In this interview with our Assistant Editor; Oluyinka Onigbinde, the National Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service), Assistant Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada Phd. sheds light on the ongoing recruitment process, the Service’s digital transformation efforts, and the significance of the Comptroller General’s appointment as WCO Council Chairperson.
WCO Chair: “Our economy has so many things to drive from this appointment”
“The Trade Modernization Project is an end-to-end automation of Customs processes and procedures”
There has been considerable public interest in the ongoing recruitment process by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS). Can you provide clarity on where things stand now?
First of all, let me say this clearly. We are not going to do what is called silent recruitment. If we have employed one person, definitely the public will know. We have completed the first stage and, honestly, we have not promised anybody that this is when we are going to finish the second stage. Yes, there might be some administrative delays or whatever, but it is for good reason. We want to get the process very right. And very soon, as soon as we are done, we will clear all the administrative glitches. Definitely, the next stage of the recruitment process will be announced and it will be public. We surely want to publish it in newspapers and make everything open. And of course, there must be criteria in which you select. Imagine having a slot of less than 4,000 and receiving over 500,000 applications. Definitely you must sit down and come up with a defined procedure.
What will that selection process look like?
It will consider geographical disposition, career character, and other important factors. We’ll select those who will move to the next stage of the exercise, which is going to be an aptitude test or whatever you call it. And after that test, there will be another stage. So we want the people to know that all our activities will be public. As we speak now, we have kept quiet because nothing has happened. There is no silent recruitment, no cover-up recruitment, no underground recruitment or whatever of such. The process is intact. As soon as we are ready, we will communicate to the public. To clarify, the last stage completed was the collection of applications.
In light of the digitalization of Customs operations, are there any special considerations for certain professions in recruitment, especially for tech-related roles?
When we opened up the last recruitment we had, and we specifically recruited a number of ICT staff. In fact, the recruitment initially was meant to get ICT professionals because of the modernization project. That’s why every stage of our development and every aspect of our modernization —whether it’s B’Odogwu, non-intrusive inspection, or cyber security, you can see inclusivity of our officers. Our officers are involved thoroughly. We are deviating from what happened in the last arrangement. Now, you can see clearly from source code to everything, our officers are fully-involved. For instance, for the non-intrusive inspection, our officers went to China for factory acceptance tests. First, they defined what we wanted, and apart from that they also go for factory acceptance tests, so that the manufacturers produced what was requested. In this recruitment, there are various disciplines within Customs. We opened up for general duty officers and support staff officers. Even general duty officers will be ICT compliant. I cannot be the PRO (Public Relations Officer) if I’m analog. I must be ICT compliant to manage communication effectively for the Nigeria Customs Service.
So, it’s an inclusive process?
Yes. For technical needs, there are slots for other aspects of our modernization. For instance, within the ICT department, there are some technical expertise there. We have ICT experts, accountants, and for the first time there are slots for public relations officers. So we are recruiting officers as PR officers. Not general duty officers who happen to come to PR because of maybe academic expediency or qualification, but actual recruitment of officers as PR officers. It is truly an inclusive process.
Considering that you advertised for about 3,000 positions and had nearly 500,000 applicants, how do you ensure fairness?
Well, I can tell you from previous experience that we have been fair. I am sure you are aware. I can tell you that four persons were picked from each local government in Nigeria, and that was based on performance in the exams. So since that precedent has been set, I am sure we are working to sustain it. We follow the federal character principle, but also consider their ability to pass through the testing requirement that will be put in place in terms of performance, age, physical appearance, health and IQ, everything matters.
How far have we moved in terms of deploying the B’Odogwu platform across commands moving from Webb Fontaine?
