Western Marine Command: Customs, NIS Collaborates On National Security, Development
Bisi Akingbade
The Western Marine Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has formed a collaboration with the Nigeria Immigration Service to dialogue on National Security and Development of the country today, at the command in Apapa, Lagos.
At the maiden edition of the collaboration, the Customs Area Controller, Western Marine Command, Comptroller Patrick Ntadi said that the
“The Nigerian Immigration Service and Nigerian Customs are twins in the service. That is why the Controller of Immigration is here with her officers, this is because she knows that we are twins”.
He said there is nothing like superiority, everybody has their own job. When the job suffers, the country suffers. And when the country suffers, it tells on all of us,”
He urged both officers of Western Marine command and Nigeria Immigration Service to prioritise national interest over ego or turf wars”.
He stated that both agencies face similar challenges ,“If you meet a smuggler on the road or in the sea at night, he won’t bother to identify whether you are Immigration or Customs — you are the enemy to him,” Ntadi noted. “So why be enemies to yourselves?”. He asked his officers.
Addressing officers of Western Marine command and Nigeria Immigration Service at the conference room, he said "Today something new has happened. We have come together to build a strong place among all of us. It is an opportunity for us to interact. An opportunity for us to come together, to build a strong relationship.
"The person sitting beside you is either an immigration officer or a customs officer, we have been together for so long, in a situation like this, we have happened not to fall down.
"Our interaction shall be official and unofficial. When we meet, as we expand, we might find things we do in common.
The essence is for us to be one.
Knowing that there is no difference.
In spite of the fact that we live different ways, we are working for the same government.
The Comptroller of Immigration Service at the Lagos Seaport and Marine Command, Apapa, Comptroller Clementina O Ogbudu after the parade applauded the officers appearances.
Ogbudu said “today, to say that I am delighted will be an understatement, in the sense that two services are together as one, working for one country.
“I am promising you that by the time your controller comes to my command unannounced, you will find my guys smart looking as well.
“We have one country, yes, we are from two different agencies, but we are working for one country, for you and for me”
"So we have decided to come together as a team to form a formidable squad that no other person, not the smugglers, not the people that trade our young children for prostitution can penetrate. You know, we are the ones facing the sea, we find these people all over”.
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