New Customs boss charges cargo stakeholders to comply with extant rules at Tincan Port

Comptroller Joe Anani, the new Customs Area Controller of Tin Can Island Port Command, Nigeria Customs Service, has charged importers, exporters, licensed customs agents, and other stakeholders to comply fully with extant trade regulations by avoiding smuggling, under-declaration of cargo, and underpayment of duties in the interest of trade facilitation.

Comptroller Joe Anani, who was transferred from the PTML Command, promised that that under his leadership, the command would witness improved efficiency in revenue collection, trade facilitation, and the suppression of smuggling activities.

Anani stated this while taking over the leadership of the command from the immediate past controller, Comptroller Frank Okechukwu Onyeka, who was recently appointed to the rank of Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs (ACG), on Friday.

Anani also has warned officers and personnel of the command against acts of corruption, compromise, and misconduct capable of tarnishing the image of the Service and undermining national interests.

He expressed appreciations to the Comptroller-General of Customs, Adewale Bashir Adeniyi, for considering him worthy of redeployment from the PTML Command to the strategic Tin Can Island Port Command.

Anani commended ACG Onyeka for his achievements in revenue generation and anti-smuggling operations during his tenure, pledging to consolidate on the successes already recorded.

“It is with profound gratitude and a deep sense of responsibility that I stand before you today as the Area Controller of this prestigious seaport command. I recognise the importance of this command to national revenue generation, trade facilitation, and security, and I accept this responsibility with humility and commitment.

“The achievements recorded by ACG Onyeka have repositioned the Tin Can Island Command as a critical gateway for legitimate trade in Nigeria.

“I pledge from this day that my focus will be on building a command that is even more efficient, transparent, and result-oriented,” he stated.

He told his officers and men that he was familiar with the operational structure and challenges of the command, having spent a significant part of his career there.

Anani charged them to strictly adhere to extant laws, operational guidelines, and standard procedures in the discharge of their duties, stressing that professionalism, discipline, and intelligence must remain the hallmark of their conduct.

“I return not as a stranger, but as one of you, committed to working side-by-side with you to uphold the mandate of the Service. We will not tolerate compromise, inefficiency, or any act capable of undermining the Service and the nation,” he warned.