The outgoing Comptroller General of Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Hameed Ali has said that the newly inaugurated Customs Headquarters building complex would serve as a boost to the men and officers of the service to put in their best in guarding the border, generating revenue and facilitating trade.
He commended the President for his approval for a increase in the salaries of customs personnel, noting that this has made them less susceptible to corruption.
He said, “We must mention the game-changing intervention of Mr President to rid the NCS of corruption and put it on a path of integrity.
“The 100 percent increase in the remuneration for officers and men of the service decisively made them less susceptible to corruption.”
The edifice is estimated to have gulped the sum of N19.6bn.
The Deputy Comptroller-General of Customs, Wale Adeniyi, who is also the Chairman of the committee for the inauguration of the project, said the office complex was conceived during the tenure of Alhaji Mustapha Aliyu as Comptroller-General of customs in 2002.
He said the main work for the project started in 2007, noting that the initial model had undergone redesigned and modification until this edifice was arrived at.
Adeniyi said the building is made up of three main wings comprising two wings of five floors and bridges linking them to them to the main tower which is at the middle of the facility. The tower, he said is made up of 12 floors.
Adeniyi added that the need to build the office was as a result of the increase in the number of customs officers as well as the need to have the much needed space and state-of-the-art facilities to carry out the mandate of the Service.
He added that the equipment that are needed to monitor the border operations have also been installed in the facility.