It’s a gradual process. It’s not something that will happen drastically in a day. What we are doing is stakeholder engagement. We are trying to get those who work within that value system to understand what we are doing and how the systems work. Just today, the Public Relations Officer of Lagos Free Trade Zone called me and said that there are facing some challenges and they want to do another round of sensitization for stakeholders on why they need to embrace that technology. It is not really about bringing new technology alone; it is about convincing people and showing them why they need to participate, enroll and key into the system. I am sure we are getting there. It is a steady development. I do not have the current statistics of declarations, but I know we are moving forward.
How will the recent appointment of the Comptroller-General of Customs as Chairman of the World Customs Organization (WCO) impact on the Nigeria Customs Service operations?
I think it is a glory to Nigeria and to Africa. What you’re seeing is what we call ‘glocalization’. That is taking your local way of doing things and putting it in a global context. So, I think one thing is certainly sure that we have one of our own who chairs the WCO council. With one of our own chairing the WCO Council, we’ll benefit immensely in capacity building and Customs-to-Customs cooperation. For instance, at the WCO side meetings, we had engagement with Saudi Arabia. They gave us a beautiful plaque—you’ll never see something like it here. We also signed a MoU with Belarus, and we reinvigorated the Customs Mutual Agreement (CMA) signed when the Indian President visited Nigeria. So, Customs-to-Customs cooperation is very critical to trade facilitation. So, having that global opportunity will pave way for trade facilitation. And a nation that facilitates trade effectively, definitely will blossom. So, it will be progressive in all spheres, not just Customs, but the entire trading ecosystem and the economy have so many things to drive from this appointment.
How does this relate to intra-African trade?
That’s a very good point, especially through the African Continental Free Trade Area. Nigeria is set to host an event next month to discuss how we can trade among ourselves. Having an African succeed another African as WCO Chair is a big opportunity for us to deepen intra-African trade through the instrumentality of African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) for a preferential trade agreement. This is a moment of growth for Nigeria, Africa, and the entire world.
Some people have said that the cost of the Trade Modernization Project is too high; as it cost $2.5 billon. What’s your view?
I’m not here to defend figures or numbers. What you don’t even know is that at the time when this concession agreement was signed, maybe exchange rate was not up to ₦1,000 per dollar. Now, you’re talking of ₦1,600 per dollar. So, there are even some foreign exchange fluctuations that can even affect the money we are talking about. Now, you have skewed a trade modernization project to B’Odogwu platform. The TMP is an end-to-end automation of Customs processes and procedures. It includes backbone infrastructure, if I say backbone ICT infrastructure, you have to lay all the networking cables. You have to do it all over again. It involved building a risk control center. It is somewhere in this building. It is a big ICT equipment here. It’s for data management. It involves non-intrusive inspection. It involves the issue of software. B’Odogwu is one of it. And that B’Odogwu, there will be an extension. With time, it will come to office automation also. So, it has phases. The project has phases. Phase 1, this is what you are supposed to deliver. Phase 2, this is what you are to deliver, down to phase 3and back up towards the end of the project. This is a concession agreement that is quite different from other agreements. Why is it different? Before now, do you know where our data of NICIS II is hosted? It is somewhere in the world. This one, we are the one hosting it. So, it’s entirely different. So, it’s not about B’Odogwu. It’s about the entire ICT infrastructure. It could be hardware or software. That’s where when it comes to Huawei, they are the ones doing the networking. When it comes to NewTek, they are the ones providing the non-intrusive inspection. And that non-intrusive inspection, what is different from them are the backup scanners we have. There are maintenance contracts and trading contracts attached to it. In fact, NewTek have promised to bring in a training center and spare parts center here in Nigeria for Africa, because of the contract we have with them. So, it’s quite different from when they bring an equipment and dump it on you and it collapses. There are maintenance contracts. There are so many things attached to NewTek. Then, there are other aspects of it. For instance, such as servers’ procurement and whatever. So, it’s a big project. The fourth floor of this building is completely ICT. The new power building center is here. The risk control center is somewhere else. So it’s not really about B’Odogwu. B’Odogwu is just an aspect of it. Just one aspect of the whole project.
