Maritime Expert Hails Promotions in NCS

A Lagos base maritime expert, Prince Olusegun Ologbese has hailed the Customs High Command for the recent massive promotion in the service.

The management of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) had a fortnight ago made public the promotion of 3,487 officers and men.

Ologbese who is also the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ogbese Marine Services Limited specifically commended the Comptroller General, NCS, Colonel Hameed Ali (rtd), for giving approval for the elevation of the officers and men.

Speaking with journalists in Lagos, Ologbese who is also the President General, Association of Good Leadership Advocates Peace Development (AGLAPD) noted that by the elevation of the affected personnel, the NCS boss has ‘done what Napoleon could not do’.

According to him the NCS management presently led by the retired military officer has done well by releasing the promotions of the affected officers and men. I am thanking him for remembering those officers who were prematurely retired from the service and those that felt that they were not placed in position commensurate with their qualifications. Indeed, there were jubilations across customs formation when the list of the affected personnel for promotion was made public.

He charged those promoted to see their elevation as a call to higher duty as a lot is expected from them.

Ologbese who is regarded as a veteran in the cargo clearance business stated that each time a new helmsman is appointed by the government to oversee the maritime sector of the economy, there is a tendency to always focusing on NCS. He argued that this tendency is hinged on the assumption that the operation of NCS should be looked into in a bid to sanitize the service. He said this has always led to a wrong conclusion and disappointment as the appointee end up discovering that NCS was not really the problem of the maritime sector of the economy.

His words: “The same thing happens to the present Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Colonel Ibrahim Hameed Ali (retired). He was specifically instructed to purge the Customs of corruption but he later find out that it was a wrong impression. He discovered that all duties paid by importers and licensed customs agents are in bank drafts issued in the name of the Federal Government”.

Ologbese noted that a former Minister of Finance, Mr. Usman Shashore equally promised to reform the NCS but thereafter discovered that the service was not in the way it was painted to him to prior to his appointment into the federal executive council (FEC).

According to the maritime expert, the former minister later discovered that goods that are finally released by the NCS usually remain in the ports, airports and international land borders for days because the agents and importers are still sorting out some matters with other government agencies and shipping companies. However, consignees are always made to believe that the NCS has not release their goods.

Though he admitted that there had been drop in importation as a result of foreign exchange restrictions, the maritime expert argued that the Federal Government intervention will eventually stabilise the situation.

According to him, some of the incentives to companies operating at the zone to include free port incentives, Customs incentives, immigration incentives, tax incentives and other benefits contained in Section 18 of the Oil and Gas Free Zone Act. INTELS Nigeria Limited operates in government-owned port facilities and Free Zones to provide comprehensive integrated logistics services to the oil and gas industry.

Onyebueke explained that the company is leading the Nigerian oil and gas logistics support industry as a core logistics service provider through its skills, efficiency, integrity and quality of service.

“The organization has 30 years of experience in ports management and terminal logistic support services in shore bases across Nigeria, applying the ‘One Stop Shop’ solution under its Oil Service Centre Concept”, he said.

Companies in the Onne Free Zone visited by the NCDMB team include FMC Technologies, General Electric (GE); One Subsea, West Atlantic Shipyard, Pipe Coaters Nigeria Limited, AOS Orwell, and Vallourec.

The team also visited INTELS’ Women Empowerment Programme Synergy Scheme (WEPSS) where more than 100 women are being trained on fashion design and tailoring; and the newly developed ultra-modern Onne Port Multi-Centre (OPMC), which can conveniently seat 1,500 people for conferences, workshops and other events.

On the entourage of the NCDMB boss were the Director Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr. Tunde Adelana and the Director Planning Research and Statistics, Mr. Patrick Obah.

Besides Epelle and Onyebueke, INTELS Head Government and Public Affairs, Mr. David Alagoa and the Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Laurence Smith were among those that received Wabote and his team.