Comptroller General (CG) of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, has lamented the increasing smuggling of petroleum products across the country’s borders, saying the discrepancies in the price of petrol across neighbouring countries had continued to encourage smugglers in the unpatriotic venture.
According to the customs boss, for instance, a litre of petrol sold for N930 in Nigeria is about 600CFA (N1,700) in the Republic of Benin.
He stated that this had in no small measure affected patronage and patriotism among some petroleum dealers, who often decide to engage in border activities. Subsequently, Adeniyi said the experience had affected the economy and increased insecurity along the nation’s border communities.
Addressing the media on Monday at the Kwara State Command, Adeniyi described the menace as a major threat to Nigeria’s economy. According to him, the persistent challenge of fuel smuggling remains worrisome and must be tackled decisively.
The customs chief said: “This menace constitutes a great danger to our economy, and we must deploy all necessary measures to curb it. The culprits will be brought to book in accordance with the law.”
Also at the same event, the Comptroller General disclosed that he would be appearing at the National Assembly, today, to clear the air on the extension of years of service of customs officers, who were expected to have gone on retirement.
He said: “We will be at the National Assembly tomorrow (Tuesday), we already have our facts. We don’t manufacture papers, anything that we do, we have approvals for it, we are an agency that is guided by the rule of law and once we know that we are operating on the right side of the law, we have nothing to fear.”
Adeniji confirmed that the approval for the extension of service for the affected officers was given by President Bola Tinubu after due process.
“The Comptroller of Customs, Kwara State command, Faith Ojeifo, who has performed creditably well during his tenure on duty is among the officers, who got the approval to stay on in service with an extension that was properly processed and approved by the president. We will not allow anybody to operate outside the provisions of the law, we will be there to explain everything to them,” he added.
