The Nigeria Customs Service has appealed to Traditional Rulers in border communities to support the service by educating their subjects against smuggling and assisting the NCS in its anti-smuggling activities. 

The Comptroller-General Customs Service (CGC), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi MFR, made the appeal at a one-day workshop for the creation of Nigeria's Platform for Local Authorities Along Nigeria-Benin International Boundary on Monday, 26 February 2024. In Ibadan, Oyo State. 

The workshop had in attendance, His Excellency Adebayo Lawal, Deputy Governor and Chairman of Oyo State Boundary Committee, Her Excellency Engr. Noimot Salako-Oyedele, Deputy Governor and Chairman, Ogun State Boundary Committee, Adamu Adaji, Director General, National Boundary Commission, Traditional Rulers, Local Government Chairmen of Border Communities, representatives of heads of security agencies, among others. 

Speaking at the event, the CGC, who was represented by the Zonal Coordinator, Zone A, ACG Hammi Swomen, emphasized the importance of the workshop to the mandates of the service.

He stated that the workshop is timely and the Service views it with great importance, "it is significant in view of our mandates in controlling movement of goods across our borders in and out of the country, protection of Nigerian Economy, collection of revenue and accounting for same, trade facilitation and implementation of National and International protocols, including the ECOWAS protocols on the free movement of persons and goods." 

He noted that the Service is working increasingly to educate border communities and doing so with strategic stakeholders such as traditional rulers, local and state governments. 

He, therefore, appealed to traditional rulers to give the service the needed support by educating their subjects against smuggling and assist the NCS in its anti-smuggling activities. 

His words, "I will, at this point, like to appeal to the traditional rulers to give the Service the necessary support in educating their subjects against smuggling and assist the Service in its anti-smuggling activities. It will greatly help the Service and other security agencies where development is brought to our border areas".

On his part, the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, His Excellency Adebayo Lawal, urged the DG National Boundary Commission to come up quickly with a Bill to be presented before the National Assembly in a way that will increase the budgetary provisions annually to cater for all the challenges faced by border communities. 

Adamu Adaji, DG National Boundary Commission, stated that the workshop is intended to sensitize the people on unity and integration along the borderline. 

"It is a workshop intended to sensitize our people to the fact that we have a boundary, but it is not unmindful of the fact that the people of Nigeria and Benin Republic share so much in common." 

"We want to take advantage of the oneness of these people along the border corridor, to see how we can enhance corporation which will help a long way to combat security challenges and promote cross border corporation and development of the border areas of the two nations." He concluded.