Enugu State Gov Ugwuanyi Advises Customs To Shed More Light On Its Operations

Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has advised the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), to carry out extensive enlightenment on its programmes, operations and powers guiding various trade ventures and investments.
Ugwuanyi gave the advice when he received the Comptroller-General of the NCS, retired Col. Hameed Ali at the Government House, Enugu on Monday.
He said: “Seeing that many of our people are engaged and interested in manufacturing, importation and allied businesses, I urge the NCS to intensify and expand its enlightenment programmes.
“This will provide the people with adequate information regarding its operations and powers as well as the laws, regulations and procedures guiding various trade ventures and investments.
“The service should also seek to improve its system of addressing complaints from businessmen.
“It should also ensure that its dealings with them are always guided by the principles of rule of law, justice, transparency and fairness’’, he said. 
The governor lauded the NCS boss for steps taken in restoring sanity and discipline in the service in order for it to achieve its full mandate.
Ugwuanyi noted that the service had helped in shoring up the revenue base of the country.
“As a government, we have always enjoyed the partnership and co-operation of the NCS especially in the area of security.
“The NCS has been protecting our people from the activities of smugglers, counterfeiters and other criminal elements’’, he added.
Earlier, Ali thanked the state government for its co-operation and cordial relationship with the officers and men of the service in the state.
He said Enugu state was one of the highest generators of excise duty earnings in the country through hosting of numerous industries.
He cited the recent establishment of a cargo warehouse at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu to buttress his point.
“In view of the current economic recession and need to diversify the nation’s revenue sources, the agency has onerous task of bridging the gap by creating new strategies to live up to its responsibility of generating more funds to sustain the economy’’, he said.
The visit was part of the Comptroller-General’s tour of customs formations as well as familiarisation with officers and men of the service in the Zone C axis of the service.