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The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, has assured that the service under his watch is fully committed to enhancing border security in the country.
The CGC made this known when he played host to a delegation of the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit NFIU led by its Director General, Hafsat Bakari, who were on a working visit to the Customs headquarters in Abuja.
The meeting between the Customs management led by CGC Adeniyi and the NFIU DG Bakari which held on Tuesday 16th April, 2024 centred around fostering a strong partnership that will enable the two agencies implement measures towards enhancing border security by intensifying the onslaught against smugglers and money launderers and other terrorism financing activities.
Addressing the NFIU officials, The CGC congratulated the DG, Bakari on her appointment as head of the organisation, expressing Nigeria Customs Service’s commitment to supporting the NFIU by way of establishing a joint team that will be tasked to address some of the pressing issues.
“I want to wish you a successful tenure. I see, through your passion, your commitment to Project Nigeria, and I also see the collaborative spirit that you brought on board. These are all things that I share also because I believe that we can draw strength from each other, assist ourselves, and get things done.
“We need to form an internal team that will be drawn up from our side to review those outstanding issues so that we begin to see, in a determined effort, what we can do” the Customs CG said.
The NFIU Director-General, Hafsat Bakari, had earlier on her part applauded the NCS’s resilience and commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s borders, particularly in combating smuggling activities.
Emphasising the importance of information sharing, Mrs. Bakari said her visit to the Nigeria Customs Service is to establish a cordial relationship with the service in intelligence sharing.
“We recognise the vital role of the NCS in protecting Nigeria’s borders, preventing smuggling of illicit goods, but also in ensuring that those who import goods into our country pay the appropriate fees and levies that are due to the federal government.
“The ultimate goal of the NFIU was to ensure the safety and prosperity of Nigeria. We want to make sure that we have efficient systems, processes and technologies in place to identify the smuggling of currency and other high-value items”, she said.