Comptroller Olomu Presents Commendation Letters to Four Officers of Apapa Customs for Exemptional Performance

—Hosts Officers of Course 19 on Study Tour of Command

By DAPO OLAWUNI

The Customs Area Controller, Apapa Area 1 Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu on Friday presented letters of commendation to four officers of the command for their exemptional performances at their various duty posts, and contributing to the overall revenue generation of the service.

Olomu also hosted students of Course 19 of Nigeria Customs Service Command and Staff College Gwadalada, Abuja, who were rounding up their 5-days study tour of the Apapa Area Command.

The commendation letters to the four officers were personally signed by the Zonal Coordinator Zone A, Assistant Comptroller General of Customs, Saidu Yusuf.

The officers effected are; Deputy Comptroller Atuluku Salamatu, the DC Scanning of the command. The three others are; Chief Superintendent of Customs Dikko .A., AIC Ebenebe. A, and AIC Abdullahi .M.

Speaking on the performance of the officers, Compt Babatunde Olomu said “This morning, the command was blessed with four mails that came from the Zonal Coordinator’s office, and when I checked, they were personally signed by him.

“You recall that the last parade that we had, there were four officers of the command that we singled out for recognition, for their exemptional performance within the course of the month.

“The first among them is Deputy Comptroller Atuluku Salamatu, the DC Scanning whom we are commending for her exemptional and remarkable performance within the command.

“The citation of her, has it that the command has the highest number of interventions coming from the Scanning unit, and these were quite remarkable, and they were all paid back.
For this, the Zonal Coordinator deems it fit to commend her”

Speaking on behalf of the recipients, Deputy Comptroller Atuluku Salamatu said the officers feel excited and overwhelmed by the recognition.

“To whom much is given, much is expected, this is an opportunity for us to do more where we are coming from”

“Most of my interventions come from concealment, and wrong classifications. My message to the trading community and the stakeholders, is for them to do honest declaration. By doing so, the NIgeria Customs Service would be able to generate their maximum revenue.

“So, I advise the stakeholders who are in the frontlines to do honest declaration in order for us to earn our revenue. Without honest declaration, the Nigeria Customs Service, we have our eagle eyes, and that what we would use to discover the infractions” she warned

In a separate event, the Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu had earlier hosted students of Course 19 of Nigeria Customs Service Command and Staff College Gwadalada who were on study tour of the command.

While fielding questions from journalists, Compt Olomu said “As we all know, training and staff development are essential enablers when it comes to ensuring efficiency and effectiveness of staff in public service.

“They are there on a training at the Command College and they have visited here on a study tour as part of their training.
Undoubtedly, this training would impact on their efficiency, and effectiveness in doing their job”

When asked about the influx of young graduates and officers who newly joined the service, popularly called GenZs, and concerns about succession plan and knowledge transfer in the service, Compt Olomu expressed confidence in the capacity and capability of young officers taking over from the retiring ones.

“I can tell you that, based on my experience with the so called GenZs, sincerely, they are more than prepared to take over the service, I have engaged them collectively and privately and I have no doubt in my mind that they are capable to take over the service” he said

Also speaking, Assistant Comptroller of Customs, Abubakar. F. Psc, the Chief Instructor Senior Course and the team leader for the operational study tour to Apapa Area Command said the essence of the tour is to enhance the students in having firsthand information on the theme; “Role of Nigeria Customs Service in Ensuring Compliance with Export Regulations” from the stakeholders through lectures, oral interviews and presentations.

“This would enable students enrich their research work at the end of which the students are expected to submit a service paper copy to the college.

“The delegates are 17 in number, and our period of stay is five days, beginning from 22nd of July to 27th July 2024.

“The customs Area Controller deemed it fit to invite some stakeholders from Allied Integrated Food and Processing Limited, Mr Kunle Adebayo, he was here with the students and interacted with them.
He equally stated some challenges which the students would use in their research paper, in order to come up with solutions to those challenges” he said