with the Unified Customs Management System, also known as B’Odogwu, as great milestones that must be improved on.
He also called on all Customs officers, officials of sister government agencies and private sector stakeholders to join hands with him in the journey to keep the great records of PTML high.
He urged all the stakeholders to stay on the path of compliance as they stand to benefit more from being on the right side of the law at all times. He also promised to strictly enforce the CGC’s zero tolerance for smuggling.
The CAC, who promised to be accessible to all, also sought that everyone should feel free to interact with him either directly through visits or virtually.
Anani said: “While thanking God and the CGC, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, for the opportunity to serve here, let me state that our journey to succeed must remain a collective task. I am not here to do it alone.
“I pledge to build and improve on the gains achieved by my predecessors in the area of faster cargo clearance, which aligns with the Time Release Study (TRS) programme.
“I am aware that this command holds an outstanding record of a two-hour cargo release time for a compliant RoRo consignment. The keyword here is compliance. With improved compliance and an efficient system, we can do less than two hours,” he added.
According to him, compliance, as the key to trade facilitation, is critical for smooth port operations, saying it ensures adherence to regulations, reduces delays, mitigates risks, and fosters trust among trading partners.
He said that compliance minimises bottlenecks and enhances efficiency in global trade and PTML cannot be an exception.
“I want to urge all our stakeholders to imbibe the tenets of compliance because it results in a win-win situation for everyone, saving time and money. Whereas non-compliance leads to interventions, issuance of demand notices, waste of time, and possible seizure, detention, and arrest. Let’s continue to make this area a great example that it has always been.
“The CGC’s zero tolerance for smuggling will be duly enforced on my watch, and I am convinced from my background checks that our stakeholders are on the right track.
Various stakeholders at the command, while welcoming the new CAC, also commended ACG Daniyan for his outstanding performance in seeing to the success of B’Odogwu from its pilot phase to full deployment across various commands.
They described the ACG’s leadership as outstanding, with trail-blazing effects on increased trade, revenue, anti-smuggling, and robust interaction with stakeholders.
The President of the Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON), Otunba Frank Ogunojemite, described Daniyan as a man whose records speak volumes positively, while urging him to carry his working zeal ahead into the NCS management team.
Chairman of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents, PTML Chapter, Chief Charles Nwarrienne, described Daniyan as an excellent officer deserving to be issued a “certificate of project completion” for diligently achieving the success of B’Odogwu from the beginning to a state of consolidation.
