UGBAGU TAKES OVER FROM KOLADE AS COMTROLLER CUSTOMS ZONE C
REPORTER: UGONNA AGU
The Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit Zone “C” (FOUC) says it confiscated contrabands worth over seven billion naira between January 25, 2023 and April 19, 2024.
The outcome Comptroller in charge of the Zone, Mr. Kayode Kolade, announced this in a farewell message as he handed over to his successor, Mr. Michael Ugbagu.
Mr. Kolade thanked the Comptroller-General of Customs, Mr. Adewale Adeniyi, and his entire management team, for the trust and confidence reposed in him to serve as the Comptroller of FOU C.
“I am grateful to the Comptroller-General of Customs; Adewale Adeniyi, MFR and his entire management team, for the trust and confidence bestowed on me from January 25th 2023 to April 19th 2024 as I handover the affairs of this unit to another amiable Comptroller, Michael Ugbagu, who is also a thorough enforcement guru,” he remarked.
Mr. Kolade also thanked officers of the unit for their unparalleled support, commitment, dedication, hard work and prayers, adding that their support was the reason for his successes.
Listing out his achievements in 15 months, he said ‘the Unit within my tenure was able to make substantial and spectacular seizures ; totaling 198 seizures with a duty paid value of seven billion, five hundred and seventy-seven million, two hundred and fifty-nine thousand, three hundred and ninety naira only (N7,577,259,390.00) derived from five sacks of Pangolin scales weighing 413.1kg worth N523,356,390; 1,813 bags of 50KG each of foreign parboiled rice worth N105, 105,000.00; 815 sacks of cannabis sativa weighing 17,950KG and 2,935 PARCELS (1kg each) weighing 2,935kg (totally 20,885KG) worth N1,670,800,000.00.”
He also enumerated many more seizures made under his watch.
Mr. Kolade also said he reconstructed and equipped a clinic at the Unit’s office, in Owerri, where officers and Men, as well members of the host community enjoy free health care services administered by the unit’s qualified medical personnel and also carved out a very spacious office for sports activities with fully installed gym equipment where officers and men exercise.
He noted that although FOUC is not a revenue-generating unit, under his watch and based on interventions to checkmate the activities of fraudulent agents at the seaports, lost revenues were recovered to the tune of N155,819,714.00 within his 15 months in office.
He wished his successor Mr. Micheal Ugbagu well, and called on the officers and men of the command to extend the same support and cooperation to him as he pilots the affairs of the unit.
In response, the new Comptroller FOUC, Mr. Ugbagu, thanked the CGC for finding him worthy to oversee the affairs of the zone and thanked predecessor for his commendable achievements.
He promised to discharge his duties diligently.
“There will be watertight security against smuggling activities across the zone. Smugglers will be discouraged, frustrated and made uncomfortable, thereby making smuggling, duty evasion and warehousing of smuggled goods unattractive within the zone.”
The new Comptroller called for support and cooperation from the media and the general public to enable him carry out his new assignment.
EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU
