The Apapa Area Command of the Nigeria Customs on Tuesday decorated 110 officers who benefitted from the recent promotional exercise with their respective new ranks.
Controller of the command, Comptroller Yusuf Malanta, while speaking at the decoration ceremony witnessed by heads of other security agencies including the Department of State Security (DSS), Nigerian Army Corps Supply and Transport, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Commissioner of Port Police and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) charged the officers to justify the management’s confidence on them by putting in their best in the discharge of their duties.
Comptroller Malanta noted that while it is the aspiration of every officer to reach the peak of his career, such a goal cannot be achieved without hard work, dedication, discipline and integrity.
He urged the promoted officers to have a complete change of attitude in their approach to work and improve on their level of integrity as their positions have changed.
While commending the Comptroller General of Customs for making elevation in the Service merit driven, Comptroller Malanta called on officers who were not promoted to redouble their efforts if they want to be elevated in the next promotion exercise.
“It is important that whatever duty or schedule you have been given, you have to work hard because for those of you who have been promoted, glory be to God because promotion is from God through your hard work.
“Once you are promoted, you have to completely change your behavior in the way you work and display yourself. You should change your etiquette. You are now a new person in a new environment because your new rank is a new environment.
“You have to make sure that you adapt to this new environment, perform your work diligently and make sure you prepare from today for your next promotion interview and exams. That will make your promotion seamless. You need a complete change of attitude, behavior and improved level of integrity.
“We thank the Customs management today that this kind of promotion is based on merit. You must go through a series of exams. From assessment of your performance to CBT and written exams and your marks will either earn you promotion or not to be promoted.
“For those who were not promoted should take cue and understand that you have to redouble your efforts and increase your speed before the next election which is just in two months,” he said.
Comptroller Malanta also used the occasion to emphasize the need for enhanced synergy among sister agencies stating that through collaboration and information sharing, it would be easy to combat illicit trade via the nation’s entry points.
“This gathering is not only about the decoration of promoted officers. It is about showcasing the industrial harmony we have with other government agencies and stakeholders present in the command.
“We would improve and continue with this synergy because what we are all talking about is Nigeria, sharing of information, synergizing and collaborating in every aspect.
“Information transmission in all aspects of our work is very important. If we are together, importers of illicit trade would never have a window to penetrate, but once we are divided, they would have a way of going from one window to other to perpetrate their nefarious activities”
In his goodwill remarks, Commander, Nigerian Army Corps of Supply and Transport, Brigadier General WL Nzidee, said the promotion of the officers is a reflection of true leadership as exemplified by the Customs Controller.
“What is true leadership? It is about the growth of subordinates. I thank the Controller for the true leadership he represents,” he said, urging the officers to redouble their efforts and work diligently to justify their promotions.
While applauding the synergy between Customs and the Army, he charged the officers to also ensure such synergy among other security agencies when carrying out their operational activities.
On his part, Director of DSS at Apapa port, Ibrahim Adimbo, urged the officers to work hard in order to sustain the new rank and contribute to the revenue drive of the Service.
On the need for collaboration among government agencies at the port, he said, “It is through synergy that we are going to protect ourselves, assist the government and our lives will be better. Lack of synergy brings down an empire but with synergy, we will have progress, development and we will continue to blossom.”
Those who were promoted included three Deputy Comptrollers who now wear the rank of Comptrollers while 9 Assistant Comptrollers were decorated with the new ranks of Deputy Comptrollers.
Others are 15 Assistant Comptrollers; 12 Chief Superintendent of Customs (CSC); 15 Superintendent of Customs (SC); 29 Deputy Superintendent of Customs (DSC); 17 Assistant Superintendent of Customs (ASC1) and 10 Assistant Superintendent of Customs (ASC11).
