PRESIDENT JONATHAN SAYS ONGOING REFORMS IN CUSTOMS SERVICE WILL ENHANCE REGIONAL TRADE AND BOOST SECURITY

President Goodluck Jonathan said Tuesday in Abuja that in addition to enhancing regional and continental trade, ongoing reforms in the Nigerian Customs Service will also boost security in the country by helping to curtail the influx of illegal small arms and light weapons.

Speaking at an audience with the visiting Secretary General of the World Customs Organization, Mr. Kunio Mikuriya, President Jonathan said that the reforms were necessitated by the need to re-define the core values and operations of the service.

The President told Mr. Mikuriya that with the reforms, the Nigerian Customs Service was being progressively modernized and given the additional role of trade facilitation.

“I started out my career in the Nigeria Customs Service. Within that period and now, there have been significant changes. The role of the Customs Service as a trade facilitator is becoming more apparent.

“We promise you that the Nigerian government will continue to support reforms in the Customs. If we do things well, others will emulate us in the region,” he said

President Jonathan congratulated the Secretary General on his re-election to lead the global body, saying that it must have been due to his strong leadership skills.

Mr. Mikuriya told the President that he had toured ports in Lagos  and the Nigeria Customs College, where well motivated staff showed a readiness to learn and deploy new skills in their operations.

He said he also met with the business community in Lagos who testified to the positive impact of ongoing reforms in the Customs Service.