Coming from its independent findings and discoveries of factors militating against efforts of government to tame illegal importation of weapons and smuggling of contraband into the country through its borders, authorities of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) have been advised to intensify actions towards ensuring total overhauling of the system through strict compliance to the operational techniques of the organizations.
By so doing, officers of both organisations, particularly Customs, found wanting of conniving with smugglers thereby sabotaging the efforts of government on fight against smuggling were demanded to be arrested and charged for felonious offences.
The Social Integrity Network (SINET), in a statement giving this advice issued on Monday, commended the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (Rtd) and the Director General of SON, Mr. Osita Aboloma, for their strides in combating smuggling and substandard goods in the country.
SINET National Coordinator, Mallam Ibrahim Isah, noted that, “We are glad that the NCS and SON have woken up to the clarion calls by Nigerians to fight smuggling and importation of substandard products to a standstill in order to create more opportunities and rapid economic recovery for the nation.”
It will be recalled that SINET had recently been at the forefront calling on President Muhammadu Buhari not to leave board security to Customs alone and had been hard on the demand for government to stop smuggling at all cost as, it said, it contributed to plight of local manufacturers.
Not too long, President Buhari heeded the calls and shut the nation’s borders to importation of food and smuggling of illicit weapons into the country.
The organisation said, “The border closure has further confimed the position of Nigeria as the giant of Africa and the effect is being felt positively by local manufacturers while the nation’s revenue generation has also improved tremendously.
“While smuggling and importation of substandard products have adverse effects on industrial productivity, jobs , bank loan obligations, it is also the major catalyst for the persisting insurgency and kidnapping among other social vices, paving ways for dangerous weapons in the country.”
The SINET’s helmsman further stressed that Cutoms should extend the combat against smuggling beyond boarder protection and move to in-house smuggling conspiracy and connivance among officers adding that any officer found wanton should be severely dealt with and jailed for committing felonious act.
“We commend SON for apprehending a warehouse owned and operated by Prossy and closing down the business for not complying with the required standard. There is need to do more in order to reduce the dastardly act to the barest minimum in order not to take the nation back by 50 years.
“The unity, peace and harmony of Nigeria is beyond individualism and all hands must be on deck to achieve this with all sense of professionalism, nationalism and patriotism. “
