A group photograph after the meeting.

Story by Dili Utomi.

The Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service on Monday convened a stakeholders meeting. The meeting which held at the Conference Hall, ECOWAS Complex at the border Post had heads of all sister agencies like the Air force, Navy, Army, Police, Immigration, Nigerian Quarantine Service, the various Community heads, freight forwarders and others in attendance.

The meeting was largely interactive in nature and was a veritable channel for each and everyone to speak from the heart.

After the initial introductory speech by the convener of the meeting and the Customs Area Controller of the Seme Area Command, Comptroller Wale Adenuga, the military attaché to the Nigerian embassy in Benin Republic, Colonel SB Yahya said that there is no better time time to hold this meeting than now. This he said is in order that the agenda of the federal government on economic policies can be achieved.

Mr. Peter Aduche, the head of the Lagos State Border patrol team was represented at the meeting by the Deputy Comptroller of Immigration Service, Joseph Orji who noted that in carrying out their jobs, they are dealing with human beings and that it will be best for everyone to work with the fear of God in mind.

The representatives of the various communities were also given the opportunities to speak. Chief Tunde Diro representing the Akhran of Badagry noted that it is disgraceful to see the numerous numbers of check points along the Badagry Seme axis and the adjoining roads. He also opined that some agencies work at cross purposes as they try to do the job of other agencies.

The CAC agreed that the check points are too numerous and should be reduced drastically. Some stakeholders aslo complain that there are more than 12 police check points from Badagry to Seme with other agencies also having many check points along the same route.

One of the chiefs from the community, Honourable Joseph Agoro complained about the level of harassment that commuters get in the hands of different agencies along the route. He lamented the level of indiscipline being exhibited by some officers and stated that something urgent should be done about it all. He added “Show us some respect and we shall return to you”

Captain Maidugu left, making a point at the meeting.

The use of camp boys was greatly condemned by most speakers as they advocate continuous inter-agency meeting and training. They lamented that the ‘demand’ by some officers of the Nigerian Quarantine Service has crippled their commodity trading business.

Omotola Amani of the ECOWAS business forum noted that the harassment of people who try to cross the border with the attendant delay and the sexual connotations in the case of women are much and should be stopped as we seek to expand and grow our economy.

They also sought the employment of the youths into the various agencies and also the revisiting of the abandoned Customs Secondary School project.

There were so many contributions from the various agencies, Captain HI Maidugu of the Nigerian Air Force noted that some unscrupulous persons use the corridor for human trafficking and that many girls who were about to be trafficked have been intercepted. At the end, some resolutions were suggested which were outlined by the CAC.

The Customs Area Controller, Comptroller Wale Adenuga itemised some of the resolutions as

The reduction in the number of check points along the route to make the corridor more business friendly.

Comptroller Adenuga left making a point at the meeting while Colonel SB Yahya right watches on.

That the selection of candidates for Customs jobs is purely based on CBT and that external influence has little bearing on it.

That they shall work to revitalise the abandoned school project.

The they should all encourage the springing up of industries to tap into the abundant coconut in the area for the making of finished products and also create job opportunities for the indigenous peoples there.

That Nigerians should try as much as possible to get their National Identification Cards to forestall any case of harassment wherever they may go.

On the matter of meeting and collaboration, he said that they are continuing with the monthly inter-agency meeting in order to strengthen the synergy being created.

He also advised that the various communities should try to cooperate with all the government agencies and that their legitimate complaints will always be attended to.

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