By Innocent Orok
“Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside them was superior to circumstances” Bruce Barton.
For new visitor to the Tin Can Island Port Customs Command, there is a serene atmosphere perfecting the ambience of a five – Star Customs Command that truly pride itself as the second largest port in Africa’s most populous black nation. Aside from the infrastructural upgrade which is now first class, the human traffic movements has also been controlled .
Before now, Tin Can Island Port Command of the Nigeria Customs Service was regarded as crowded market place to characters that manipulates and perpetrate trade malptractices such as falsification of import documents, manipulation of Bill of Lading , hawking of items and random movement and selling of all kinds of wares and products.
Tin Can Island Port which warehouses three multipurpose terminals and one Roll,- On- Roll Off terminal is very volatile and notoriously known for international trade infractions where all kinds of trade malptractices can be easily manipulated and it will fly. This port is where flying of Containers and Machine Outside (MO), is a regular and daily practice.
Before now, the command lacks crowd control, some stakeholders who have no business being in the port do have a field day loitering around the command premises, while some used it as their resting venue. But all these are now in the past.
DERA NNADI’S MAGIC WANE AT TIN CAN CUSTOMS
Comptroller Dera Nnadi mni, means many things to different people. To some , he is a very hard and wicked man when it comes to performing his duty as a Customs officer, because of his uncompromising stance on trade malptractices and revenue loss . To some, he is strict, sincere and a patriotic professional Customs officer doing his work . While to some, he is just showing off and wants to collect maximum revenue , without leaving food for the boys. ( If you are not in the port system, you may not understand the language).
Dera Nnadi can be a very good guy on a good day, but a rugged, tough , combative and very stubborn in another day. He can be confrontational when you dare him in performing his statutory functions. He would and scold you when you annoyed him. He does this to his friends , officers and stakeholders when his head is very hot.
But, just like every human , on a very good day he will crack jokes, listens to you, solve your problems , asked and seek fou your opinions on issues and even compensate you . But never take him for granted, is he is unpredictable, he can disappoint you , unexpectedly. But not to worry these are the treats of a patriotic, sincere and performing leader.
Comptroller Dera Nnadi is a thorough breed Customs officer , an all rounder in the Service, having been groomed in the Public Relations Unit of the NCS by the current CGC Adewale Adeniyi. He has worked as Customs Area Controller in two most popular and basiest borders, Seme and Idiriko and now at the second largest port in Nigeria, the Tin Can Island Port.
For over three decades ,the Tin Can Island Customs Command has been under dilapidated infrastructure, both exterior and interior, though some CACs tried to revamped the interior, but the outside of the Tin Can Island Customs House was becoming an eyesore.
TOTAL INFRASTRUCTURAL UPGRADE AT TIN CAN ISLAND CUSTOMS COMMAND
Today,the Command is totally transformed starting from the main gate, with a brand new gate, gate house, parade ground, quarter guard, tiled and painted walls, marbled floors, new aluminum glass doors as well as other expensive interior fittings and decorations, making it a perfect and conducive environment for officers to work. Infact Tin Can Island Customs Command is the talk of the town in Customs parlance and Comptroller Dera Nnadi is at the centre of it all.
STANDING FIRST AMONG EQUALS
REVENUE GENERATION : In the history of the Tin Can Island Port Command, this is the first time the Command has hit over N1TRILLION revenue collection and still counting. It is expected that before the end of 2024, the Command will hit over N1.5 Trillion.This is no mean feat as for those who knows Nnadi, you can joke with him on any matter , but not on revenue collection and his dedicated efforts has paid off.
ANTI -, SMUGGLING: Again this is the first in recent times the Command has recorded massive seizures of Arms and ammunition and various banned pharmaceuticals and drugs worth billions of naira. Just recently 18 containers of such illicit drugs were sized.
TRADE FACILITATION: Unlike before , the Command which was used as a pilot scheme for Time Release Studies ( TRS) a World Customs Organisation ( WCO) tool for trade facilitation and prompt release of cargoes is living up to expectations for compliance traders , as well as putting mechanism in place for quick trade dispute resolutions.
NATIONAL SECURITY/ INTER AGENCIES COLLABORATION: Since the assumption of duty , Comptroller Dera Nnadi, being a Member of the Institute Mni, has rejiged the national security architecture of the Command in synergies with other security agencies and stakeholders which has kept the peace of the command for business to strife .
HUMAN RELATIONS / TRAINING : Unarguably, Comptroller Dera Nnadi is regarded as the ” Eye” of the Comptroller General in the South West in terms of most public functions and representations , especially on workshops, symposiums, presentations and others.
The Command under Comptroller Dera Nnadi which popularized year 2024 as the “Year of the Stakeholders” has carried out several training and sensitisation programs for all categories of stakeholders on the new policies and programs of the Service.Just recently, Comptroller Dera Nnadi initiated and sponsored the first of its kind Maritme Journalists Training Workshop where over 50 Maritme Journalists were trained on Terms and Phrases in the Nigerian Maritime industry. It was also first of it kind were journalists were given working tools like iPad tablets, bags etc.
FOOT NOTE
No doubt, the administration of Comptroller General Adewale Adeniyi MFR has totally changed the status and face of the NCS, Comptrollers Dera Nnadi, Babatunde Olomu and others are his foot soldiers on the field replicating the vision of the CGC for the NCS and Nigeria at large.
