By Khalid Idris Doya
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State and loyalist of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Khamis Musa Darazo, has commended the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for what he described as significant progress in revenue mobilisation, border management and trade facilitation under the Federal Government’s ongoing economic reforms.
Darazo, in a statement issued on Thursday, said the reforms were strengthening the Customs Service as a strategic institution for non-oil revenue generation, economic management and national security.
He said the strategic direction provided by the Federal Ministry of Finance had enabled Customs to place greater emphasis on revenue performance, technology, compliance and coordinated border operations.
"Under the strategic direction of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Customs is demonstrating that effective revenue mobilisation and stronger border management can move together.
"We are seeing greater attention to revenue performance, technology, compliance and coordinated border operations," he said.
Darazo identified revenue mobilisation, border security and trade facilitation as three key areas requiring sustained attention.
He said improved revenue performance by the Service was critical to the Federal Government’s efforts to expand non-oil revenue and create additional fiscal space for infrastructure, social programmes and other national development priorities.
On border security, the APC chieftain stressed the need for stronger collaboration between the Customs Service and other security and border-management agencies to combat smuggling, protect legitimate businesses and secure the nation's borders.
He also welcomed the ongoing digitalisation and trade-modernisation initiatives within the Service, saying faster, more transparent Customs procedures would ease the burden on legitimate businesses while strengthening controls against illicit trade.
"This is the practical meaning of Renewed Hope: stronger institutions, improved revenue mobilisation, safer borders and a more efficient environment for legitimate businesses," Darazo said.
Against the backdrop of the reforms, he urged the federal government to consider performance-based continuity within the Customs management structure, including targeted tenure extensions for deserving officers within the ranks of Deputy Comptroller-General (DCG), Assistant Comptroller-General (ACG), Comptroller (CC) and Deputy Comptroller (DC), where permitted by law and relevant service regulations.
He, however, clarified that the proposal should not be interpreted as a demand for indefinite tenure or preferential treatment for individuals.
Rather, he said, continuity should be considered as a strategic institutional decision aimed at consolidating reforms that had produced measurable results.
"We are at a critical stage of institutional reform. Where members of the management team have demonstrated competence and contributed to measurable improvements, the government should consider continuity as part of responsible succession planning.
"The objective is not to protect individuals; it is to protect institutional gains," he stated.
Darazo further argued that carefully managed continuity would provide experienced officers with an opportunity to mentor emerging leaders and prepare the next generation of Customs management.
He proposed that any tenure extension should be targeted, merit-based, time-bound and subject to all necessary statutory approvals.
"A carefully structured one- to two-year continuity arrangement, where legally permissible and justified by performance, could provide room for mentoring, succession planning and the consolidation of major reforms.
"It would also allow the Service to prepare the next generation of leadership without creating an abrupt institutional transition," he said.
According to him, the close relationship between Customs revenue performance and border security makes leadership stability particularly important.
He noted that the Service simultaneously performs revenue collection, trade facilitation, enforcement and border-control functions, making effective institutional coordination essential to the success of the federal government’s economic programme.
Darazo therefore appealed to the Federal Ministry of Finance, the NCS Board and other relevant authorities to assess the question of leadership continuity objectively, based on performance, institutional needs and the long-term national interest.
"Nigeria must protect every reform that is producing results. If continuity is legally available and supported by objective performance assessments, it should not be dismissed simply because leadership transitions are expected.
"The overriding consideration must be what best protects Nigeria’s revenue, trade and national-security interests," he said.
Darazo reaffirmed his support for President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that effective governance required not only the introduction of reforms but also measures to sustain successful institutional changes.
"Renewed Hope is not only about introducing reforms; it is also about ensuring that successful reforms are sustained.
"Where Customs management has demonstrated results, experience and capacity, continuity should be considered as a strategic tool for consolidating those gains and preparing the institution for a stronger future," he said.
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