By; Bayo Akamo, Ibadan.
Governor Abiola Ajimobi has advocated the establishment of Community-Customs Relations’ groups for adequate information on boarder activities to combat smuggling across Nigeria.
The governor stated this in Ibadan during a courtesy visit on him by the Controller General of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Colonel Hameed Ali (rtd).
According to the governor, there is the need for NCS to fashion out ways of winning public support for the service to give room for a better relationship between the NCS and all strata of the society including traditional rulers, border communities, students, youths who can willingly volunteer to give adequate information to the service.
“I am suggesting that Customs service should have community relations groups that can be giving information on border activities. I believe that Customs should have relationship with all strata of the society so that more information can be giving to you,” he said.
The governor pointed out that Oyo State Government was ready to support the Nigeria Customs Service in order to ensure that his administration’s agenda come to reality.
Speaking, the Custom Comptroller General declared that he was in the state to tour the Oyo/Osun Command and to intimate his men to strive to meet the revenue target giving to the Customs and Federal Inland Revenue service by the federal government.
Earlier during his visit to the British America Tobacco, (BAT), Colonel Ali urged companies and industries across Nigeria to always pay their excise duties as at when due to generate more revenue for the government.
He told top management of the BAT led by the Managing Director, Mr. Chris Mcallister that the purpose of his visit to the company was to ginger up industries on their responsibilities in revenue generation, saying, his visit to stakeholders, formations in the Oyo/Osun command and to BAT was part of his familiarization visit to companies and industries he described as trading partners.
“I have come here to meet as stakeholders to ginger you up to your responsibility in revenue generation. What we are doing is to visit our industries and trading partners to ensure smooth operations and drive more revenue to improve the economy”.
