Nigeria Customs Officers At Risk of Corona Virus, Urged to Take Precautions in Examining Cargoes

The Tin Can Island Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has urged its officers to take precautions while examining cargoes at the port in order to prevent contact with the deadly Corona Virus which has plagued China and killed 8,000 people around the world.
Recall that Nigerians import cargoes from China more than any other part of the world.
While addressing the Customs officers at a seminar with the theme; “Awareness/ Sensitization Workshop On Novel Coronavirus” the Customs Area Controller of Tin Can Command, Compt Musa Abdullahi urged all officers of the Command as well as the stakeholders at the port to adhere to the precautionary measures.
Some of the precautionary measures highlighted by the Command’s medical team include; use of face masks, hand sanitizers especially those with alcohol content to kill germs, hand gloves, frequently washing hands, among others.
Comptroller Musa urged officers to prioritize their health and well-being, admonishing the officers to report persons with strange cases such as abnormal coughing, sneezing and fever which are some of the symptoms of the coronavirus.
Although he asserted that the virus was yet to affect the revenue generation of the Command, he expressed worry that dwindling cargo traffic from China would ultimately hamper the revenue of the Command.
“The essence of this event is to sensitize Customs officers and stakeholders on the place of hygiene in handling cargoes following the outbreak of coronavirus. The medical team has indicated to port users on how to prevent contact with this virus as well as others. Simple hygiene such as washing our hands, face, using sanitizers, face masks, use gloves, etc are very vital” he told journalists.
Noting that prevention is always better than cure, he advised all stakeholders to adopt the precautionary measures outlined by the medical team and rush to the hospital for medical attention where necessary.
At the event, the Deputy Controller, Enforcement, Tin Can Island Customs, DC Dera Nnadi made an illustration on the proper ways of utilizing items like; hand sanitizers, face masks, hand gloves, among others. He stressed that these minute gadgets could be life-saving equipments against the contact of the virus.
Noting that the virus reportedly wouldn’t survive on inanimate objects beyond three days, Nnadi encouraged officers to toe the line of caution emphasized by the Area Controller because there could be cases of mutation.
He equally charged the officers at the sensitization workshop to take the information to their respective divisions and the port stakeholders to also educate their colleagues on the need to deploy these safety measures.
Nnadi admonished officers and the port stakeholders to imbibe the culture of utilizing hand gloves and hand sanitizers, especially during examination of cargoes.
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