Jonathan: Reforms in Customs will boost security

President Goodluck Jonathan said on Tuesday in Abuja that the ongoing reforms in the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) would boost security in the country.

Jonathan spoke at an audience with the visiting Secretary General of the World Customs Organisation, Mr. Kunio Mikuriya.

The president said the reforms in the Service would help curtail the influx of illegal small arms and light weapons, adding that the reforms also aimed at enhancing regional and continental trade necessitated by the need to redefine the core values and operations of the Service.

He said that with the reforms, the NCS was being progressively modernised and given the additional role of trade facilitation.

“I started out my career in the Nigeria Customs Service. Within that period and now, there have been significant changes.

“The role of the Customs Service as a trade facilitator is becoming more apparent. We promise you that the Nigerian government will continue to support reforms in the Customs.

“If we do things well, others will emulate us in the region,” he said.

Jonathan congratulated the Secretary-General on his re-election to lead the global body, saying his re-election must have been due to his strong leadership skills.

Mikuriya told the president that he had toured ports in Lagos and the Nigeria Customs College, where well motivated staff showed a readiness to learn and deploy new skills in their operations.

He said he also met with the business community in Lagos who testified to the positive impact of ongoing reforms in the Customs Service. (NAN)